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edits
Changes
London
,→West towards Reading, Swindon, (The South-West), Bristol, Devon, Cornwall South Wales {{Mgb|4}}
<map lat='51.491738177580345' lng='-0.28118133544921875' zoom='16' view='0' float='right' />
==== Option 1: M4 Motorway Junction 1 (Chiswick Roundabout) ====
1. Take the District Line Underground to ''Gunnersbury'' (zone 3) or train to ''Kew Bridge''. (Alternatively, the Overground at ''South Acton'' doesn't have barriers, but is a kilometer further away.) Both stations are on the Chiswick High Road (A315 - one west and one east of the roundabout) along which you walk 500m to Junction 1 of the M4 where you will see the Esso petrol station that is on the corner of the slip road onto the motorway heading west. There is a bus lay-by nearby with a sign saying M4 west.
2. Take bus H91 from ''Hammersmith Bus station'' in the direction of Hounslow West and get off at ''Chiswick Roundabout/Gunnersbury'', and you are already at the bus lay-by hitching point.
'''Cost of public transport''': £2.80 (off peak) from Zone 1. (Bus fare £1.50)
==== Option 2: A4 leading to M4 (or M3) ====
Heading for [[South West England|Cornwall]], it is much easier hitching the M4 and changing to the M5 in [[Bristol]] than trying to hitch the M3 through [[South West England|Dorset]]. Take District Line Underground to ''West Kensington'' (zone 2). Turn right out of the station, there are traffic lights 10m away. Turn right and there is a lay-by where you can stand. The advantage of this spot is that all the traffic must stop here frequently for the lights and much of it is going to either of the motorways. (It's also cheaper to get to). I never normally wait more than 30 mins here.
'''Cost of public transport''': £2.40 (off peak) from Zone 1.
==== Option 3: Motorway service station Heston ====
Take Piccadilly Line Underground westbound and get off at ''Hounslow West'' (zone 5). Turn right from the station exit and walk 800m west along Bath Road to just past Henleys roundabout where there is a BP petrol station. Right at the exit of the petrol station is a footpath heading north. Walk ≈650m and where it splits, turn right 20 metres until you reach Armytage Rd. Turn left onto this road and continue north for another ≈200m, cross over Cranford Lane and then continue north again for another ≈350m along Phoenix Way until it bends to the left. Just past the bend, you will see a short path on the right through the bushes/trees onto Heston service station.
It's not an overly busy services but enough traffic to justify getting out here and cutting out all the local traffic in the centre. Use a sign as there is a lot of local traffic and also traffic heading onto the M25 both south and north.<br/ >
The public transport cost to get here is a few pence more expensive than the other option, but definitely worth the investment.
'''Cost of public transport''': £3.10 (off peak) from Zone 1