If you’ve already done the rounds of Farnham storage, you know the feeling: a cramped unit, a queue for the lift, someone else’s van blocking the loading bay while you wait with a box balanced on your knee. There’s a quieter way to do this. Past the last roundabout out of Farnham, the A31 opens out, and the whole errand starts to feel different.
In a hurry? Pick your branch:
- Just want to know if it’s worth the drive? Jump to the A31 run.
- Want to know what changes when you get there? Jump to what drive-up storage means.
- Already sold, just need the practical details? Jump to access hours and the basics.
How far is Alton from Farnham, and which road do you take?
It’s one road the whole way. The A31 runs west out of Farnham and takes you straight into Alton, with no motorway change and no city-centre diversion to navigate. Put the run at around 10 miles and about 15 to 20 minutes in normal traffic: a short, direct trip rather than a detour.
Is it really one road the whole way?
Yes. You pick up the A31 westbound out of Farnham and stay on it into Alton. There’s no cutting through town centres and no doubling back onto a different route to find.
How long does it take in practice?
Fifteen to twenty minutes is a fair working estimate for normal traffic, though like any road it can run longer at peak times. Check your maps app before you set off, just to see what the road’s doing that day.
The A31 run: what actually changes when you leave Farnham
This isn’t about finding a cheaper site. It’s about finding a different kind of site. Once you’re on the A31 heading for Alton, you’re heading towards drive-up access on a single main road, in a setting that’s genuinely rural rather than another converted warehouse block.
| Starting point | Farnham town centre (approx.) |
| Route | A31 westbound, single main road, no city-centre diversion |
| Approx. distance | Around 10 miles |
| Approx. drive time | About 15 to 20 minutes in normal traffic |
| What changes on arrival | Drive-up unit access, reversing the car or van directly to the door; storage access 6am to 10pm; smart entry via your phone, no key collection needed |
| What does not change | A deposit and 14-day notice to leave apply here, same as every Wigwam site, with unused days refunded. Nothing about Alton is a special one-off deal |
The trip that used to mean queuing for a lift and shuffling boxes down a corridor becomes something much simpler: pull the car up to your own door and start loading. That’s the whole difference, and it’s the reason the extra few minutes on the road are worth it.
What drive-up storage means, concretely, at this site
At Wigwam Self Storage Alton, drive-up means exactly what it sounds like: park or reverse directly up to your unit door. You drive onto the site, pull up outside your own unit, open the door and start carrying things straight in, with nothing to negotiate on the way in and nobody else’s move to work around.
If you’re clearing a house in stages and making the same trip more than once, reversing the van right up to the door saves you doing the heavy lifting twice. Running a small business and need to drop off or collect stock quickly? Same logic: in, loaded, out.
Curious whether it fits what you’re storing? Have a look at the Alton site, or get a quote in a few minutes to see unit sizes and go from there.
Access hours and getting in: what to expect on the day
Storage access at Alton runs from 6:00am to 10:00pm, seven days a week. Getting in is handled through smart entry on your phone, so there’s no key to collect and no need to time your visit around anyone else’s schedule.
Within that window you can turn up whenever suits you. It isn’t a 24-hour site, so plan your visit inside those hours rather than assuming round-the-clock access. There’s no key to pick up in advance and no appointment to arrange: the smart entry system on your phone locates your unit and lets you in during opening hours, and that’s the whole process.
Is the rural site any different on the basics: deposit, notice, terms?
Alton runs on exactly the same terms as every other Wigwam site. Choosing the quieter option down the A31 isn’t a compromise on any of the basics, and it isn’t a special deal either. Here’s how it breaks down, as three separate facts rather than one blurred promise.
A deposit is required when you take a unit at Alton, the same as at any Wigwam site. You’ll then need to give 14 days’ notice when you decide to leave, and any unused days within that period are refunded. Two separate things: the notice period, and the refund of days you didn’t use.
One more practical point: our sites are unmanned, so a courier or contractor can only drop something off if someone from your own business is there in person to let them in. Our support team can help with sizing, availability, access and booking, but they won’t discuss your business arrangements or offer legal or insurance advice.
Why the slightly longer drive is worth it
The short drive down the A31 isn’t a compromise, it’s the point. Choosing the site that’s a little further out but genuinely built for drive-up access is the kind of small, resourceful decision that saves you real hassle later. Telling people you store out past Alton isn’t an admission of anything. It’s the choice of someone who actually thought about it.
The A31 gives you room to pull up without queuing, a door you can load straight into, and a site that behaves like the countryside it sits in rather than another cramped block in town. Once you’ve made the trip once, it stops feeling like a detour and starts feeling like the obvious route.
If that sounds like the kind of storage you’ve been looking for, get a quote for Alton and see what fits.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Storage access runs from 6:00am to 10:00pm daily.
You can just turn up within access hours. Entry works through smart entry on your phone, so there’s no key to collect and nothing to book in advance.
Yes. A deposit is required, alongside a 14-day notice period when you leave, with unused days refunded.
Only if someone from your own business is there in person. Our sites are unmanned, so access outside of that isn’t possible.
No. Alton offers drive-up self storage. Container storage is only available at our Shipston-on-Stour, Chipping Norton and Warminster sites.
