Travel Advice
The Summer School is held at St Catherine's College, Oxford.
By air
You will probably arrive at one of London's four airports:
- Heathrow Airport (LHR): this is the simplest. The Oxford Airline runs regular bus services, every 20 or 30 minutes throughout the day. The journey time is about 80 minutes. Roadworks on the approach road to Oxford are expected to produce "severe delays" on this route. Allow an extra hour for the journey."
- Gatwick Airport (LGW): is also straightforward, with the same company offering services every hour. The journey time is about 120 minutes. Roadworks on the approach road to Oxford are expected to produce "severe delays" on this route. Allow an extra hour for the journey."
- Luton Airport (LTN): bus services operated by National Express take around three hours to reach Oxford, usually, though there are some quicker direct services. It is probably simplest to take a train in to London (25 minutes, plus a transfer from the airport to the train station), and then travel across London (40 minutes) and take the train from London Paddington station to Oxford. (60 minutes)
- Stansted Airport (STN): is the furthest from Oxford, and is similarly served by mostly indirect buses or trains (three or four hours by bus; similar journey times to Luton for train).
If you are willing to pay around £100, it is possible to arrange a taxi collection service from the airport. We have had good service from Oxicars.
An alternative is to travel to Birmingham International Airport (BHX), which is well-served by trains to Oxford (1-hour journey).
Buses and Trains
Good bus services cover the journey from central London to Oxford, operated by The Oxford Bus Company and The Oxford Tube.
Oxford is well-served by national rail services. The London terminus is Paddington. An alternative to catching a bus to or from the airport is to use the Heathrow Express train to reach Paddington.
Arrival
If you are arriving from Heathrow or Gatwick or Central London, you can either:
- ask to get off the bus/coach at the Queen's Lane stop, and walk to the college from there (10 minutes; see the map). Walk via Longwall Street.
- get off the bus/coach at its final stop (Gloucester Green Bus Station), and walk (20 minutes) or take a taxi from there.
When loading your luggage at the airport, the bus/coach driver will ask you which stop you want.
Other buses will (probably) only stop at the bus station.
The train station is about 30 minutes walk from the College, but is also served by taxis.
By Car
Oxford is not well-suited to arrival by car. There is no long-term parking available in the centre, nor at the College.
If you are visiting for the day, there are Park and Ride car parks at each of the major arteries into Oxford. Those at Seacourt and Thornhill serve the Queen's Lane bus stop mentioned above; for the others, the Magdalen Street stop is the most convenient.
Major roadworks are in progress at the junction of the A40 with Oxford's ring road on the North-East corner. You are advised to avoid this junction.
On the Sunday evening and all day, Monday and Tuesday, the St Giles Fair will occupy the centre of Oxford, disrupting bus routes and traffic. If using the Park and Ride services, be sure to ask the driver where the stop will be for the return journey.
Maps
A good map of the entire city centre is here. The train station is in the west, square A6; the bus station quite central, square C6, and St Catherine's college in the east, square G5, marked blue(31). The Queen's Lane bus stop is close to the spot indicated as yellow(22).
If you prefer to use Google Maps, type the college's post code: OX1 3UJ to see the its location. Notice that it is approached via Manor Road. The Queen's Lane bus stop mentioned above is approximately at postcode OX1 4BG, and Magdalen Street at OX1 3AA.
Other information
Internet Access is available in all of the bedrooms at the college. You will need to bring your own ethernet (UTP/RJ45) cable, or purchase one locally in order to use this. Wireless access may also be available.
The computers provided for the practical sessions should also have internet access, when they are not being used for practicals, or set up.
Tourist Information for Oxford is also available.
Contact
The local host is Dr Andrew Martin. My mobile phone number is included in my emails, but I would prefer not to leave it on a web page. Call me if you have travel difficulties.
St Catherine's College's details are as follows:
By post;
St. Catherine's College
Manor Road
Oxford
OX1 3UJ
United Kingdom
By Phone;
Telephone: +44 (0)1865 271700