EUROMEDIA 2003 Plymouth and how to get there

From a small fishing village in the Middle Ages, Plymouth became over the following centuries one of the most important naval harbours in the British Isles. In the 1720s Daniel Defoe wrote: 'Plymouth is a town of consideration and of great importance to the to the public. The situation of it between 2 very large inlets of the sea and in the bottom of a large bay, which is very remarkable for the advantage of navigation", which more or less summed up the city's importance. As times change, however, the Naval bases and shipyards were closed and now only retain facilities for warship refurbishment.

As with the ECEC 2003 conference the EUROMEDIA 2003
conference is co-located at PLYMOUTH UNIVERSITY, Plymouth,
United Kingdom The original Plymouth polytechnic, opened in 1965
It was made a university in 1992. With over 24,000 students and
3,000 staff, the University of Plymouth is one of the largest and
most prominent universities in the United Kingdom. It is also, with
an income of around Ł100 million, one of the largest businesses in
the South West region of the United Kingdom.. Click on the map
below to get a bigger picture.

I have linked this EUROMEDIA/ECEC website to the Plymouth Website as this website provides you with all possible information on Plymouth itself. The site gives you a historic overview of the city. More up to date info can be found on the official Plymouth Website. More information can also be found on the following sites: The Plymouth Devon Guide.

The EUROMEDIA/ECEC 2003 conference itself, is held at the Sherwell Conference Centre (denoted by number 30 on the map above) of the University of Plymouth

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The Sherwell Conference Centre offers two, spacious, custom-built lecture halls with
extensive AV facilities one with 290 seats whilst the other has 280 seats.
AV facilities include:
Overhead projectors for slides.
Video relay system.
LCD projection system for PowerPoint style presentations.
Audio distribution system.

                 University of Plymouth
                 Drake Circus
                 PL4 8AA Plymouth
                 United Kingdom
                 Tel.+44
                      Fax +44
                  www.plymouth.ac.uk

To get an idea of the location of the conference site in relation to the city of Plymouth, just follow
this link to the map of the University.

There are regular flights to Plymouth City Airport from London Gatwick and other destinations including Bristol, Cork, Jersey and Guernsey. Plymouth City Airport is within four miles of the Plymouth campus location. Direct services currently include London Gatwick, Newquay (Cornwall), Bristol, Jersey, Guernsey and Cork.

The other nearest airport is the Airport of Exeter Airporrt. There are regular flights from Dublin, Jersey, Guernsey, the Isles of Scilly and Belfast airport with www.flybe.com

British Airways website gives details of flights to and from the UK.
Plymouth Airport Guide
Brymon Air

The rail station is just a few minutes' walk from the main campus at Plymouth. There is a regular train service from Plymouth to London Paddington which takes between three and three-and-a-half hours. There are other direct services from Plymouth to South Wales, the Midlands, the North of England and Scotland.

For rail enquiries, call 08457 484950 or visit http://www.nationalrail.co.uk or you can go to www.raileurope.com

The railway timetable site contains information on rail travel and timetables in the UK. It is strongly recommended that you
confirm times and services with the rail enquiries phone line. Tel +44 (0) 845 4849 50.

By coach
There are regular coach services from most major cities to Plymouth. The coach service from Bretonside Bus Station in Plymouth to London Victoria Train Station goes via Exeter and takes just four-and-a-half hours.
There is also a direct coach from London Heathrow airport. Travel
time from Heathrow is 4 hours. The university campus and most hotels are less
than 10 min walking distance from the train station or the bus station.

The go-by-coach site provides information and timetables for coach travel in the UK. The
site also offers an online booking service. There are also coaches from various European cities.
Or try for coach enquiries, call 08705 808080 or visit http://www.gobycoach.com

By car
Plymouth is easily reached by following the M5 motorway and then continuing on the A38 Devon Expressway via Exeter (M5).Both Seale-Hayne (Newton Abbot) and Exmouth are reached via the M5/A38. It's about a three-and-a-half-hour journey from London to Plymouth.

Brittany Ferries operate roll-on, roll-off ferries to Plymouth, from Roscoff in France and Santander in Northern Spain.
Brittany Ferries operates a link from Plymouth to France (Roscoff) and Spain (Santander). The site gives details of crossings, prices and an online booking form. The site can be viewed in English, French or Italian.

Plymouth has a fine, modern, pedestrianised shopping centre. Most of the major stores are represented. There are pavement cafes and street entertainers. And, at Christmas time, there are amusement rides and stalls to be found throughout the centre. Entertainment in Plymouth is varied, with many nightclubs and cinemas; pubs and restaurants featuring cuisine from all around the world. There are bowling alleys and tennis courts - and for the spectator, of course, Plymouth Argyle Football Club (do look at that website; they have a virtual tour of Home Park!!! :))), Plymouth Albion Rugby Club and Plymouth Raiders Basketball. On the outskirts of the city, towards the A38, a dry ski run and toboggan run can be found. Water sports are (obviously!) big in Plymouth - yachting and diving being the most popular. In Central Park, there is an Olympic Sized Swimming Pool. However, most probably the most interesting to visitors and residents alike are the Theatre Royal and the Pavilions complex. A bit of culture, mixed with a skating ring and an adventure pool!

A number of hotels will be selected for the participants. More information will be added later.

If you want to visit and wish to stay overnight, the Devon Tourist Board can provide information on accommodation near our campuses.

Telephone: +44 (0)870 6085531 or visit their website at http://www.devon.gov.uk

There are also many hotels around the University with a wide range of prices. More details can be found in the links below. Participants will need to book directly from these hotels

The conference dinner on Tuesday the 15th of April will ne held at THE NATIONAL MARINE AQUARIUM. This new construction is actually situated in Coxside, which is some way off from Sutton Harbour, but never mind! Representing an investment of millions of pounds and the desire to be one of the finest displays of Marine life in one of the world's most famous maritime cities, Plymouth's National Marine Aquarium offers visitors the chance to watch some of the mysteries of the deep unfold before their eyes. Charting the strange and beautiful underwater world, guests have the chance to come face to face with thousands of marine creatures - from the pretty and peaceful to the sinister and feared. Highlights include the aquarium's wall of ocean - 15 metres wide and five metres high - the shark theatre, holding over 700,000 litres of water, and a living coral reef. From moorland streams to freshwater lakes to the ever-changing environment of the world's oceans, visitors can charts the course and the differences between many different water-dwelling animals. As well as the offering education of a world that covers seven tenths of the world, the aquarium is also a leading pioneer of conservation and research. Captive breeding programmes in the aquarium help several species that are in danger. Guides are often on hands to help visitors get the most out of their trip and there are regular talks around the Discovery Pools where you can have the closest of encounters with the likes of anemones, crabs, starfish.