Wondering about transportation around Colchester and around England? Before you arrive, it's good to know how you'll be getting around!
· There are many bus companies in Essex, but if you live in and around the uni, you will probably use First buses. The main routes that travel to the uni are 61, 62, and 74. All of these go to the town centre and the 61 and 62 also go to the train station (North Station). First will be on campus for the first few weeks selling discounted bus passes, last year they were about £140 for the year, if I remember correctly. I am sure they’ll go up slightly this year, but they are most certainly worth it! A round trip from campus to town runs over £3, so bus fares without a pass get expensive quickly.... just don’t lose your pass (I did...)
· There are two buses that travel to and from Colchester and Stansted Airport. The local bus 133 travels right to campus, but it takes about two hours and the seats aren’t so comfortable http://www.airportbybus.com/
The National Express 250 is much more comfortable AND only takes an hour, but it leaves from the bus station in the town centre http://www.nationalexpress.com/home.aspx
If you don’t mind getting yourself to the bus station in town (£5 – 7 taxi from campus, or a direct bus...) then the National Express is DEFINITELY worth it.... comfy leather seats, enough said.
· The National Express 250 also goes to and from Heathrow airport and takes about 2 ½ hours, check the website above for schedules! For the National Express it can be really really cheap if you book in advance!
· The main train station in Colchester is North Station. Hythe Station is closer to campus (about a 15 minute walk) but it is a local line and trains don’t stop there as frequently. Also, there is no ticket booth there... so usually it is better to head into North Station. Again, there are direct busses, or you can easily jump in a cab. It is always better to plan your train travel in advance - you can sometimes get much cheaper tickets if you book them online and in advance. Something it took me a while to understand about train tickets... the classification of tickets. From what I can tell, there are three to know:
o Advance - you reserve a specific seat on a specific train. They can be much cheaper, but aren’t valid unless you are on the right train!
o Off-Peak – you can travel on any train, as long as it is designated ‘off-peak.’ If you travel in the middle of the day, in the evenings or on weekends, these should all be off-peak trains.
o Anytime – likely to be the most expensive option of the three, as the tickets work on any train on your day of travel.
· Taxis – sometimes, if you are lucky, you will find a cab that you can hail down, and they do sit around at Colchester North Station and on High St in the town centre – but there are not usually any waiting at the bus station.... SO you really need to know some taxi numbers so you can call one when needed. Here are a few:
o Hawaii Five-0: 01206-543-210 (the cheapest in my experience, but don’t always answer the phone...)
o Panther: 01206-525-525
o Five Sevens: 01206-577-777
Hope that gets you started... Safe travels to Colchester!!!
