Ways to Do the Event


This page explains options you may wish to consider in travelling to and staying in the area in doing the event. The Route Map and Route Summary pages overview the route.

How to Do the Event

So you're planning to enter the LDWA Games 100 challenge event next June. Having doubts about the linear nature? Worried about where to stay in the big smoke? Wondering where to leave a car, how to get your bags from a to b to c? Fear not!

Suggested Ways of Doing It

In Windsor, Trevelyan Middle School is the event main HQ, departure point for coaches and a car parking location for the event finish. In Hackney, Gainsborough Community Primary School is the assembly point for the event start where coaches will drop off. The nearest station to Gainsborough is Hackney Wick, very close by.

  1. Park at the finish on Friday. Travel to the start by train the same day and stay overnight near the start. Walk the event, stay at or near the finish and drive home. Your bags will be transported to the finish for you to pick up. (Breakfast stop bags as normal.)
  2. Take the train to the start on Friday, stay overnight near the start, walk the event, sleep at the finish and get the train home. Your bags will be transported to the finish for you to pick up. (Breakfast stop bags as normal.) If you live or can stay within reach of the start you can travel direct to the start on Saturday - there are later start times if these suit you - avoiding overnight accommodation costs.
  3. Park and stay near the finish on Friday night. Book a place on the walkers coach early on Saturday morning to take you to the start. Walk the event, stay at the finish and drive home. Supporters can make their own way to the finish by train or book a place on the supporters' bus back on Saturday

The location details are: Western HQ and event finish, Trevelyan Middle School, Wood Close, Windsor, SL4 3LL, GR SU962754 and Eastern HQ and start assembly location, Gainsborough Community Primary School, Berkshire Road, Hackney E9 4ND, OS GR TQ369848 . Local travel instructions and public transport links between these two venues are on this page.

PLEASE DO NOT DRIVE TO THE START UNLESS YOU HAVE MADE ARRANGEMENTS WITH YOUR ACCOMMODATION TO PARK YOUR CAR. THERE IS NO PARKING AT THE START!

Public Transport Access

If you are planning to use public transport to get to the start location, the nearest station is Hackney Wick and the nearest major train hub is at Stratford, with a 'Regional' and an 'International' station, with several tube and surface lines linking to other London terminii, and a frequent High Speed service between St Pancras, Stratford International and Kent. (These two nearby Stratford stations can be linked on foot, by Docklands Light Railway (DLR) or bus. During the Olympics itself the fast 'Javelin' train from Kings Cross/St Pancras will link to Stratford International with a more frequent service.) Stratford is on the eastern side of the main Olympic Park, while the event start is on the western side, and walking between is a long way on pavements. The easy link is the Overground that runs one-stop across the Olympic Park from Stratford Regional to Hackney Wick station (a very short journey and frequent trains) and from Hackney Wick it is a 5-minute walk to the event start venue. If you have more time, there are good views across the Olympic Park from the new Westfield Stratford City shopping centre next to the stations, with cheap night parking. There are also many local bus services. Other major train hubs are Mile End and West Ham. By using local public transport, accommodation further away may also be within easy reach. The Overground network extends to Richmond, Clapham Junction and West Croydon. From Windsor Central to Hackney Wick via Paddington takes about an hour with several changes. From Windsor Riverside to Hackney Wick takes 1hr 45 min via Richmond and the Overground with one change. These options are described on the Local Travel page. To travel from Windsor Riverside to Stratford by train to Waterloo and tube to Stratford takes about 2 hours. The DLR also links into Stratford and runs close to parts of the route at Canary Wharf and Greenwich and Woolwich and may also be useful to supporters - the DLR is covered on the TfL site below that provides maps of the transport systems to download. Traveline South East covers trains, buses and walking, and provides local maps. There is information on how to get to the Olympic Park here.

Where can I go for train, tube or bus information?

www.tfl.co.uk with maps of the transport systems and a journey planner

www.trainline.com

www.nationalrail.co.uk

www.travelinesoutheast.org.uk

Where do I find accommodation information?

There are several budget hotel chains with hotels near to both Windsor (where there is much accommodation nearby for Heathrow) and near to Stratford/Hackney Wick. There are many hostels, both YHA and independent, near the eastern HQ, and these are shown on the Route Map page. The usual tourism websites list a wide range of accommodation - Enjoy England has searchable listings for budget accommodation. A new site for people seeking accommodation for the London 2012 Games may also be useful to identify accommodation, on this link. To reduce financial risk you may prefer to use a provider that offers full or almost full refunds, for example were you to be injured and have to withdraw - though these may require full payment up-front. Chains such as Travelodge and YHA (link related to summer 2012) may offer such terms. New hotels are opening in 2012 in east London such as London Stratford Travelodge (opens March 2012 so reset availability search date to say 1 June 2012, and clear cookies if needed).

How do I get driving directions to Treveylan School, Windsor, from home, and what is the postcode for SatNavs?

Use this link for Google maps. There is more information on the Local Travel page. The postcode is SL4 3LL.

Page version information: Updated 30 March 2012 for new page link to Local Travel page and start and finish locations.

Gainsborough Community Primary School, Berkshire Road, Hackney E9 4ND, OS GR TQ369848 (change) and follows a linear route from the Olympic Park Area in the East to the Western HQ, Trevelyan Middle School, Windsor, GR SU962754