VaLP 2011 will be held on the Chester Campus of the University of Chester.  You can find further information on how to get to Chester here

Delegates wishing to travel by car will be able to park on campus free of charge.  The conference is being held during a University of Chester vacation period.  Parking restrictions are lifted on campus during such periods and delegates may park in any marked space on campus, with the exception of disabled bays and those spaces labelled with a number.  The latter are situated in the vicinity of Small Hall and are reserved for the use of university pool cars.  No permits are required to park.

Further Information

By air to Manchester

Delegates coming from outside Europe, e.g. the USA, Canada or South America, should aim to arrive at Manchester International Airport (MAN), which offers extensive non-stop connections with many hubs in the United States (New York-JFK, Newark, Chicago, Atlanta, Philadelphia and Orlando, FL) and Canada (Toronto, Vancouver).  It also has numerous, frequent links to other major European hubs (Amsterdam, Paris CDG, Zurich, Copenhagen, Stockholm and, of course, both London Heathrow and London Gatwick) for those delegates flying with European carriers.

On arrival at Manchester Airport, the cheapest and most efficient way to get to Chester is by train.  There are two routes to Chester; you can travel either via Manchester Piccadilly (the principal station in Manchester city centre) or Crewe.  The following advice relates to weekday service only; please check here for weekend timetable information. This journey planner sometimes lists Manchester Oxford Road as a more convenient connection point.  This is Manchester's other main railway station and is about a one-minute ride from Manchester Piccadilly.  Only the Arriva Trains Wales service listed in the next paragraph calls at Manchester Oxford Road.

If travelling via Manchester Piccadilly, delegates should take the first available service to Manchester Piccadilly (these are frequent, but will almost always show a more distant terminus e.g. York, Edinburgh, Newcastle etc.  Check the electronic displays on the platform to ascertain if the train calls at Manchester Piccadilly).  On arrival at Piccadilly, there are generally two trains per hour to Chester.  We recommend taking the Arriva Trains Wales service which is marked as 'via Warrington Bank Quay'.  This leaves at XX:50, almost always from platform 14.  There is a slower train at XX:17 operated by Northern Rail; this takes 30 minutes longer than the ATW train, but feel free to take this train if you have just missed the faster XX:50 service.

The Crewe route to Chester leaves Manchester Airport station at XX:11 each hour.  Your first train will be a Northern Rail service with the final destination of Crewe.  At Crewe you should change onto an Arriva Trains Wales service to Chester; these run twice per hour at XX:23 and XX:49.

***STOP PRESS**

The UK's major coach company, National Express, offer direct service from Manchester Airport to Chester 4 times per day.  If you arrive close to a convenient departure time - 1020, 1520, 1920 or 2120, this will be the quickest (and probably cheapest) way to get to Chester.  The coach drops passengers off opposite one of Chester city centre's Travelodges, which delegates should note is NOT the one recommended as being nearest to the conference venue.  The conference venue is approximately 20-25 minutes walk from the coach drop-off point.

By air to Liverpool

Liverpool John Lennon Airport is slightly closer to Chester than Manchester Airport and focuses on low-cost connections with cities in the rest of Europe.  KLM Royal Dutch Airlines has a four times a day flight between Amsterdam Schiphol and Liverpool, and this may provide an alternative for delegates who have the option of transiting through Amsterdam on their way to the UK.  On arrival at Liverpool Airport, delegates should take the Airlink 501 bus to Liverpool South Parkway railway station.  From Liverpool South Parkway, delegates can travel either via Liverpool Lime Street (the main interchange in Liverpool city centre) or via Crewe

Trains via Liverpool Lime Street leave at XX:15, XX:31, XX:47 and XX:59.  On arrival on Liverpool Lime Street, delegates should follow the signs to the 'Wirral Line' for their connecting train to Chester.  The Wirral Line is a subway-style service (though only the beginning of your journey in the city centre and the journey under the River Mersey will be below ground).

Trains via Crewe leave Liverpool South Parkway at XX:15 and XX:44.  The train to Crewe will most likely have Birmingham New Street as its final destination.  On arrival at Crewe change onto the next service to Chester.  This route takes about 15 minutes longer than the Liverpool Lime Street alternative, but may be preferable for those with heavy luggage.

By train from London

Chester is very well connected by train to London since the introduction of a fast, hourly service from Virgin Trains.  Trains generally leave London's Euston station at XX:10 (the last direct service is at 20:10) and take either just over or under two hours to reach Chester.  Trains to London from Chester generally depart at XX:35 (there is no train at 18:35, with the last direct service departing at 19:35).  If arriving by air into London, it is well worth considering taking the train to Chester rather than connecting onto an internal flight to Manchester.  There is likely to be little time saved once lay-over time and transit between Manchester and Chester is taken into account.

By train from the rest of the UK

Although Chester does not have many direct services to major cities other than London, Liverpool and Manchester, delegates should use these, and other points, to make their connection to Chester.  From Scotland, Warrington Bank Quay and Crewe are useful interchanges.  From the Midlands, Crewe will likely be the most convenient connection point, whereas from Yorkshire and the North East, Manchester will prove to be the most convenient interchange.