Left Luggage Lockers?

[Buzby]

Do these still exist at stations? I wanted to drop off a small case for 2 hours at KX or Euston, and all I can find are multiple networks of small local shops in the vicinity, all with astonishing rates with a minimum of 24hrs! There is one that promotes hourly rates but then adds a £5 ‘facility’ fee to the total. Are LLL now a thing of the past?

 

[Bletchleyite]

Do these still exist at stations? I wanted to drop off a small case for 2 hours at KX or Euston, and all I can find are multiple networks of small local shops in the vicinity, all with astonishing rates with a minimum of 24hrs! There is one that promotes hourly rates but then adds a £5 ‘facility’ fee to the total. Are LLL now a thing of the past?

Only ones I know of are Fort William and Kyle of Lochalsh.

At Euston or KX, the Excess Baggage Company is the official provision, but it'll cost you about £10.

 

[Buzby]

At Euston or KX, the Excess Baggage Company is the official provision, but it'll cost you about £10

Wow - it’s amazing how useful things you take for granted get whittled away so NR/TOC don’t have to bother anymore!

 

[LowLevel]

Wow - it’s amazing how useful things you take for granted get whittled away so NR/TOC don’t have to bother anymore!

They mostly disappeared in the 90s because of the IRA using them for nefarious means. The unattended coin operated lockers common in Europe basically don't exist in the UK anymore. Left luggage company do it at major stations but it is far from cheap.

 

[bspahh]

Do these still exist at stations? I wanted to drop off a small case for 2 hours at KX or Euston, and all I can find are multiple networks of small local shops in the vicinity, all with astonishing rates with a minimum of 24hrs! There is one that promotes hourly rates but then adds a £5 ‘facility’ fee to the total. Are LLL now a thing of the past?

What time of day do you need to leave your bag?

 

[Djgr]

Do these still exist at stations? I wanted to drop off a small case for 2 hours at KX or Euston, and all I can find are multiple networks of small local shops in the vicinity, all with astonishing rates with a minimum of 24hrs! There is one that promotes hourly rates but then adds a £5 ‘facility’ fee to the total. Are LLL now a thing of the past?

It's easier enough to leave bags at Euston in the staffed facility. It's just expensive.

Presumably they were outsourced many years ago as some kind of customer improvement?

 

[Henffordd]

If it's a small case, and within opening hours, you could try the cloakroom at the British Library. It's free.

 

[Bletchleyite]

It's easier enough to leave bags at Euston in the staffed facility. It's just expensive.

Presumably they were outsourced many years ago as some kind of customer improvement?

I recall when First North Western operated it at Lime St, it was closed half the time. Excess Baggage Co is expensive but at least offers a reasonably good quality service.

The only thing that annoys me about it is that they close at 2300 which makes them a bit useless for dropping off your work bag and laptop before going to a concert or similar and returning to take a late train home (given that increasingly taking any sort of bag into such venues is totally prohibited). I don't entirely get why they're not open until the scheduled departure of the last train from that station.

 

[Buzby]

What time of day do you need to leave your bag?

From 1600 to 1830…. The British Library lockers might actually be an ideal compromise but I’ll need to check their opening hours! Thanks all!

 

[bspahh]

From 1600 to 1830…. The British Library lockers might actually be an ideal compromise but I’ll need to check their opening hours! Thanks all!

The British Library is really nice, but bags can't be bigger than an airline carry on bag.

There is also the Wellcome Collection which has free lockers. It open 10-6pm apart from Thursday when it shuts at 8pm and Monday when it is closed all day.
https://wellcomecollection.org/pages/Wuw19yIAAK1Z3Sm0

https://www.kingscrossleftluggage.co.uk/ are across the road from Kings Cross station and charge £4 for a bag for up to 1 day.

 

[ge-gn]

Stasher Luggage Storage Near Me | Secure Bag Storage

Securely store your bags with trusted shops and hotels near you. Half the price of station lockers, 24/7 options, secure and fully guaranteed!

stasher.com

I recommend this service.

 

[Buzby]

I recommend this service.

What sets me against these enterprises is the disparate nature of a deposit, it could be a hotel, convenience store, retail shop, coffee and cake shop… and I’m meant to feel confident they’ll still be there when I get back? I’ve no idea who they are - if it goes missing, who’s responsible? The folk I paid online, or the shop that put it in a back room? A LLL you put in your money, locked the box and took your own key until returning to retrieve it. Much simpler! I’m also expected to pay extra for ‘insurance’ Really?

The good old days were slightly better!

 

[bspahh]

What sets me against these enterprises is the disparate nature of a deposit, it could be a hotel, convenience store, retail shop, coffee and cake shop… and I’m meant to feel confident they’ll still be there when I get back? I’ve no idea who they are - if it goes missing, who’s responsible? The folk I paid online, or the shop that put it in a back room? A LLL you put in your money, locked the box and took your own key until returning to retrieve it. Much simpler! I’m also expected to pay extra for ‘insurance’ Really?

The good old days were slightly better!

Would you have your own padlock and key for a locker, or use the key from the locker? There are lock picking videos on Youtube which show its pretty quick to open most locks.

I try to only take luggage that I can keep with me. "Simplicate and add more lightness" is a quote I thought came from Colin Chapman of Lotus, but wikipedia says its from Gordon Hooton who was a designer for William Bushnell Stout

 

[Bletchleyite]

Would you have your own padlock and key for a locker, or use the key from the locker? There are lock picking videos on Youtube which show its pretty quick to open most locks.

I try to only take luggage that I can keep with me. "Simplicate and add more lightness" is a quote I thought came from Colin Chapman of Lotus, but wikipedia says its from Gordon Hooton who was a designer for William Bushnell Stout

This isn't always possible, e.g. theatres and concert venues now often ban bags bigger than a small woman's handbag.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Stasher Luggage Storage Near Me | Secure Bag Storage

Securely store your bags with trusted shops and hotels near you. Half the price of station lockers, 24/7 options, secure and fully guaranteed!

stasher.com

I recommend this service.

Curiously most of their offerings seem to close at 2300 too...it's bizarre!

 

[ge-gn]

What sets me against these enterprises is the disparate nature of a deposit, it could be a hotel, convenience store, retail shop, coffee and cake shop… and I’m meant to feel confident they’ll still be there when I get back? I’ve no idea who they are - if it goes missing, who’s responsible? The folk I paid online, or the shop that put it in a back room? A LLL you put in your money, locked the box and took your own key until returning to retrieve it. Much simpler! I’m also expected to pay extra for ‘insurance’ Really?

The good old days were slightly better!

There’s generally enough of a choice on stasher to be able to pick and choose. I am much less likely to use a random mini mart than a premier inn, which tend to have proper lockable luggage room where you bag gets labelled.

The LLL in many stations in Europe put the provision in the UK to shame. Row upon row of various size self service lockers at reasonable rates. I‘d love to see a return of them here, but I doubt it will ever happen. Which I guess is why stasher was set up to fill the vacuum.