Participant information

Important information about the workshop, such as the agenda and logistical information, will be added to this page in due course. Check back for updates closer to the workshop!

Where possible, we encourage participants to choose environmentally sustainable modes of travel, such as trains, over flying. The UK is well connected to mainland Europe by train (Eurostar) and ferries.

We expect the workshop to start on Monday afternoon (around 1-2pm) and finish on Thursday (around midday). This will align with common train arrival times at Oxenholme Lake District railway station.

Nearest train station: The closest train station is Windermere (approximately 6 miles), but we are looking to arrange taxis from Oxenholme Lake District on Monday and returning on Thursday. Oxenholme is further away but on the west coast mainline (and therefore has more frequent trains). If you would like a taxi from Oxenholme Lake District, please contact us with your train times. Trains from Oxenholme to Windermere are approximately hourly during the day. See National Rail for train times and tickets.

Nearest airports: The nearest airport is Manchester, which is about 1 hour 30 minutes away by train. However, many other airports in the UK have good rail connections via the west coast mainline. London Euston railway station is about 2 hours 40 minutes away (London airports have convenient connections to Euston), and Glasgow Central railway station is about 2 hours away (the Glasgow Airport Express coach links Glasgow Airport to Glasgow Central).

Getting from Windermere to Rydal Hall: If you are arriving/departing outside of Monday morning/Thursday afternoon, you can easily make your own way to Rydal from Windermere railway station. There are regular buses, and the number 555 or 599 (towards Keswick or Grasmere) are the most frequent. You will need to alight at "Rydal Church". The journey takes about 30 minutes and costs £2 each way (bus fares in the UK are capped at £2 currently). Google Maps does a good job of showing bus timetables in the area.

Accommodation for participants is booked from Monday until Thursday (3 nights). If you wish to arrive earlier, or stay longer, you can phone Rydal Hall separately to do so. When doing so, please tell them that you are part of the event organised by UKCEH so that we can be sure to allocate you the same room throughout your stay. Please note that outside of the workshop, the venue is open to the public and there is limited availability of rooms.

Two of the rooms at Rydal Hall are dog-friendly. If you have allergies and would prefer not to stay in one of these rooms, please let us know so we can make sure to not allocate you one of these rooms. Dogs are not permitted in any other area of the building.

There are currently no COVID-19 restrictions in the UK. However, COVID-19 still remains prevalent and continues to cause both accute and long-term health and societal impacts. In addition, no one likes getting ill from any illness, and we wish to avoid our workshop being an event that is responsible for spreading any kind of illness. Our COVID-19 policy is based very loosely on that of RSECon24.

Before the event: All registered participants attending the workshop are strongly encouraged to test for COVID-19 (such as with a rapid antigen test) less than 24 hours before arrival at the event. Participants must not attend the event if they test positive for COVID-19, and we encourage participants to not attend if they are experiencing symptoms of any transmissible illness.

During the event: We strongly encourage attendees to self-test if they are feeling at all unwell during the event. Participants should not continue to attend if they test positive for COVID-19. We request attendees to inform the organisers if this is the case.

The wearing of face masks is not currently mandatory in the UK and is a personal choice. However, face masks can help reduce the chance of you spreading infection to others, especially in crowded and enclosed spaces, and may protect you from becoming infected.

Changes: If UK government COVID-19 restrictions are updated, these policies may be changed on limited notice as circumstances develop. If at any time this policy is less stringent than compliance with the latest UK government guidelines, the guidelines will supersede this policy.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to get in touch.