Cambridge Symposium on Archaeology
and Linguistics in the Andes
Practical Information for Participants:
Travel and Accommodation
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▪ Dates and Times, Arrival and Departure
▪ From Europe: EuroStar, Flights and Ferries
— recommended: American Airlines flights from New York (JFK)
direct to London Stansted (STN)
▪ Getting from Your London Airport to Cambridge
— By Coach
A:
From London Stansted Airport: direct to Cambridge
B:
From all other London airports: via London Kings Cross (KX) rail station
B1: From your airport to Kings Cross: Heathrow, Gatwick or London City
B2: From Kings Cross to Cambridge
▪ Coach and Train Services: Timetables and Tickets
▪ On Arrival in Cambridge: Accommodation and Venues
▪ Internet Access and Presentation Equipment
Dates and
Times, Arrival and Departure
The symposium proper will be held from 9am to 5pm on Friday 12th and Saturday 13th September, with a ‘formal’ conference dinner on the Friday evening around 8pm (dress need not be formal!). Participants whose time schedule is tight may therefore arrive as late as 9am on the Friday, if they wish, and will be able to leave from 5pm on the Saturday.
Arrival and Welcome
Nonetheless, accommodation for international participants is provided for the three nights of Thursday 11th, Friday 12th and Saturday 13th. Indeed all those who can are heartily encouraged to attend also our welcome events from 5.30pm on the preceding Thursday 11th: a short introduction by Professor Renfrew, followed by a wine reception in the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. Anyone who wishes may then also join us for an informal dinner at a local ‘gastro-pub’ that evening, from about 7.30pm.
On the day you arrive in Cambridge, international participants can check in to your accommodation from 12 noon (earlier only if your room was unoccupied previously). So whichever route you come by, you are best advised to choose a journey arriving in the UK not too early in the morning, to avoid arriving in Cambridge too early to check in. This applies particularly to participants arriving on the usual overnight flights from the USA. For more on arriving in Cambridge see below.
Departure
Similarly, while the formal symposium events will end about 5pm on Saturday 13th September, this is rather late for most international departures, so we expect most international delegates will prefer to return home on Sunday 14th. This will allow you to stay in Cambridge for an informal meal on the Saturday evening if you wish. Also, depending on how early you fly back on the Sunday, you may wish to join us from 10am on the Sunday morning for us to take you on a tour around Cambridge, including the traditional punt on the River Cam (weather permitting).
Be aware that if you choose a flight home for which you’ll need to check in early on Sunday morning from any of the London airports, there may not be train services early enough from Cambridge to your airport, though direct coach services from Cambridge to the airports do run round the clock. So again, you are best advised to choose a flight home departing the UK around midday or later, if possible, so that you can travel from Cambridge to your airport more comfortably by train, rather than having to take a very early coach. This applies especially for the day when most of you will indeed be leaving, since that is a Sunday, when train services start somewhat later in the morning.
From
Europe: EuroStar, Flights and Ferries
EuroStar is very likely to be your best option from Paris, Brussels and other locations nearby. The trains leave from Paris Gare du Nord or Bruxelles Midi, and take about 2½ hours to St Pancras International station, which is only a two-minute walk from the neighbouring Kings Cross Station, where the fast trains to Cambridge depart from. The whole journey can be completed in 3½ hours.
Fares are also particularly economical if booked well in advance through the EuroStar website (fares for travel for our conference dates should be available as of 15th May), and especially if you use EuroStar’s option to buy tickets not just to London but right through to Cambridge, rather than buying them separately when you arrive. For return travel with an overnight Saturday stay for our Symposium, fares for each leg start at £26 plus an extra £6 for Cambridge, i.e. £64 total. If you wish to spend a little time in London, you can break your journey there and take a later train on to Cambridge. (The British Library, for example, is just a two-minute walk from St Pancras station; the British Museum is about 20 minutes away.)
If bought online, your EuroStar tickets can be collected at the ticket machines or ticket desks on departure. Your UK tickets between London and Cambridge are to be collected separately once you arrive at Kings Cross, from one of the “Fast Ticket” machines at the station. In each case you’ll need to have with you the same bank card that you used to buy online (this time just for identification, you’re not charged again). You may also need to enter the ticket code which you are given when you buy online.
Click on this link for details on trains from Kings Cross to Cambridge.
Flights. Of the various airports serving London (collective code LON), by far the nearest and most convenient for Cambridge is London Stansted (STN). This way you can avoid passing through London altogether: direct trains from the airport railway station take only 30 minutes to Cambridge.
Stansted is fairly well-served by European flights, though mostly by budget airlines like EasyJet and Ryanair. For a wider choice of airlines and flights the other the two main London airports are Heathrow (LHR) and Gatwick (LGW), as well as London City Airport (LCY). Each of these is 2 to 2½ hours’ travel time from Cambridge.
Click here for details on how to reach Cambridge from each of these airports: Stansted, Heathrow, Gatwick or London City.
Whichever route you come by, you are best advised to take a flight departing the UK around midday or later, if possible, so that you can travel from Cambridge to your airport more comfortably by train, rather than having to take a very early coach from Cambridge. This applies especially for the day when most of you will indeed be leaving, since that is a Sunday, when train services start somewhat later in the morning.
Ferries. Participants arriving from the Netherlands may even prefer the ferry from Hoek van Holland to Harwich, with onward train connections direct to Cambridge. Prices start at £25 or €35 one-way, with offers valid from any railway station in the Netherlands through to Cambridge, through the so-called ‘Dutch Flyer’ promotion. For tickets originating in the Netherlands, book online here. There is one daytime and one night sailing: for details on times, see this .pdf.
From the
USA: Flights
Of the various airports serving London (collective code LON), by far the nearest and most convenient for Cambridge is London Stansted (STN). This way you can avoid passing through London altogether: direct trains from the airport railway station take only 30 minutes to Cambridge.
However, while Stansted is fairly well-served by European flights, the only direct flights from the USA are with American Airlines from New York (JFK), with two flights a day in each direction. If those flights are convenient for you, this will likely be your best solution: for more details on these recommended flights, see the next section below.
Otherwise, the two main London airports with flights to the USA are Heathrow (LHR) and Gatwick (LGW), each of which is about 2 to 2½ hours’ travel time by train from Cambridge (see below for details).
American
Airlines flights from New York (JFK) direct to London Stansted (STN)
* return fare for flights 10th & 14th September is currently (5/5/08) c. £450 / US$900 all taxes included: for details see this screenshot.
• New York to Cambridge: Both American Airlines flights are evening departures, arriving the following morning at Stansted, so you’d have to leave JFK on the evening of Wednesday 10th. The first departs at 18h50 and arrives at 07h15 (flight duration 7h25); the second departs at 21h45 and arrives at 09h55 (flight duration 7h10). Both of these would allow you ample time to reach Cambridge, check into your accommodation, and have a few hours to rest, sleep or look around the city before our symposium welcome events from 5.30pm on the Thursday.
• Cambridge to New York: Back to JFK from Stansted there are two direct flights on Sunday 14th September, one in the morning departing at 10h15 and arriving in New York at 13h05 (flight duration 7h50); the second at 18h00 arriving in New York at 20h55. The earlier flight would mean a rather early start on the Sunday. The later flight would of course allow you much of the Sunday to see more of Cambridge, though it arrives in JFK rather late if you have onward connections.
For onward travel from Stansted to Cambridge, click on these links for information on trains and coaches.
Getting to
Cambridge from London Airports: By Coach
To travel from your airport to Cambridge, in most cases we would recommend travelling by train as faster, more frequent and more comfortable than by coach, which can mean a long, slow journey from Heathrow and especially Gatwick. Nonetheless, National Express coach services at least avoid having to change anywhere, and one important advantage is that unlike the trains they do run round the clock. You may need this if you plan to take a morning flight home, especially on the Sunday, since trains do not run very early on Sunday mornings.
•
from Stansted:
journey time 55 minutes; services more or less every hour; fare £10.50 single.
• from Heathrow: journey time 2 to 3 hours; one or two services per hour; fare £26 single or £35.50 return.
• from Gatwick: journey time 3½ to 4 hours; one service per hour; fare £30.50 single or £37.50 return.
Getting to
Cambridge from London Airports: Train
Routes
A: From London Stansted
Airport: i.e. direct to Cambridge
without passing though London
Direct train services to Cambridge run every hour, journey time 30-35 minutes, alternating every half-hour with services with one change of train, journey time 55-60 minutes. The single fare is £8.50.
B: From all other London airports: all via London Kings Cross (KX) rail station
From any of the other London airports – Heathrow, Gatwick or London City – you will first need to get from the airport to London Kings Cross rail station, which is where the fast trains to Cambridge depart from. So …
1. First check our section on how to reach London Kings Cross rail station from the particular London airport you will land at: Heathrow, Gatwick or London City.
2. Then check our section on Trains to Cambridge from London Kings Cross (KX) rail station.
B1: To reach London Kings Cross
rail station from the various London airports …
•
from
London Heathrow Airport (LHR)
Most straightforward is to take the direct underground (tube) service for London (Piccadilly Line), and alight at the stop called “London Kings Cross / St Pancras”. Services run every five or ten minutes; journey time 55 minutes; fare £4.00.
There is also the “Heathrow Express” (www.heathrowexpress.com) fast train from Heathrow to Paddington Station in London, but you will then need to change to the tube or a taxi to get from Paddington to Kings Cross, so it usually works out no faster (and more hassle) than the direct Piccadilly line tube. Services run every fifteen minutes, journey time is fifteen minutes, fare £14.50 plus £4.00 tube fare.
Then from Kings Cross take the train to Cambridge.
•
from
London Gatwick Airport (LGW)
Several train companies ply the Gatwick – London route, including the “Gatwick Express” fast trains to London Victoria, but most involve changing stations in London and taking the underground. Faster and much more convenient for Cambridge are the “ThamesLink” direct trains from London Gatwick’s train station to St Pancras International train station. Services every fifteen to thirty minutes; journey time 65 minutes; fare £8.90. Timetables will be posted here as soon as they are available for September.
From St Pancras it is a two-minute walk from Kings Cross, where you can take the train to Cambridge.
•
from
London City Airport (LCY)
From London City Airport take the Docklands Light Railway as far as the stop called “Bank” (services every 10-15 minutes, journey time 22 minutes). Then take the Circle line (yellow) on the underground to the stop called “London Kings Cross / St Pancras” (services every few minutes, journey time c. 20 minutes). Fare £4.00. Then from Kings Cross take the train to Cambridge.
For more information, see www.londoncityairport.com/index.php?page=lcyToCentralLondon
B2: Trains from London Kings
Cross (KX) rail station to Cambridge
Fast services run every 30 minutes or so, the journey time is 45-50 minutes (make sure you’re taking a fast service with no or few stops; stopping trains can take up to 1 hour 15’). The fare is £17.90 single (if travelling off-peak, i.e. after 9.30am or on weekends, £27 return).
Trains normally leave from platform 8 or 9 at Kings Cross (on the left). Beware that trains may be split into two sections, and the front one will be the first to leave, so you may have to walk to the far end of the platform to the front coaches.
Timetables will be posted here as soon as they are available for September.
Train and
Coach Services: Checking Timetables and Buying
Tickets in Advance
Timetables for some routes are not yet available for September, but as soon as they are we shall email participants with the details and post them on this website.
For the National Express airport coach services, to ensure you get a seat on the service you want, it’s advisable to buy tickets in advance. This can be done online from the National Express Airport Coaches website; the e-ticket is produced for you as a .pdf to print out yourself and show to the driver.
For train services you do not need to make seat reservations, but if you prefer you can also buy tickets at various websites, though we recommend the National Express East Coast Trains (the same company runs both coach and train services). You cannot print your own tickets, however, and for purchases from abroad, you will need to choose the option to “Collect via Ticket on Departure at the station”. Then when you arrive at the station you can collect your ticket from one of the “Fast Ticket” machines at the station: you’ll need to have with you the same bank card you used to buy online (this time just for identification, you’re not charged again). You may also need to enter the ticket code which you are given when you buy online.
Some train journeys cannot be booked online until up to ten weeks in advance, so you may need to wait until June to book these.
On Arrival in Cambridge
• For international visitors your accommodation will be in Corpus Christi College (unless you’ve requested a double room), a 5-minute taxi ride from either the train station or the direct airport coaches stop on “Parker’s Piece”; the fare should be about £4 or £5. (On foot takes about 25 minutes.) To check in, please go to the Porters’ Lodge at the entrance to the College. You can check from 12 noon; it may be possible to check in earlier, provided your room was unoccupied the previous night. Checkout time is normally 10am. In either case, if you arrive or leave Cambridge outside these times, you can certainly leave any luggage temporarily in the Porter’s Lodge.
• The symposium itself will be hosted at the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, less than five minutes walk from Corpus (or again a 5-minute taxi ride if coming straight from the train or bus station). The Institute is the octagonal building in the courtyard which you see immediately as you enter the ‘Downing Site’: building 10 on this Downing Site map. Our Seminar Room is immediately on your right as you enter the building; lunches will be in the common room opposite.
• We plan to hold the wine reception on Thursday evening in the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology just across the courtyard from the Institute (building 1 on the Downing Site map).
• The symposium dinner on the Friday evening will be in the Parker Room in Corpus Christi College.
• For maps, click on the following links for: a detailed map of Central Cambridge showing all of these locations; a larger-scale map showing the train station (on which the Downing Site appears as zone E); and more maps.
• Further information can be found on the University’s webpages for visitors.
Internet
Access and Presentation Equipment
• During your stay, internet access will be made available to you through the Cambridge University network: both wireless for your own laptops, or terminals in computer rooms.
• For the symposium, both a data projector (for PowerPoint, etc.) and overhead projector will be available; please let us know if you will be needing a mac or a PC.
