Conference Venue
Wivenhoe House Hotel,
Wivenhoe Park,
University of Essex,
Colchester, CO4 3FA, UK
To get to the venue from the Town Centre, take the 87 or S1 bus (First Site) or 74 (Hedinghams), both of which stop on the High Street. The 87 stops close to the entrance to the George Hotel. The S1 is the next stop up, and the 74 stops near Fenwicks, past the Town Hall. Get off at South Courts and it is a short walk from there to the venue. Bus fares are fixed at £2 and if you have a contactless payment option (card/phone), you can tap in for your journey, rather than buying a ticket.
There is a black-cab taxi rank on the High Street, or your accommodation may be able to arrange a private hire car for you. These will generally be cheaper than a black cab, but may be less reliable at times.
Accommodation
If you are travelling alone and don’t mind sharing, and are in a position to do so, we gratefully receive ‘donations’ of a spare bed to help with financial costs for people who may struggle to attend the conference otherwise. Please indicate your interest when you register for the conference and we will be in touch to discuss.
Location
The conference will be held at the historic Wivenhoe House Hotel on the University of Essex campus. The campus is about 15 minutes outside Colchester Town Centre by car and approximately 30 minutes by bus. We have therefore arranged discount accommodation both at the venue and in town. If you want the minimum fuss, in a lovely location, with all amenities in-house, the conference venue hotel would be a good choice. If you’d like a bit more action and selection of eateries, you may be better in the town centre. If you are travelling in a group, it will likely be quite cheap to travel between the town and the campus by shared taxi.
Wivenhoe House Hotel (conference venue)
We have negotiated a discounted accommodation rate at the Wivenhoe House Hotel. These rates are for the Classic Room and include breakfast. The hotel is fully accessible and has lifts to all floors. The rate is £160 for Saturday 15th June, and £130/night for Sunday 16th and Monday 17th June. There are a strictly limited number of rooms available, so book quickly if you would like to stay here. To make your reservation, please email: reservations@wivenhoehouse.co.uk and mention the Weight Stigma Conference. **NOTE: Until one month before the event, they have reserved rooms for us – you must contact them by email; these rooms will not show up on the hotel website. After this, they will go into general release, but will still be bookable at the conference rate by emailing the hotel, as above.** For more information about the hotel, visit their website: https://www.wivenhoehouse.co.uk/. However, delegate bookings must be made using the email address above.
The George Hotel and The St Nicholas Hotel (Colchester town centre)
These are sister hotels located on opposite sides of Colchester High Street. The George has been in this location for over 500 years and is steeped in historic features, including original beams and wattle and daub on the walls. The rooms are fully modernised and the hotel has free wifi throughout. However, as a listed (protected) building, it is not fully accessible, particularly in access to rooms, which may be up uneven and very very old stairs. Hotel website
The sister hotel, the St Nicholas, is fully accessible. Hotel website
Both hotels share the reception, restaurant and bar at The George.
To access rooms at either hotel at a 20% discount, please use the code SURYA20 at checkout. Visit hotel website: https://www.suryahotels.co.uk/stnicholashotel/
Other options
For other hotels, guesthouses, apartments etc., try Trip Advisor or trivago. For cheaper accommodation, try HostelWorld or AirBnB. Note, there are some lovely independent hotels on North Hill, just off the High Street. This is a great location for public transport and food options, but North Hill is quite steep. There are buses that run up/down North Hill.
Accessibility
The conference venue is accessible to disabled users, and the rooms we have booked have free-standing arm-less chairs and tables. Please contact us if you have any concerns or requests. There is also space on the registration form to provide further information that may help us make the conference more accessible for you.
Getting to Colchester
For great deals on airfares, try cheapoair.com.
The closest airport is Stansted, but the link between Stansted and Colchester is by bus/taxi only.
From London airports, travel to Liverpool Street station in London. Trains from there to Colchester run approximately every 20 minutes (often with different end destinations – ask somebody). From Heathrow, the Elizabeth line takes you straight to Liverpool Street without having to change trains in central London. From London City Airport, take the DLR (Docklands Light Railway) to Stratford, then change to overground rail to Colchester.
If you are using the London Underground, Don’t Panic. Trains are incredibly frequent and stations are extremely well signposted. Take your time and you’ll be fine.
You can find more information and view maps on the Transport for London website
You can view train times and book tickets via Trainline.com*
*Contactless payment is available everywhere on the London travel network (trains, buses, underground, river bus, etc.) without having to buy a separate ticket. You can also ‘tap’ onto buses in Colchester; ticket prices are fixed at £2.
Flight advice for higher-weight individuals
There is a Facebook group called Flying While Fat, started by activist Stacy Bias. You may be able to get some tips and ideas here. Also, the website Seat Guru allows you to find out details of seats, widths, leg room, access and other issues by airline and plane type.
Getting around Colchester
The easiest way to get around Colchester is on foot. Colchester was Britain’s first city so there are lots of old ruins and interesting buildings to see. The town centre itself is very compact and can easily be traversed on foot. However, between High Street and Osborne Street, some of the roads are narrow and/or cobbled and may be uneven. Colchester also sits on a hill, with East Hill and North Hill in particular being quite steep.
For additional information about the city and all of its attractions, visit the Visit Colchester website.