Local Arrangements for Cambridge, UK
From WICSA Conference Wiki
This page was written around the time of WICSA 2009.
Contents
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WICSA Venue
WICSA 2009 takes place at Robinson College, which is mostly one big building. Lodging check-in is at the Porter's Lodge. The meetings take place in the main building of the College, in the main Auditorium and nearby conference rooms.
Cambridge weather
Visitor's Websites
Welcome to Robinson College
Visiting Robinson College contains lot of "how to get here" information.
Visit Cambridge. There are many beautiful things to see in town, which is a short walk from the College.
Attendees' Travel Planning Experience
Please contribute your travel planning experience here, for the benefit of others.
Warning -- Travel Disruptions Possible
You can also post questions here for others to answer. The local arrangements team monitors this page.
From Central London
There are many trains to Cambridge from Kings Cross Station and Liverpool Street Station. Use the National Rail Planner web site to find the relevant train times for your travel plans. Use "KGX" (London Kings Cross) or "LST" (London Liverpool Street) as the start start station and "Cambridge" as the destination.
From Heathrow Airport
Leaving the Terminal
You should normally allow an hour to clear Heathrow after landing. If landing at T1, T2 or T3, the bus, coach and tube station ("Heathrow Central") is 5-10 minutes walk from there. If you're arriving at T4, it has its own tube station but for coach and bus travel, use the free Heathrow Connect rail shuttle to transfer to Heathrow Central (trains run every 15 minutes between Heathrow Central and Terminal 4 and the journey takes about three-minutes). If arriving at T5, you'll need to transfer to Heathrow Central for tube, coach or bus connections (the Heathrow Express trains provide free transfer between Heathrow Central and Terminal 5, running every 15 minutes and taking about 3 minutes for the transfer).
For more information, visit Heathrow's Airport Information page.
By Train
You can use the National Rail Planner to plan a train journey from Heathrow Airport to Cambridge. Use "Heathrow Airport" as the start station and "Cambridge" as the destination. This journey takes about 2 hours.
There are two possible routes to Cambridge from Heathrow, one using the London Underground (the "Tube") to get directly from Heathrow to Kings Cross and one using the Heathrow Express (an overground train) to get to Paddington Station and then using the Tube to get from Paddington to Kings Cross. The planner will almost always suggest the former option because it's simpler and takes about the same time.
- A rather tall colleague of Bob Schwanke notes that the Tube route has low ceilings and frequent stops , and that the Tube station in Kings Cross is deep underground, requiring several escalators and lots of walking to get to the overground train platform.
- Mark Dalgarno notes that there are usually plenty of seats on the tube at Heathrow though.
In addition to rail, it is possible to get a London Taxi ("black cab") from Heathrow to Kings Cross or Liverpool Street. This takes from 30-60 minutes, depending on traffic, and costs £40-£70 depending on how long it takes and exactly where you're going. However, traffic near Heathrow is often terrible.
By Coach (Bus)
- There's a direct coach from Heathrow Terminals 1-3 to Cambridge, departing every hour or two, taking 2-3 hours, depending on how many stops it makes. Some of the buses make as few as three stops. Since the bus route ends in Cambridge, there's no chance of missing your stop.
- You may also be interested in other National Express coaches.
From Stansted Airport
You can also use the National Rail Planner to plan a journey from Stansted Airport to Cambridge. Use "Stansted Airport" as the start station and "Cambridge" as the destination. This is a direct train link, which takes about 45 minutes.
National Express coaches also provide a direct link from Stansted to Cambridge, which runs regularly and takes about 50 minutes.
From Luton Airport
The journey from Luton Airport is fairly lengthy and involves a short bus ride from the airport to the station, a train from Luton Airport Parkway station to London St Pancras, walking a short distance to London Kings Cross station and then getting the train to Cambridge.
Again, the National Rail Planner can be used to plan a journey, by using "Luton Airport" as the start station and "Cambridge" as the destination. This journey takes from 2 - 2.5 hours.
A quicker option is to use National Express coaches, which run regularly and do the trip in about 90 minutes.
From Gatwick Airport
Travelling from Gatwick Airport to Cambridge takes about 2.5 hours and involves travelling from Gatwick's own railway station into London Victoria station, transferring to London Kings Cross by Tube and then taking the train from Kings Cross to Cambridge.
The National Rail Planner can be used to plan a journey, by using "Gatwick Airport" as the start station and "Cambridge" as the destination.
An alternative option is to use National Express coaches, which run regularly, but take between 3 and 4 hours to get to Cambridge.
Other Ground Transportation
- Try Google Maps to Get Directions --> By public transit.
Once You Get To Cambridge
Take Taxi to "Robinson College". Fare is probably under 10 British pounds.
At Cambridge station the taxi rank is immediately outside the station entrance to the right. The queue runs from here towards the left i.e. away from the station entrance.
At Cambridge Drummer Street coach station the taxi rank is immediately across the road from the station.
At the coach stop on Parker's Piece there is no taxi rank. You can call Panther taxis on +44 (0)1223 715715 to schedule a pickup.
It's probably too far to walk from the train station or the bus station to Robinson College.
By Car
If you are driving to the college, then there is a conference delegate's car park that you must use. Car parking in Cambridge is difficult and if you park in the wrong place, you're likely to have your car clamped or removed. There is a road map of the location of the car park here.
Once You Get to Robinson
Conference registration is at 8:00 - 9:00 on Monday and Tuesday in the main college building. It will be signposted.
If you are staying at the college you get your keys from the Porter's Lodge, rooms are availble from 12:00 on arrival day, but there is somewhere to put your bags if you arrive in the morning.
Comforts of Business Travel
Q: What type of power adapter do I need, in general? A: UK is 230 volts, 50 Hz. The 3-pin Type G plug is used. Adaptors from other plug types to this variety are readily available.
Q: What does the power brick for my laptop need? A: See above answer. It needs to accept 230 volt, 50Hz power from the mains. Just about all modern power supplies do this.
Q: What types of cell phones work in Cambridge? A: It's difficult to be sure which phones will work, but in general a GSM or 3G phone which has been enabled for international roaming by your network operator will work fine in the UK. Check with your network operator for more details.
Ask the Locals
If you have further questions about local arrangements for WICSA and ECSA 2009 in Cambridge, send an email to the local organisers and we'll help however we can.
Category: 2009
