Travel Information
Staying in Newcastle
We have made special arrangements with three hotels in the Newcastle city centre, which are all a short walk to the symposium site at Newcastle University.
MotelOne 3 *
Dates offered - 26th-30th July 2023
Rate per night - £59 room only / £69.50 B&B
Number of rooms offered per night – 10 rooms
Double Occupancy Supplement – Applicable on Fridays and Saturdays only - £20 extra
Individual reservations cancellation policy – 6pm on day of arrival
Maldron Hotel 4*
Dates offered – 26 July to 30 July inclusive
Rate per night - £89.00 per night midweek £119.00, Saturday night including bed, full English breakfast and VAT
Number of rooms offered per night – 30 rooms per night
Double Occupancy Supplement - £10.00 per room per night
Stay through restrictions – 2 night minimum stay
Individual reservations cancellation policy for this allocation – 2pm day prior to arrival
Sandman Signature Hotel 4*
Dates offered - 26th-30th July Inclusive
Rate per night - 26th, 27th £98.00, 28th & 29th £148.00, 30th £98.00
Number of rooms offered per night – 15 rooms
Double Occupancy Supplement - £10.00pp
Individual reservations cancellation policy for this allocation – 48 hours prior
Please note that the Maldron is the only hotel that provides air-con in their hotel rooms, so you may want to consider this when booking your room given summer temperatures can fluctuate in Newcastle and be quite warm if we are experiencing a heat wave.
To reserve your room, you may use the following link: www.newcastlegateshead.com/ICLS2023. To avoid losing the special conference rates, we encourage you to book your room by May 2023 and no later than June 2023. Unbooked rooms will be released in the month before the symposium.
Travel to Newcastle
There are many routes to Newcastle, depending on your location. For local UK travel, it is best to arrive by train. Newcastle Central Station (NCL) is our main train station and is a short walk to all of our listed hotels, and it is also conveniently connected to the Newcastle metro system. For more details, you can research and reserve train tickets at https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/. You may also book train tickets directly through major train providers such as LNER.
If you are travelling a further distance, it may be more convenient to fly. You can either fly direct into Newcastle using Newcastle International Airport (NCL), or first go to another larger airport such as London (Heathrow or Gatwick) or Edinburgh (EDI). Both provide easy train access to Newcastle once you have landed, though be aware of the extra time this may add to your journey.
For the adventurous coming from continental Europe, there is a ferry that crosses the North Sea from Amsterdam to Newcastle, which is provided by DFDS. It is possible to bring a car if you choose to go this route.
If you think you may need a visa in order to travel to the UK, please carefully read UKVI's advice on applying for a Standard Visitor Visa. We can then provide an invitation letter to support your visa application. Visa applications cannot be made more than three month's in advance of your arrival date in the UK, but you are encouraged to put your application in at the earliest date possible to avoid delays. For more information, go to https://www.gov.uk/standard-visitor.
It is also always encouraged to check your government's travel advice and be familiar with local emergency numbers (e.g. 999 for life-threatening medical issues in the UK). If you find yourself in need of urgent care during your stay, our nearest hospital is the Royal Victoria Infirmary and is located across the street from Newcastle University.
Travel in Newcastle
Once you have arrived in Newcastle, most destinations will be within walking distance. However, if you are flying into our airport, or staying outside of the city centre, you may want to make use of our metro system. There are links to the train station and airport, which will take you to the University (closest metro station is Haymarket). For more on the metro system, go to https://www.nexus.org.uk/metro.
If you prefer, you may also book a taxi through companies that include LA Taxis. If arriving at the airport, there is a designated taxi rank so you do not need to book a taxi in advance. You may find more details about airport transfers and other information about Newcastle International Airport here.
Please be aware that if you choose to take the metro from the airport, you will need to switch trains (Green line to Yellow line) at South Gosforth station. This requires crossing a small footbridge to the other platform and may be difficult if you have a lot of luggage.
TRAVEL UPDATE: RAIL STRIKES ON 29 JULY 2023
If you are travelling by rail on 29 July, please note that there are rail strikes scheduled for this date. Rail companies will be posting an updated timetable for travel on this date after 21 July. Normally, if your journey is disrupted by rail strikes, you will be entitled to a refund on your ticket. However, we encourage those travelling by rail on 29 July to check with individual train operators (e.g. LNER) about their specific refund policies and plans for rail strikes. This information should be posted on their company website. If your ticket allows for changes, you may also want to consider travelling on 30 July instead to avoid any delays or disruption in your travel plans.
Eating in Newcastle
On Friday, 28 July at 6:30PM we will be holding a special symposium dinner at Blackfriars Restaurant. The cost of dinner tickets will be £42 (inclusive of VAT) and includes a glass of fizz upon your arrival, three sumptuous seasonal courses and tea/coffee.
More details about dining in Newcastle will be made available soon. At this time, you will also be able to reserve your ticket for the symposium dinner.
To help you decide if you would like to attend the symposium dinner, you can see the menu options below.
