Olympiad Travel Information
Travelling to Leicester University on Saturday 8th July 2000
Participants, leaders and guests are asked to make their own way to Leicester University Campus directly or to either Leicester's (St Margaret's) Bus Station or Leicester Railway Station where a free minibus service will be provided to transport each group to the University Campus.
Information is given below on the various transports available if groups arrive in the UK by different means. At present, printed timetables are only available up to Spring 2000. Timetables for July 2000 will be displayed on the websites referred to below as soon as the train and bus operators publish them in mid May 2000.
Information about journeys by train or bus within the UK can be found on the Internet.
Train information: Railtrack Travel - http://195.92.21.203/bin/query.exe/en
Fares information: UK phone number 0345 48 49 50
Bus information: National Express - http://www.nationalexpress.co.uk/tandb1.htm
Fares information can be found from the Internet site.
Any country which is experiencing difficulty in acquiring the exact information to suit their needs should contact Dr. Mike Purslove who can provide assistance. He can be reached by e-mail at purslove@tinyonline.co.uk
Because of the complexity (and cost) of journeys by train from Gatwick and Heathrow across London and on to Leicester, WE RECOMMEND THAT PARTICIPANTS TRAVEL FROM AIRPORTS TO LEICESTER BY BUS. Special buses called "FLIGHTLINK", run by National Express, operate efficiently between airports and major cities. It will be far EASIER and LESS EXPENSIVE to transport both passengers and luggage by bus. A change of bus will involve carrying luggage over a very small distance of no more than 30 metres whereas a change of trains, in London especially, may involve carrying luggage over long distances and up and down flights of stairs and/or escalators.
It is important that the participants from each country inform Dr Mike Purslove as soon as possible, giving details of their flight arrival time at the relevant U.K. airport and even more importantly of their estimated time of arrival at Leicester Railway or Bus Station. He will then organise a minibus to transport participants from the Leicester stations to their accommodation at Leicester University.
Arriving by air:
It is recommended that, if possible, participants fly to Heathrow, Gatwick, Luton, or Birmingham Airports. Birmingham and Luton are the nearest airports to Leicester, but not many long distance flights are available to these three airports. Other possible airports include Manchester and Stansted.
Birmingham International Airport to Leicester:
- Train -
- Take train north to Birmingham New Street
Change at Birmingham New Street
Take train to either Leicester or Nottingham.Total journey time approximately 1h 30min.
- Bus -
- Take bus to Birmingham
Change buses (usually about a 40 minute change over time)
Take bus to Leicester.Total journey time approximately 2 hours.
- Train -
- Take train from Gatwick Airport to London Victoria Station.
Using the "Underground", cross from Victoria to St Pancras.
Take train from St Pancras to Leicester.Total journey time approximately 2h 15min.
- Bus -
- "Flightlink" Coaches Service No 230 from Gatwick's South Terminal Coach Station will take directly to Leicester Bus Station or there may be a change of buses at Luton.
Cost is approximately £28 per adult in total for the combined journey of Gatwick to Leicester and the return from Leicester to Gatwick.Total journey time approximately 4 hours.
Heathrow Airport to Leicester:
- Train -
- Take "Heathrow Express" train from Terminal 1 or 4 to London Paddington Station.
(There is a bus service from Terminals 2 and 3 to Terminal 1)
Using the "Underground", cross from Paddington to St Pancras.
Take train from St Pancras to Leicester.Total journey time approximately 2 hours.
- Bus -
- "Flightlink" Coaches Service No 230 from HeathrowÆs Central Bus Station or Terminal 3 Coach Park û Bay 4 will take directly to Leicester Bus Station.
Cost is approximately £27 per adult in total for the combined journey from Heathrow to Leicester and the return from Leicester to Heathrow.Total journey time approximately 3 hours.
Luton Airport to Leicester:
- Train -
- Take train from Luton Airport Parkway to Bedford
Change at Bedford
Take train to Leicester.Total journey time approximately 1h 30min.
- Bus -
- "Flightlink" Coaches Service No 230 from Luton Airpors Stand 9 Terminal Building will take you directly to Leicester Bus Station.
Cost is approximately £15 per adult in total for the combined journey from Luton to Leicester and the return from Leicester to Luton.Total journey time approximately 1h 40min.
Manchester Airport to Leicester:
- Train -
- Depending on the time of day, the route from Manchester Airport to Leicester can be made via
- Sheffield using the Northern Spirit Train then change and take Midland Main Line Train to Leicester.
- Crewe using Central Train then change and take Virgin Train to Nuneaton, change again and take Central Train to Leicester.
- Crewe using First North Western Train then change to Central Trains to Leicester.
Total journey time approximately 2h 30min.
- Bus -
- Take "Flightlink" bus to Birmingham.
Change at Birmingham and take bus to Leicester.
Stansted Airport to Leicester:
- Train -
- Take train from Stansted Airport to
Change at
Take train to Leicester.
Some trains go direct from Stansted to Leicester.Total journey time approximately 2h 30min.
- Bus -
- Take bus from Stansted Airport to London.
Change buses in London, change over time can be up to 75 minutes.
Take bus to Leicester.Total journey time between 4h 30min and 5h 35min.
