Venue: Yarnfield Park

The SRW is at the Yarnfield Conference Centre in Staffordshire. It's a very pleasant ambience with decent study bedrooms and spacious meeting rooms. If you travel by car there are masses of parking space.

IK, Facebook group member

Directions to Yarnfield Park

Yarnfield Park is equidistant between Manchester and Birmingham with easy access from the M6

Click here for map

By Road (NB Postcode for GPS is ST15 0NL)

If you are planning to drive to the Weekend and have room to collect and drop off one or more of your colleagues at one of the stations, please let us or other students know.

Travelling from the South

Exit the M6 at junction 14 and follow the A34 to Stone (approx five miles). At the roundabout with the Shell petrol station, continue straight over; do not take the right turning for Stone. Continue along the A34 for 3/4 mile, passing under a railway bridge, and take the next turn left into Yarnfield Lane, immediately after the Wayfarer Public House. Follow Yarnfield Lane for two miles, into the village of Yarnfield, and take the second right turn - into Yarnfield Park Training and Conference Centre. Turn right just before the Gatehouse and follow the signs marked Reception and Car Park (blue route on Site Plan).

Travelling from the North

Exit the M6 at junction 15 and follow the A500 towards Stoke. Take the exit slip road, signed A34 South, for Stone. Continue south on A34, for approx six miles, until you arrive at a double roundabout (a BP Petrol station is at the far side of these roundabouts), continue on A34 - do not take the left turning for Stone. Immediately after these roundabouts, take up the right hand lane and, after of a quarter mile, take the first right into Yarnfield Lane (immediately before the Wayfarer) Follow Yarnfield Lane for two miles, into the village of Yarnfield, and take the second right turn - into Yarnfield Park Training and Conference Centre. Turn right just before the Gatehouse and follow the signs marked Reception and Car Park (blue route on Site Plan).

Travelling from the East

Exit A50 at Uttoxeter and look for the signs for the A518. Follow the A518 through Uttoxeter, continuing for 9 miles to the junction with the A51. Turn right onto the A51 and remain on this for 5 miles to the roundabout at the junction with the A34 - turn right on A34 (North). At the roundabout with the Shell petrol station, continue straight over; do not take the right turning for Stone. Continue along the A34 for 3/4 mile, passing under a railway bridge, and take the next turn left into Yarnfield Lane, immediately after the Wayfarer Public House. Follow Yarnfield Lane for two miles, into the village of Yarnfield, and take the second right turn - into Yarnfield Park Training and Conference Centre. Turn right just before the Gatehouse and follow the signs marked Reception and Car Park (blue route on Site Plan).

By Rail (and then Taxi or Bus)

Yarnfield Park Training and Conference Centre is about ten miles from both Stafford and Stoke-On-Trent main line railways stations. Trains are frequent and both stations are on Inter City links between London and the North. You can check train times at the National Rail Enquiries website. (Remember that there are often engineering works on Sundays so don't just rely on the timetable!) Taxis can always be found outside Stafford and Stoke stations, and they take about thirty minutes to get to Yarnfield Park, but are very expensive. Click here for a list of local taxi numbers (PDF format). There are buses from Stafford and Stoke stations to Yarnfield on weekdays.

An alternative option is Stone station, which is under 3 miles from Yarnfield Park, and now has an hourly service on weekdays, as well as a Sunday service. If travelling via Stone on the Friday, please bear in mind that there are unlikely to be taxis waiting outside the station, as it is small. However, you can book a taxi from the list to meet your train; or you can walk to the bus stop (see below for directions).

On the Friday you can get a bus (no. 350) from Stoke-on-Trent station to Yarnfield. (The timetable is dated "from 2008" but appears to still be current). The 491 bus from Stafford to Yarnfield will also run on the Friday; it is now being run by Wardle Transport, although the timetable is not available on their website yet but can be accessed from Traveline West Midlands (click on "Timetables", then "491" and select "Stafford-Stone").

The 350 bus stops in Stone on its way from Stoke to Yarnfield, but not at the station. To get to the bus stop from the station, walk along Station Approach and bear right (past the Talbot pub) into Station Road. At the end of Station Road, turn left into Radford Street, which is part of a one way system, and you should see a bus stop on your left, further along the one way system. (If you cannot find a stop here, continue round the one-way system until you get to the Mill Street stop). It is about a 15 minute walk from the station to the bus stop.

Cycling from Stone Station to Yarnfield (approx 3.5 miles)

From the station, proceed along the station approach road and bear right at the Talbot pub. At the next main junction bear right with the road into Margaret Street. At the T junction turn right, go over the canal and under the railway bridge, then turn first left.

At the end of this road is the A34. Cross it carefully and take the road opposite signposted to Yarnfield.

Continue along this road to Yarnfield village. Once in the village, turn right for the conference centre.

Taxi to Stone Station

The 350 and 490 buses do not run on Sundays. In the past, students have made arrangements with one another to share and book taxis. Last year, as a trial, we booked a 14-seater minibus from a local taxi firm for transport to Stone station, from which trains were running in both directions (Stafford and the south, and Stoke and the north). This made taxi transport more affordable than when individuals book their own taxis.

We will probably do this again this year, if Stone Station is open. (We won't know this until June). If we do provide a minibus, we will book and pay for it and collect fares from students in cash during the weekend. We will need to book the taxi in advance, however, so we will need your confirmation that you will use this service and that you undertake to pay the fare.

By Coach

Those needing a cheaper option may want to investigate travel by coach to Hanley Coach Station in Stoke-On-Trent. The 350 bus to Yarnfield calls there on the Friday, but does not run on Sundays so you would have to get a taxi.

If you need assistance on the day of travel telephone Yarnfield Park on

01785 762605.