Changes

* '''Last verified''': June october 2010 (not hitched, but the spot is still viable even though the petrol station is open again, after it was closedin the summer)

Get the Underground to London Bridge Station ''(Northern Line - Jubilee Line)'' and get the overland train to a station called Mottingham ''(direction Dartford)'' - this is very close to the entrance to the M20 to Dover - When you come out of the trainstation, head for 'Great Sidcup Road' around 800 yards further down the road is a set of traffic lights (corner of 'Sidcup Road' and 'Court Road', around 800 yards). At the traffic lights (little intersection) turn left, and where you can hold see a sign saying Shell petrol station. This leads towards Dover . This is the A-20, which becomes eventually the M-20.  You can hitchhike as well from that crossroad , by holding a sign Saying Dover and try to get the cars stopped at the traffic lights to let you jump in.

To get to Clacket Lane Service Station from London get a train to Bromley (you can use an Oyster card: http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tickets/14836.aspx), then bus 246 (timetable here: http://www.londonbusroutes.net/times/246Sum.htm) Ask the driver to tell you when you get to Pilgrims Lane, then walk down Pilgrims Lane and Pilgrims Way to Clacket Lane Services. You can see where you're going on a map here: http://www.motorwayservices.info/clacket_lane_services_m25/googlemap Where it says "Clacket Wood" is the service station. There is also a street view of this area on google maps. Clacket Lane is an excellent place to hitch to Brighton (Westbound) or Dover (Eastbound) and also fairly good for most other directions as it's a busy station. Best thing is to stand outside the main doors into the station and ask everyone that comes out if they are going your way ("excuse me, are you by any chance going to Bighton?") To get from one side to the other walk down the country lane to the back of the station until you get to the bridge and cross to the other side (couple of km) == Public Transport ==''See specific article for [[Transport for London]]'' == Sleep ==There are several options when it comes to finding a place to sleep. If the worst prevails and you're without a place, you're still not too bad off. Central London is relatively safe and you probably wont be bothered sleeping outside. === Wild [[Camping]] ===Its quite possible to sleep out in London in considerable privacy despite its gigantic population of 10 million. Go North East to Trent Park (Picadilly Line North, second to last stop before Cockfosters. Find the directions for the university (Middlesex) campus and walk (or take the free bus) up the hill. Beside it and beyond the lake are quite a few miles of woodland and and it is incredibly beautiful. [[User:Whisperingofthestars|Jason]] lived here for 7 months during his final year of university. Be careful with park wardens, they eventually discovered him during the last few weeks of his studies. Build camouflage from ferns if staying for long. People are unlikely to be your greatest threat...dogs are. Dogs! A lot of people walk them here but you can find amazing places if you search hard enough. And if you search really really hard, you'll find a tree with the dates of the past dweller's residence...;)  Also, outside this station (Trent Park), there is a Greek Bakery. Behind it lie huge sacks of bread every night. Please go. Its crazy that this could possibly be wasted every night.  === Squatting ===London has such an abundance of [[squat]]s that you shouldn't ever have to pay for accommodation. Having said that, most squats are places where people live and go about their normal business, so don't expect too much from them. Perhaps it would be good to find some friendly squatters by word of mouth or on [http://www.couchsurfing.com couchsurfing] or similar. Don't worry about the negative connotations associated with squats. They generally aren't crackhouses or scabies-infested punk hangouts. People of all types squat in London and their homes are usually very nice. They are especially helpful if you're planning to stick around for a while, but can also be great if you're just passing through. [[User:Zac Stewart|Zac]]<small>^{[[User talk:Zac Stewart|talk]]}</small> ended up with a squat to sleep in on his first night, and in [[Mayfair]] of all places! There is a strong community of squatters especially in the north east of London where a new group has been set for resistance and solidarity. The North East London Squatters Network are having meetings every month as well as a mailing list etc... For more info, get in touch with the '''[http://www.hackneysocialcentre.blogspot.com/ Hackney Social Centre]''' .. (unfortunately this has now been evicted). '''[http://www.rampart.co.nr/ rampART]''' is a squatted social center in [[Whitechapel]], east London. This place isn't a residential squat, but they do have a "crash room" for visitors. They make it clear that it is not a tourist hostel so you needn't bother them unless you are interested in getting involved with their project for some time while you're there. To stay, you need to contact them well ahead of time. If nothing else, it's a great place to meet squatters and find a place to stay. They also have free internet!(As of last month rampART was evicted by the police and is no more.) Interestingly, the new place at Bowl Court Road that was squatted a few months ago has already been evicted (August 2008). The '''[http://www.squatter.org.uk/ Advisory Service for Squatters]''' is helpful for people that are planning to find a place to live and cannot really help you find a place to crash. It's located at the Freedom Bookstore in Whitechapel and is another great place to meet squatters as well as get online for free. The address is Angel Alley, 84b Whitechapel High Street, Whitechapel, London, England, E1 7QX. (Tel. 020-32160099) For more info on social centers in London, check out [http://www.socialcentresnetwork.org.uk/ Autonomous London]. == Eat ==Cheap and free food abounds in London.  === Free ===Hari Krishna offer free food from several locations in London at lunchtime: outside SOAS by Russel Square at 1pm, for example. Expect to queue for 30 minutes, arrive early to guarantee a fill - the food does run out. Otherwise... In the UK, the term for eating food that would otherwise be thrown away, is called skipping. Lots of people do it, all from people that come from poor countries and see all the food that goes to waist, to people that are political in there way of living. Many people, especially in the squat sceen live totally out of food from the bins... Plenty of places throw out food at closing time. Always check the bags out front of '''Pret a Mangers''' and '''Benjy's''' at 5-7pm. If you feel up to it, you can even go inside when they are closing shop and explain that you're homeless and pick out all the food you want instead of getting it off the sidewalk. Feel no shame, you're helping to curb wastefulness! The '''Coffee Republic''' on Great Marlborough Street near the Oxford Circle and Carnaby Street is reported to put out garbage bags with totally normal food--boiled potatoes, sandwiches, etc. every eveing around 8pm on weekdays and 7pm on weekends. The sandwich company "Eat" throw away lots of stuff everyday all over town. Have a look in there bins or outside the shops on the street. The bakery 'Paul' in Blackfriars and Paddington throw out a lot of cakes, all extremely luxurious and scrumptious. From Blackfriars station walk up the main road, and Paul's will be on your right after a few minutes. Wholesale vegetable markets at New Covent Garden Market and New Spitalfield Market have tons of stuff lying around on the floor that they cant sell but you certainly can eat... Go early in the morning, you probably run in to some other people skipping... Places like Sainsburys, Marks and Spencers, Tesco and so on have a marking system on there packedge food that says when the food should be thrown away and when it should be eaten before. The gap between this days are often two days and you can still have it more or less a week more depending on what it is. http://freegan.org.uk/ Good places to try in Hackney are E.A.T. Pret, Iceland, supermarket metros or locals and markets. === Cheap ===If you're going to self cater, stick to '''Sainsbury's''' and '''Tesco''' rather than the convenient Off-Licenses for better prices. If you are a bit out of Central London, you might as well look for '''Lidl''', '''Morrisons''', '''Netto''' or '''Asda'''. Anyhow with a decent and wise grocery, you can get your grocery for nearly a week for about 10-15 pounds at any of the mentioned supermarket with decent, fresh and healthy food ''(to cook)''. Be aware though that these supermarkets are not in any sense "ethical". They are wiping out local shops, taking monopoly on feeding us, destroying the environment and throwing away food every day that could feed hundreds of people. It's better to eat out of their bins. If you get tired of peanut butter sandwiches or want to fill up for the weekend, try one of the MANY £5 all-you-can-eat '''Thai Buffets''' which are always always totally vegan! (some good all-you-can-eat start at £3,50). Go early, they get more expensive in the evening. While downtown, you can also get a ''<nowiki>'</nowiki>6-inch sandwich of the day<nowiki>'</nowiki>'' at '''Subway''' for 2 pounds. The markets in Camden Town have cheap food around 5pm, especially in the Lock Market where, if you walk for a few minutes past all the initial food courts, you can easily find dishes of noodles for £2. == Internet ==In Westminster, there's a public library which you can use for free Internet access. You might need to register yourself, though, and that progress (and waiting for the next available computer) can take quite some time. Go to the Apple store, oxford street as i remember, ask any '''local''' around Piccadilly or Regent or Oxford street and they should be able to tell you the exact location. {{Template:Regions England}}{{Excellent}}[[trash:London]]{{IsIn|England}} [[Category:United Kingdom]][[Category:England]][[Category:E30]][[Category:E13]]