The meeting will be held at the Jodrell Bank Observatory, which is located in rural Cheshire, about 20 miles (35 km) south of the city of Manchester in the UK. There are no convenient public transport links to the observatory, so we will arrange for transport to and from local hotels for the duration of the meeting, including fitting in with evening events. We highly recommend that you use the transport we arrange (costs included in the registration fee), however those that do want to find their own transport, for example a rental car, may find the visitor centre webpage helpful. If you do plan to rent a car do please let us know so that we can accommodate it.
Travel from outside the UK
The nearest airport is Manchester Airport (MAN), which has direct flights to many international destinations, including common hubs such as Dubai, Heathrow, Paris-CDG, Amsterdam, New York (JFK) and Chicago.
Taxi from the airport
If you decide to use a taxi to get to your hotel from the airport there are a couple of options, there are the usual black cabs that you can find just outside any terminal. You can also use Arrow Cars which are often cheaper and allow you to book in advance and online.
If flying into another UK airport, you may find it useful to check for rail connections.
Hotels
Accommodation in the area is relatively limited, so we do suggest that you book your hotel as soon as possible, but only after you have paid for, and had confirmed, your registration. Please also inform us of your choice of hotel (by emailing the LOC) as soon as possible so that we can make sure to arrange sufficient busses.
As mentioned above, we will be providing transport from a few main hubs to and from the observatory every day, so please use one of the hotels listed below or arrange your own transport either to the observatory or to one of the transport hub hotels. We group the hotels below by area.
We note that a number of the hotels offer twin rooms if people are willing to share which can help with accommodation costs. This is particularly true of the big chain hotels like Travelodge, Premier Inn, and Holiday Inn.
Holmes Chapel
Cranage Hall is a hotel associated with a conference centre located in beautiful grounds just outside of Holmes Chapel. It is often used for meetings at JBO and has a large number of rooms. We will be running at least one bus from this location. There is a very nice restaurant on site with a choice of a bar menu or a more formal dining menu. The rural location means that other eating options would require transport of some sort. Travel to and from the airport would be by taxi.
| Hotel Name | Contact Details | Distance from JBO |
Standard Double Price |
Website |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cranage Hall | Byley Lane, Holmes Chapel CW4 8EW Tel: 01477 536 666 |
4.7 miles | ££ | Website |
Alderley Edge
Alderley Edge is a nice village located just about 6.5 miles from JBO. It has a train station which has connections to the airport and Manchester but generally a taxi will be quicker. It has a large number of restaurants and cafes and is a popular location, so booking would be recommended. We will be running at least one bus from Alderley Edge.
| Hotel Name | Contact Details | Distance from JBO |
Standard Double Price |
Website |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alderley Edge Hotel | Macclesfield Road, Alderley Edge SK9 7BJ Tel: 01625 583 033 |
6.5 miles | £££ | Website |
| De Trafford | 2 Congleton Road, Alderley Edge SK9 7AA Tel: 01625 583 881 |
6.4 miles | ££ | Website |
Wilmslow
Wilmslow is another nice village, larger than Alderley Edge, located just about 7.5 miles from JBO. It has a train station which has connections to the airport and Manchester, and direct connections to London, but generally a taxi from the airport will be quicker. It has a large number of restaurants and cafes and is a popular location, so booking would be recommended. We will be running at least one bus from Wilmslow. We note that the Premier Inn is about a 10 minute walk from the village centre.
| Hotel Name | Contact Details | Distance from JBO |
Standard Double Price |
Website |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Wilmslow Lodge at the Coach & Four | Alderley Road, Wilmslow SK9 1PA Tel: 01625 532 300 |
7.7 miles | ££ | Website |
| Premier Inn (Wilmslow) | Racecourse Road, Wilmslow SK9 5LR Tel: 08715 278 736 |
8.6 miles | ££ | Website |
Macclesfield
Macclesfield is a town located about 7.5 miles from JBO. The Travelodge Macclesfield is a very good budget option and has many twin rooms potentially suitable for sharing. It is located very close to Macclesfield train station which has direct links to London and Manchester. The airport is also accessible by train but a taxi will be faster, but more expensive. Within about a 15 minute walk there are a number of restaurants in Macclesfield to suit a range of tastes. We will be running at least one bus from this hotel to JBO.
| Hotel Name | Contact Details | Distance from JBO |
Standard Double Price |
Website |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travelodge Macclesfield | Gas Road, Macclesfield SK11 6JS Tel: 08719 846 432 |
7.6 miles | £ | Website |
Stockport
Stockport is a large town about 16 miles from JBO. It has two more budget options for hotels. It has very good rail connections to the whole of the UK and to the airport. There are a number of restaurants in the neighbourhood, but not as tightly clustered as some of the other locations. It is only 10 minutes by train to the centre of Manchester, though, and there are trains every few minutes. If you choose this option then you will need to take a train every morning/evening to/from Wilmslow to meet one of the busses that we will have running from there to JBO at your own expense. Note that both hotels are close to the train station.
| Hotel Name | Contact Details | Standard Double Price |
Website |
|---|---|---|---|
| Holiday Inn Express | NCP Railway Road, Stockport SK1 3SW Tel: 08714 234 876 |
££ | Website |
| Travelodge Stockport | Heaton Lane, Stockport SK4 1BS Tel: 08715 591 890 |
£ | Website |
Other accommodation options in the area
This is a non-comprehensive list of other options for accommodation in the area. Note however that we will not be able to run busses to all of these locations and so your own transport to JBO will be required, or alternatively, transport to one of the bus pick-up points, i.e. in Cranage Hall, Alderley Edge, Macclesfield, or Wilmslow.
| Hotel Name | Contact Details | Distance from JBO |
Standard Double Price |
Website |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Holly Tree Farm | Holmes Chapel Road, Lower Withington, Macclesfield SK11 9DT Tel: 01477 571 257 Mob: 07979 910 800 |
0.9 miles | ££ | Website |
| Bridge Farm B&B | Bridge Lane, Blackden, Holmes Chapel CW4 8BX Tel: 01477 571 202 |
1.2 miles | ££ | Website |
| The Dog | Wellbank Lane, Over Peover, Knutsford WA16 8UP Tel: 01625 861 421 |
2.1 miles | ££ | Website |
| Goostrey B&B | 10 Station Road, Goostrey CW4 8PJ Tel: 01477 534 314 Mob: 07958 198 121 |
2.3 miles | ££ | Website |
| The Vicarage | Knutsford Road, Cranage, Holmes Chapel CW4 8EF Tel: 01477 533 393 |
4.9 miles | ££ | Website |
| Bear’s Head | Brereton Green, Nr Sandbach CW11 1RS Tel: 08451 126 026 |
5.6 miles | ££ | Website |
| The Cottage | London Road, Allostock, Knutsford WA16 9LU Tel: 01565 722 470 |
6 miles | ££ | Website |
| Longview Hotel | 51-55 Manchester Rd, Knutsford WA16 0LX Tel: 01565 632 119 |
6.7 miles | £££ | Website |
| The Merlin | Wilmslow Road, Alderley Edge SK9 7QL Tel: 01625 599 959 |
6.9 miles | ££ | Website |
| Alexandra Court Hotel | 7 Newcastle Road, Congleton CW12 4HN Tel: 01260 297 871 |
7 miles | ££ | Website |
| Chimney House Hotel | Congleton Road, Sandbach, Crewe CW11 4ST Tel: 01270 764 141 |
7.5 miles | £££ | Website |
| The Lion & Swan Hotel | Swan Bank, Congleton CW12 1AH Tel: 01260 273 115 |
7.6 miles | ££ | Website |
| The Kinderton House Hotel | Kinderton Street, Middlewich CW10 0JE Tel: 01606 834 169 |
7.6 miles | ££ | Website |
| Golden Lion Hotel (Middlewich) | 61 Chester Road, Middlewich CW10 9ET Tel: 01606 737 163 |
8 miles | £ | Website |
| The Sandhurst | 69 Chester Road, Middlewich CW10 9EU Tel: 01606 834 125 |
8.2 miles | ££ | Website |
| Rose ‘N Crown | 62 King Street, Knutsford WA16 6DT Tel: 01565 652 366 |
8.2 miles | ££ | Website |
| Cross Keys | 52 King Street, Knutsford WA16 6DT Tel: 01565 750 404 |
8.2 miles | ££ | Website |
| The Plough Inn | Macclesfield Road, Congleton CW12 2NH Tel: 01260 280 207 |
8.4 miles | ££ | Website |
| The Hinton Guest House | Town Lane, Mobberley, Knutsford WA16 7HH Tel: 01565 873 484 |
8.8 miles | £ | Website |
| Hotel Ibis Budget Knutsford | Chester Road, Tabley WA16 0PP Tel: 01565 650 636 |
9 miles | £ | Website |
| Cottons Hotel & Spa | Manchester Road, Knutsford WA16 0SU Tel: 01565 650 333 |
9.4 miles | £££ | Website |
| Mottram Hall | Wilmslow Road, Mottram SK10 4QT Tel: 01625 828 135 |
9.9 miles | £££ | Website |
| The Bridge | Prestbury, Cheshire SK10 4DQ Tel: 01625 829 326 |
9.9 miles | ££ | Website |
| Airport Inn Manchester Hotel & Spa | Altrincham Rd, Wilmslow SK9 4LR Tel: 08712 210 247 |
10.7 miles | £ | Website |
| Mere Court Hotel | Warrington Road, Mere, Knutsford WA16 0RW Tel: 01565 831 000 |
11.8 miles | £££ | Website |
| Hollin Hall Hotel | Jackson Lane, Kerridge, Macclesfield SK10 5BG Tel: 01625 573 246 |
12.9 miles | ££ | Website |