Venue

How to get to Cambridge

By Plane

Getting to Cambridge by plane is a fairly easy task. In order of preference, you can get here from:

Stansted Airport

This is the easiest (and quickest) approach. Stansted Airport is about 40 minutes from Cambridge by direct train to Cambridge train station or Cambridge North train station (see below for information about how to get to the venue from the stations).

However, on the Sunday, there is planned rail work going on to the south of Cambridge, which will shut the line completely. There will be rail replacement buses, for which you may like to leave more time than you would otherwise for a train journey. The Greater Anglia website has some more details.

Heathrow Airport

It is a surprisingly easy journey from Heathrow to Cambridge train station / Cambridge North train station. Heathrow is about 2 hours from Cambridge by train. You can either:

• Take the London Underground (Piccadilly Line (blue)) to King's Cross Station (this takes about 56 minutes), and then take the direct 'Cambridge Express' train to Cambridge (this takes about 47 minutes) and Cambridge North.
• Take the London Underground (Elizabeth Line (purple)) to Liverpool Street Station, and then take a (still direct, but slower with more stops) train to Cambridge/Cambridge North from there.

However, on the Sunday the planned rail work mentioned above will cancel all trains to Liverpool Street Station (replaced by a bus service), and all trains heading to Kings Cross will start from Royston instead (see the Great Northern website for details. I would recommend taking the bus replacement service to Royston and taking a train to Kings Cross from there rather than using the replacement bus all the way to Liverpool Street. Sharing a taxi to Royston might also be a reasonable plan.

Gatwick Airport

This can also be very easy - there are direct trains from Gatwick Airport to Cambridge which take a little under 2 hours. There are plenty of other different routes however, and I would recommend asking Google Maps what the best one happens to be when you are arriving.

However, on the Sunday the planned rail work mentioned above will cancel all trains to Liverpool Street Station (replaced by a bus service), and all trains heading to Kings Cross will start from Royston instead (see the Great Northern website for details. I would recommend taking the bus replacement service to Royston and taking a train to Kings Cross from there rather than using the replacement bus all the way to Liverpool Street. Sharing a taxi to Royston might also be a reasonable plan.

Luton Airport

Despite being quite close to Cambridge, Luton Airport is a bit more tricky, as there is no direct rail link. It usually takes about 1.5 hours to get to Cambridge from Luton Airport. The best way to get from Luton to Cambridge using public transport is to take a bus to Stevenage from the airport (taking about 35 minutes), and then taking a train from there to Cambridge train station (taking about 45 minutes).

Train Disruption

There have been a number of disruptions to train travel in the region recently - you might like to check the National Rail website to see if everything is likely to go as planned ahead of your journey!

By Car

There is plenty of parking at Chesterton Indoor Bowls Club. It can be found at the end of Logan's Way, off St. Andrew's Road. If you attended the tournament some years ago that was also held in Chesterton, you'll go past the previous venue on the way! Google Maps can help you find your way there

It is less than a 10 minute drive from the hotels at Cambridge North or on Newmarket Road if the traffic is light (as it probably will be on Saturday / Sunday morning before the tournament).

By Train

Cambridge is one stop away from London King's Cross Station by direct express train (about 47 minutes). Alternatively, trains also leave for Cambridge from London Liverpool Street Station (but these tend to take longer). You can also take direct trains from Birmingham to Cambridge (if you have a lot of time on your hands), but it is actually quicker (but perhaps more expensive) to go via London.

Cambridge North train station is possibly slightly more convenient for the venue, and is a couple of minutes from Cambridge station. Most trains stop there too in both directions.

There have been a number of disruptions to train travel in the region recently - you might like to check the National Rail website to see if everything is likely to go as planned ahead of your journey! In particular, on the Sunday trains heading south from Cambridge will be replaced by buses. I would suggest taking a bus replacement service to Royston and then taking the train from there to Kings Cross if heading towards London, rather than taking a bus replacement service to Liverpool Street station. Sharing a taxi to Royston might also be a reasonable plan.

By Coach

Most coaches to Cambridge stop at or near Cambridge Bus Station on Drummer Street. See below for transport options from there to the venue.

How to get to the venue

From Cambridge train station

From the train station you basically have four choices:

Walk

This will take about 35 minutes according to Google Maps. Here is a suggested route (note that you don't need to go on the left-hand side of the Elizabeth Way bridge over the Cam as it suggests).

Bike

There are lots of places near the station where you can hire a bike. It will take about 12 minutes to cycle to the venue, according to Google Maps. I would suggest a similar route to that shown for walking might be reasonable.

Bus

There is no direct bus from the station. You may want to check with Google Maps or similar to see what the best route is at the time you want to depart. You'll probably find there is a fair amount of walking involved and they are not very reliable. I would suggest taking a taxi instead. You may be able to share with other people who are staying in the same hotel as you. I am happy to help matchmake people to share taxis.

Taxi

There are plenty of taxis outside the station, and they will happily take you to Chesterton Indoor Bowls Club for about £9 to £15. This will take about 15 minutes (or a bit more if there is traffic).

From Cambridge North train station

Walk

This will take about 31 minutes according to Google Maps by a direct route, or you can make that 40 minutes and take a scenic route along the river.

Bike

There is no bike hire at Cambridge North train station, although I believe there are some electric bike hire points there. The routes for walking would equally work for bikes.

Bus

The number 2 bus will do a fairly good job of getting you to the venue, but can be a bit unreliable.

Taxi

There are fewer taxis outside of Cambridge North train station - I would suggest booking ahead with a local taxi company, such as CamCabs or Panther.

From the town centre/bus station

Walk

This will take about 25 minutes and is a fairly scenic route. The route suggested by Google Maps is sensible to use.

Bike

The route above applies for bikes too, although it is easier to hire bikes near the station than in town. It will less than 10 minutes to cycle from the center of town.

Bus

I would suggest again that the buses are not very direct, and plenty of walking will be required if you take one (and they are not very reliable). A taxi might be more sensible if you don't want to walk.

Taxi

There are plenty of taxi ranks near to the bus station, and on St. Andrew's Street. A taxi from the city centre will again be about £9 to £15. This will take about 10 minutes (or more if there is traffic).