Britcon - Venue & Directions

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​DIRECTIONS

Wherever your starting point, you will find travel to Manchester is quick and easy.

Britcon's home, The Barnes Wallis Building at the University of Manchester is conveniently situated close to the motorway and is served by Piccadilly and Oxford Road train stations

 The Barnes Wallis Restaurant at the University of Manchester where the event is centred is within easy walking distance of Piccadilly station and the city centre. For the sat navs and route planners the postcodes are:

Barnes Wallis Building is M1 3NL
Days Hotel and Car Park is M1 3BB
Ibis Hotel (and near enough to the nearest car park) is M1 7DG

A campus map can be viewed here.

ACCOMMODATION ONSITE

Currently you can book 2 onsite options
 
  • The Pendulum Hotel at a rate of £89 per night, quoting the ‘Britcon’ code when you call them up on 0161 955 8000 - the hotel will take bookings on Britcon nights at that rate until they are full.
  • The cheaper "studenty" rooms at Weston Hall are also available at a £41 B&B rate. Weston Hall is just steps away from the venue, and can be booked either by calling them direct on 0161 955 8080 Monday – Friday between 10am and 6pm or by emailing the hall at westonhall@iqstudent.com
 
Alternatively if you want to book somewhere else, the Ibis in Princes Street is a good budget option, and other nearby hotels include the Macdonald and Motel One, both of which are comparable to the Pendulum in price. 


​CAR PARKING

Parking is available in the Charles Street car park (previously NCP) near to the venue. It is only around £2/day or so on Saturday and Sunday (see below) however charges on Friday are "standard" NCP charges (see website for details)

​This works out at around £14 if you arrive on Friday daytime and stay until Sunday afternoon. so please be aware of this when you arrive.

Current 1-night rates for local hotels in Manchester

Search Expedia for Hotels

 
 

TAKING THE TRAIN 

UMIST is mere steps from Manchester Piccadilly Mainline station, so arriving by train is a great option for many of our players. Travel times by train to Manchester are also impressively quick from most of the country:
  • London  2h 9m
  • Birmingham 1h 30m
  • Newcastle 2h 37m
  • Edinburgh 3h 34m
  • Glasgow 3h 16m
  • Bristol  2h 59m
The other upside of travelling by train is that you will not get stuck in traffic on Friday afternoon or Sunday evening, there are no parking fees, and no worrying about you car in the multi storey, and you can also have a couple of pints on Sunday lunchtime without worrying about the drink-drive limit... it's all good to be honest! We of course appreciate that for some of you the car may still be the best, or indeed only sensible option to get to Manchester, but for those of you who are considering taking the train this year hopefully this email reminder gives you food for thought and a chance to take the train option and do so as cheaply as possible.


DISABLED ACCESS

Disabled Access to the building is via a lift adjacent to the front entrance to the Barnes Wallis Restaurant. There is an alternate lift via the rear car park. It is recommended that visitors wishing to use these facilities report to the registration desk on arrival or contact the BHGS in advance here. 

FIRE PROCEEDURES

All Delegates must make themselves aware of the fire procedure notices, which are located throughout the campus. These notices contain information as to the action to be taken in the event of discovery of fire or hearing the fire alarm sounders and with regards to the designated areas of assembly after evacuating a building. Please ensure that you are aware of the fire procedures for each building used. 

JUNIOR COMPETITORS

If under 16 years of age they must be accompanied by a responsible adult.  Additionally full time students are eligible for entry at half price if taking part in an historical period.  All offers are restricted to BHGS members

LIABILITY

Neither the BHGS nor the University will accept any liability whatsoever for loss or damage occurring to any property, equipment or motor vehicles whilst at the University, delegates are advised to arrange their own insurance where this is required. No animals are allowed.

LOST PROPERTY

Lost property will be retained for a period of 28 days after BRITCON. Telephone the conference office on 0161 306 4066 to make any enquiries. Payment for the cost of postage to return lost property must be made in advance.

MEDICAL

In the event that you require Medical assistance or you wish to report an accident, injury or other illnesses you should initially report to a member of the BHGS team and they will contact the duty first aider. Outside of these times emergency cover is provided by telephoning the Security Lodge on extension 64999.The nearest hospital with an accident and emergency department is The Manchester Royal Infirmary (MRI), Oxford Road, Manchester: Tel: 0161 276 1234 The nearest Chemist is Cameolord, 7 Oxford Street, St Peters Square, Tel: 0161 236 1445 (Open every day 8am-midnight)

SMOKING

Smoking is not permitted within any University buildings. Under no circumstances will smoking be allowed in the gaming halls.

TAXIS

Local Taxi firms include Radio Cars ~ 0161 236 8033 & Mantax ~ 0161 230 3333