TRAVEL TO NOTTINGHAM FOR THE COLLOQUIUM
General Information about travel
Train
The rail service with Britain is generally quite efficient, reasonably
comfortable, and not too expensive. Nottingham has a large station,
and is well served from most locations although, depending upon the time
and journey, you may need to change trains. Check this if you have lots of
luggage.
Note that the cost of a return journey is usually MUCH less than the
cost of two single journeys. Whatever your starting point, when you
buy your ticket ask the seller to tell you the best way to get to your
destination - these people are generally very knowledgeable about
the different options available for your travel, and can sometimes suggest
alternative routes.
A useful source of information is a German rail page (honest!).
This has an easily-searchable database (in English) which includes the UK.
Its address is:- http://bahn.hafas.de/bin/query.exe/en
Birmingham Airport train station is named 'Birmingham International', whereas
the rail station at Manchester Airport is given the name of the airport.
Bus/Coach
There is an extensive bus/coach network, and although this form of transport
is generally a little less comfortable than the train it can be much more
convenient if there is a direct service
Taxi
Although taxi travel is generally expensive for long journeys, it can still
be a viable option - especially if more than one person is travelling.
To this end, it might well be possible for me to arrange the sharing of
taxis from Birmingham airport, and East Midlands airport, to Nottingham.
I'll be happy to discuss this nearer the time with anyone flying into either
of airport.
The cost of a taxi from the Centre of Nottingham to the conference centre
is around £5 - £10 (depending on the traffic).
Car Hire
This is generally more expensive than in the USA, but less than some places
in Europe. Remember the we drive on the left in the UK, like in Japan.
The roads are a little more crowded than those in USA, although the traffic
density varies tremendously around the country.
Travel from Specific Airports
My own personal preference is to avoid London whenever possible (unless
you specifically want to see London). East Midland Airport is the
closest, but is VERY small (no transatlantic flights). The two main
options are probably Manchester and Birmingham. Birmingham is slightly
closer, and travel by taxi to Nottingham is feasible, however Manchester
is much more convenient for travel to Nottingham by train - and it is a
comfortable and economical journey.
East Midlands
From East Midlands Airport the Conference Centre can be reached by
taxi. The journey time is approximately 20 minutes and the fare is
approximately £17.
Manchester
There are direct trains from Manchester Airport to Nottingham. Trains
depart at hourly intervals and the journey time is two and a half hours.
From Nottingham Station the Conference Centre can be reached by taxi
(approximately
£5).
This is a highly civilised way of travelling to the Colloquium as it
is convenient, inexpensive, and avoids London.
Birmingham
Take either a taxi or (less expensively) a train from Birmingham Airport
to Birmingham New Street Station. From Birmingham New Street there
are regular trains (approximately at hourly intervals) to NottingUse of uninitialized value in concatenation (.) or string at E:\listplex\SYSTEM\SCRIPTS\filearea.cgi line 455, line 172.
ham.
The cost of the train journey from Birmingham airport to Nottingham is
£11.40 single, £12.30 return and the whole journey from the
airport to Nottingham takes about 2 hours. From Nottingham Station
to the Conference Centre take a taxi (approximately £5).
London Heathrow
Coach
Coaches leave for Nottingham approximately every three hours from the Central
Bus Station of Heathrow Airport. These coaches are run by National
Express, and tickets can be purchased in the National Express ticket office
at the Bus Station. The route to the bus station is clearly signposted
from each terminal of the airport, and it is within walking
distance. However, the use of a luggage trolley is recommended.
The journey time to Nottingham is approximately three hours. The
coach arrives in Nottingham at the Broadmarsh Coach Station. There
is a taxi rank outside the Coach Station.
Train
Take the underground railway (“tube”) from the Airport to St Pancras Station
(there is only one underground line from the Airport: Piccadilly Line).
The route to the underground station is clearly signposted throughout the
Airport, and you get off the tube at the station named Kings Cross St.
Pancras. Once off the tube, you then walk to St. Pancras station
(about 5 minutes). The journey time from Heathrow to St Pancras Station
is approximately one hour. Underground trains leave the Airport at
five to ten minute intervals. Intercity trains run from St Pancras
Station at hourly intervals to Nottingham. The journey time
from St Pancras to Nottingham is just under two hours. There is a
taxi rank outside the railway station in Nottingham.
London Gatwick
Train
The best plan is to avoid London and travel from Gatwick to Luton and change
there for Nottingham. This journey takes between 2 and 3 hours, and
the cost is £37 single, £47.50 return.
Alternatively, trains (“Gatwick Express”) run at half hourly intervals
from Gatwick Airport to Victoria Station in Central London. The journey
time from Gatwick to Victoria is approximately 30 minutes. From Victoria
Station you can travel by Underground (Victoria Line) to Kings Cross-St
Pancras Station, alternatively you can take a taxi. The journey time
by Underground from Victoria Station to Kings Cross-St Pancras Station
is approximately 20 minutes, and St. Pancras rail station is about a 5
minute walk from the tube station. Intercity trains run from St Pancras
Station at hourly intervals to Nottingham. The journey time
from St Pancras to Nottingham is just under two hours. There is a
taxi rank outside the railway station in Nottingham. The taxi fare
to the Conference Centre costs approximately £5.
Glasgow Airport
Not really to be recommended, unless you are considering hiring a car,
and travelling around Britain as well as attending the Colloquium.
Rail transport from Glasgow to Nottingham involves a number of transfers.
Luton Airport
Few scheduled flights go to Luton. Train travel from Luton to Nottingham
takes between 1.5 and 2 hours, and is relatively simple.