ILAFS Day 3 Directions to Cambridge

Venue (ARRIVAL 10:45 am and DEPARTURE 4pm)

Downing Site

Downing Street

Cambridge

CB2 3EQ

You may wait underneath the arches or walk through the entrance into the courtyard and wait under the tree. You will be collected from here at 10:45am. Please note that the indoor venue is not available before this time. If you arrive in Cambridge early, it is a short walk from the Downing Site to the city centre and public toilets are available at the Lion Yard shopping centre. Toilets are available in the Department of Archaeology, through the door marked Haddon Library and down the stairs to the right.

Your students may want to make the most of being in Cambridge and visit the rest of the city before or after your time with us Please warn them to be extra aware when walking around Cambridge. Roads in the city centre may be full of pedestrians but bicycles travel at speed here and they may not hear their approach. They should give way to them as they would cars.

You can view an on-line map here:

Travel to Cambridge

Parking in the centre of Cambridge is difficult and expensive. The Grand Arcade Car Park is conveniently located but has a height restriction of 1.98m, which may be too low for some minibuses, and costs £25 for the day. If you need to accommodate a pupil with a disability, please contact us in advance (01223 761519) to make special arrangements.

We strongly recommend that you use the ParkRide facilities.

ParkRide

There are five ParkRide sites around Cambridge (see belowthough please note the height restrictions in place at each in the table below. Trumpington Road is the only site that will allow vehicles exceeding their standard height restriction to park, but you must call to arrange this (01223 846821). Mini-buses can also only park at Trumpington P&R site through a separate entrance: the entrance directly off Hauxton Road, and notat the slip road entrance from the M11/A10 direction. From here you will be signposted to the correct gate.

Park&Ride Site / Height Restriction
Babraham Road / 2.1m
Madingley Road / 2.1m
Milton / 2.1m
Newmarket Road / 1.98m
Trumpington Road / 2.1m

It costs only £1 per vehicle to park for the whole day and you catch the bus to Cambridge city centre. The fare is £2.70 per person (return), although three students under 16 may travel for free with one full-paying adult. Please make a note of the site name and bus colour for the return journey. You need to alight at Emmanuel Street, unless you are coming from the Trumpington Road site (when you would alight at the Downing Street stop, directly opposite the Earth Sciences Department). It is easy to tell when you have reached Emmanuel Street because there is a bus station and a large number of bus stops up and down the street.

You can search for directions for each park and ride if you wish (

Location of the ParkRide Bus Stops in relation to the Downing Site

It is a short walk from Emmanuel Street towards the John Lewis department store and around the corner into Downing Street (see map above). Once you have passed the Cambridge City Hotel (on your right), you will see a building with a triple archway on the left-hand side (see map below). Outside it, there are two signs (for the Sedgwick Museum and the Archaeology & Anthropology Museum) and a pedestrian entrance between the two signs.

Alternatives

Not all of these alternatives have been personally checked but are recommendations from others. You may want to make your own checks or have a back up in case you are unable to use them.

Cambridge Rugby Football Club (£10)

The Cambridge Rugby club has a pitch near Granchester. On Non- match days, minibuses can park for £10 a day. The ground is about a half hour walk from the Downing Site, but does not have a height restriction. It may be best if using this option a member of staff drops off the students at the downing site, and then parks the minibus, and then collects it again at the end of the day.

Please contact them directly to arrange this:

Street Parking (free)

Cambridge is a highly congested city and parking very difficult. There are some roads where parking is not restricted, though these spaces tend to fill up early in the morning. If you wish to try and find a space the following roads are about a 15-30 minute walk from the Downing site, past some more of the University buildings. Please check when you arrive parking is still allowed in these roads. Parking restrictions change constantly in Cambridge and the wardens are fierce!

-Herschel road

-Adams road

-Cranmer road

-Champneys walk (couple spaces)

Llamas Land Car Park (free)

Free parking for 100 cars with a 2m height restriction. 15 - 20 minute walk along the river to the Downing site. Managed by the Cambridge city council:

Contacts

  • If you have been unexpectedly delayed and are likely to be late arriving please phone the ACA office on 01223 761519 or Cat on 07816 388628 or Emily on 07783563191.