Travel

The ECCD Mini Grid Summit will be held at the newly built Boldrewood Innovation Campus at the University of Southampton, in Southampton, UK. Located near the green spaces of Southampton Common, Boldrewood Campus is the Unniversity’s newest campus and is home to maritime and civil engineering courses with a number of world-class testing and research laboratories inlcuding the 138-metre towing tank and a geotechnical centrifuge within the UKCRIC National Infrastructure Laboratory.

The venue is served by the local bus network (including UniLink and BlueStar) within close proximity to Southampton Central Train Station and the National Express Bus Station – both of which have direct links to Heathrow and Gatwick International Airport. The area is also close to Southampton International Airport and the Southampton Airport Parkway Station.

The venue is also in close proximity to hotels and eateries such as those in Portswood, Bedford Place and West Quay Shopping Centre, which has over 30 restaurants open unitl late.

More information about the venue can be found here, and the area can be explored on Google Maps or via the Univeristy campus map. Please see below for travel advice by car, rail, bus, walking or air.

By Air

Southampton International Airport is a short bus ride from the Boldrewood Innovation Campus (Unilink bus: U1, £2.20 single/£3.70 all-day pass) or taxi (usually around £5-10), off junction 5 of the M27. There are flights to Southampton from UK airports, mainland Europe and the Channel Islands.

London Heathrow Airport is just over 60 miles from Southampton. You can catch a National Express coach direct to Southampton from the central bus station, located close to Terminals 1, 2 and 3. You can also travel by train from Heathrow to Paddington in central London. From London, you can take a train to Southampton. For more details see the National Rail website.

London Gatwick Airport is nearly 90 miles from Southampton. You can catch a National Express coach direct to Southampton Coach Station. You can also catch a direct train from Gatwick Airport to Southampton Central. For more details see the National Rail website.

Taxis to/from London airports

The following local companies provide a taxi service between Southampton and the London airports:

• Radio Taxis
• English Rose Collection

By car

• Postcode for satnav: SO16 7QF
• The University of Southampton has a small dedicated Visitor Car Park ono Highfield Campus (3 minutes walk from the venue). Spaces are pre-booked for parking between )9:00-17:00 Monday-Friday. Please visit the UoS site for further details.
• There is also a 100 space Pay and Display Car Park at Highfield for use by visitors operating on a first come first served bases with the ticket machine only taking card and contactless payments. For further infromation please visit the UoS Pay and Display parking page. Please note that it can fill up very quickly during the morning.  
• From the M3: Exit at junction 14 taking the 2nd exit at Chilworth Roundabout onto the A33 (Bassett Ave.) turning left onto A35 (Burgess Road) driving past the Shell garage turning right into University Road.
• From the M27: Exit at junction 5 – follow the A335 through 2 sets of traffic lights and turn right at the 3rd set of lights onto A35 (Burgess Road) turning left onto University Road.

By Rail

Fast trains from London and Bournemouth/Weymouth stop at Southampton Central and Southampton Airport Parkway. Trains from Portsmouth and Bristol/South Wales stop at Southampton Central. There are also regular trains from major airports such as Gatwick and Heathrow to Southampton Central. From Gatwick there are direct trains to Southampton Central Train Station. From Heathrow, take the bus to Clapham Junction and then take the direct train to Southampton Central Train Station. Details of routes and timetables can be found on the National Rail website.

The Campus is  is 2.4 miles from Southampton Central Train Station, and 2.3 miles from Southampton Airport Parkway. You can get the Unilink bus: U1 from either of these stations to the venue with a taxi rank outside both stations.

By Bus or Coach

National Express provides regular coach services to Southampton from central London, Heathrow, Birmingham, Bournemouth and the north. The University of Southampton, Burgess Road, bus stop at building 45 is within a short walk of the venue

The Campus is easily accessible using our Unilink bus service. Unilink buses go from Southampton Airport, Southampton Central Train Station, the city centre, the National Oceanography Centre and Southampton General Hospital. You can find timetables and route maps on the Unilink website.The Unilink bus fare is £2.20 for a single or £3.70 for an all-day pass.

By Walking or Cycling

For full information on walking and cycling around Southampton see the city centre walking map and the city bike guide.