Local Information

The York Winter School will use rooms located in the Department of Computer Science, and in the Ron Cooke Hub, all situated on the Heslington East campus of the University of York.

Founded in 1963, the University has grown to nearly 16,000 students in over 30 departments. The University splits across two campuses – Heslington East and Heslington West. The original 200-acre site, Heslington West, was formerly the grounds of Heslington Hall, the sixteenth-century home of Thomas Eynns, Secretary and Keeper of the Seal to the Council of the North. Now the administrative centre of the University, it retains its Elizabethan towers and courtyard, and the recently-restored great hall ceiling. Heslington East is a recent £750m expansion which has seen the opening of seven new buildings, increasing the capacity for student numbers and providing more world-class facilities for the 21st century.

Accommodation

York has a wealth of accommodation options, ranging from small and friendly bed-and-breakfasts through to 5* hotels. A comprehensive set of options can be found via the York Visitor Information Office. Hotels that are a short walk from a FirstYork 66 or 44 Unibus bus stop to the University are the most convenient.

How to get to York

For a full set of maps and travel information, see the University Maps and Directions page.

Airports

The nearest airport to York is Leeds/Bradford International Airport. There is a bus service (timetable and prices) from this airport to Leeds train station, where you can get a train to York (return ticket approximately £17).

The International Airport at Manchester, although further away, has many more international flights (including to/from North America) and a rail service direct from the airport to York. Trains normally run up to every 30 minutes on weekdays, the journey takes approximately 1:45 hours, and a flexible return ticket costs approximately £35.

To travel to York from London Heathrow or Gatwick, you must first make your way into the centre of London, to King’s Cross train station. Either take the Tube (Picadilly Line, direct to King’s Cross, approximately 1 hour and currently £5.50 for a single ticket), or take the Heathrow Express to Paddington (approximately 15 minutes, and currently £34 for a return ticket purchased online), and then the Tube (e.g., Hammersmith line or Circle/District line) to King’s Cross.

Rail

York is served by regular, fast trains from London and Edinburgh (each about 2 hours by train), as well as good connections to cities such as Leeds, Doncaster (each about 25 minutes by train), Newcastle (about 50 minutes by train) and Manchester (about 1:45 hours by train). See National Rail Enquiries for train times and prices.

If you are travelling from Manchester or Leeds, you need not book your train tickets in advance: you can buy a reasonably priced ticket on the day of travel. If you are travelling from London or Edinburgh, it is to your advantage to buy a ticket in advance, and to specify your times of travel.

For example, you can buy tickets through the National Rail Enquiries site which allows you to choose your best route. The site does take you through to the relevant pages to purchase in advance and choose your preferred pick-up/delivery option (e.g., you can arrange to pick up your tickets at a station such as King’s Cross).

When travelling by rail in the UK, do compare the cost of a return ticket with the cost of two single tickets; there are sometimes savings to be made either way. In almost all cases, purchasing tickets in advance will be significantly cheaper than purchasing them immediately before your journey.

How to get to campus

The University of York is within 30 minutes’ walk of the city centre, and is served by the FirstYork 66 bus and the 44 Unibus bus from York Railway Station. In general, a single ticket currently costs about £1.50 and a return ticket £2.00. A taxi journey between railway station and campus costs approximately £7.00.

Please note that there is only very limited Pay and Display car parking on campus.