Travel to/from Edinburgh
Edinburgh is easily accessible by air, rail or road, and has good
public transport within the city (see below).
Air
Edinburgh Airport
has direct flights from many cities in Europe, and some in North America.
There are regular buses between the airport and the city centre (Edinburgh
Waverley train station), and airport taxis.
(See below for details of transport within Edinburgh)
The following are low-cost airlines which have a range of flights
to/from Edinburgh:
Train
There are rail links to London (4 to 5 hrs), Manchester (around 4
hrs), Birmingham (around 5 hours) and many other UK locations. The
main station in Edinburgh is Edinburgh Waverley, which is about
10 minutes walk (or a short bus ride) from the main university area
(uphill, unfortunately), although there is a further 20 minute walk to
reach Pollock Halls. There is also a smaller station,
Edinburgh Haymarket which is quite central but not so
convenient, although several buses run from there to the university
area. Taxis are available at both stations, but the Haymarket rank is
very small.
(See below for
details of transport within Edinburgh)
National Rail Enquiries
provides facilities for exploring train times, connections, and fares,
or you can telephone (UK) 08457 48 49 50.
Coach
Long-distance coaches arrive at the St Andrews Square depot in
the centre of Edinburgh, about 5 minutes walk from Waverley train
station (i.e. on the other side of the train station from the university).
(See below for
details of transport within Edinburgh)
See sketch map of St Andrew Sq/Waverley Station area.
National Express coaches:
UK-wide services.
Scottish Citylink coaches
: services within Scotland, including a regular service from Glasgow Airport,
and links to England.
Car
If arriving by car from the south, the A68 (Old Dalkeith Road),
and the A7 meet at the City Bypass, and become
the Dalkeith Road on entering the city. This runs
directly past Pollock Halls, beside the Royal
Commonwealth Pool.
Map of Pollock Halls
Just over a kilometre past the Royal
Commonwealth Pool/Pollock Halls, a left turn into West Richmond Street
and then a right turn into Richmond Place takes you to the Kenneth
Mackenzie Suite.
Map showing Pollock Halls and Richmond Place.
If arriving from other directions, you need to head for the south
side of the city centre. Useful landmarks to aim for are:
the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh or Dalkeith (to get on to the right routes
out southwards from the city centre),
the Royal Commonwealth Pool or Pollock Halls (once you
have crossed the city centre).
Transport within Edinburgh
Edinburgh has good public transport within the city.
To/from the airport
A taxi from the airport to the city centre (15 to 30 minutes depending
on traffic) will cost about £15,
perhaps slightly more to Pollock Halls.
Skycabs are the official airport
taxis, and usually have a good supply of taxis waiting.
It is possible to phone for a city-based firm (black cab) to come out
and collect you at a specified time; the city cabs are not permitted
to pick you up unless you have ordered them specifically. In
principle, this could be useful if the airport taxis are in short
supply or the queue is very long. The city firms claim to be able to
get there -- from a nearby rank -- within two minutes of a call. Some
large city taxis firms are: Central Radio Taxis (229 2468), City Cabs
(228 1211), Radio Cabs (225 9000).
For going to the airport by taxi, the city cab firms (there are
several) are the only option -- airport taxis don't pick up in
town. Black cabs can be booked by phone or hailed in the
street. (Although they retain the bodywork of traditional "black"
cabs, they are often multi-coloured, being covered with advertising.)
There is a
regular bus service (Lothian, number 100),
between the airport and Edinburgh Waverley train
station, which operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The ticket cost is
£3.40 single, £5.00 return. Tickets can be bought on the bus.
The journey takes approximately 25 minutes.
The frequency of the service varies from every 10 minutes at peak times
through the day, to every 30 minutes at night.
Taxis
Taxis are plentiful and generally fairly professional. They can be
hailed in the street (if their roof light is illuminated), or
booked by phone.
Some large city taxis firms are: Central Radio Taxis (229 2468),
City Cabs (228 1211), Radio Cabs (225 9000).
There is a large taxi rank inside Waverley Station. A taxi from here
to Richmond Place (for the Kenneth Mackenzie Suite) should cost about 5 pounds.
To Pollock Halls, it will be around 7 pounds.
Buses
There are several bus firms, but the biggest two (by far) are
Lothian Buses
and First Bus,
though both of them have distinctly unhelpful websites at present.
Bus tickets are bought from the driver on entry, and no change is
given -- try to carry a good supply of change. Most trips around the
city will cost 80p. There are good value
"day-tickets" (also bought from the driver)
if you intend to make three or more trips in a day.
Lothian and First have different fare structures and rates, and
day-tickets from one company cannot be used on the other's buses.
Most bus-stops have notices giving a certain amount of information
about timetables, routes and fares.
Parking
Parking is not plentiful in central Edinburgh.
There are on-street short-term parking spaces with meters or ticket machines.
Adjacent to Appleton Tower there is a commercial car park, but it is not cheap.
Parking in university car parks (e.g. the one on the south side
of Appleton Tower) is not allowed for visitors.
Buses from city centre to university
Edinburgh Waverley train station and St Andrews Square coach station are
both near the east end of Princes Street (Edinburgh's main
"boulevard"), at the junction with North Bridge (which runs
south).
Most of the buses running up North Bridge go near the
university. Virtually every one of these buses
goes the short distance to Nicolson
Square, the stop for the Kenneth Mackenzie residence. This will cost
60p and take five minutes or less. You then have to walk a short
distance to the left to find Richmond Place.
For getting to Pollock Halls, take
the 14, 30 or 33, Lothian, from North Bridge (80p).
To get to the North Bridge bus stops from the rail or bus station,
get on to
Princes Street, head away from the Scott Monument (large dark pointed
fake-Gothic monument about 60 metres high) and towards the Balmoral
Hotel (large square Victorian building with picturesque clock tower on
top). Cross over North Bridge at the traffic lights at the corner of
the Balmoral Hotel. Turn right on reaching the other side, walking up
North Bridge to the bus stops.
See
sketch map of Waverley Station area.
Arriving at Pollock Halls
On arrival at Pollock Halls, report first to the Reception Centre.
If coming by taxi, the driver should be able to find this; show him the
Pollock Halls map from the web if he has problems!
If arriving by bus, get off at the stop outside the Royal Commonwealth Pool.
Then walk back about 100 metres and take
the first turn on the right (up the side
of the Royal Commonwealth Pool). Walk another 100 metres (ignoring the
entrance to the Pool's car park) and the main Pollock entrance is on the
right. The Reception Centre is just inside on the left.
Map of Pollock Halls
Buses from Pollock Halls to main university buildings
For getting to the university area from Pollock Halls,
take a Lothian bus from
outside Pollock Halls (on the other -- west -- side of the main road).
For getting to Buccleuch Place, use 14, 30 or 33
and get off at St Patrick Square, which is immediately
after -- on the left -- the Odeon cinema,
and walk through the alleyway
just past the bus stop. St Patrick Square has a small patch of grass
and three little trees, right next to the bus stop.
For Appleton Tower, use 14, 30 or 33, get off at Nicolson
Square (one stop after St Patrick Square),
then walk one block west to Appleton Tower. The 2 is also a
possibility, but it doesn't follow the same route as the others,
and doesn't go past St Patrick Square/Odeon, so vigilance is needed.
Sketch map of
Appleton Tower/Buccleuch Place area.
Map of Pollock Halls
Walking from Pollock Halls to main university buildings
Cross the Dalkeith Road, and walk down Salisbury Road, the narrow
road down the side of The Crags pub. After one block, at the traffic
lights turn right on to the main street, Newington Road.
Follow this street until
you reach the landmarks mentioned in the bus information, above.
(This street -- whose name changes every few hundred metres -- has
lots of shops if you need
to buy food or other everyday supplies. Also, almost every Lothian
bus going along here will take you to St Patrick Square and Nicolson
Square.)
This should take about 20 minutes.
Transport information from City of Edinburgh Council.
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