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How to travel to Bradford, UK
A Vistors Guide

 Read more at
in70mm.com
The 70mm Newsletter
Written by: Paul Rayton, Hollywood, USA Date: 16.01.2008
Paul Rayton in the dining room of the Midland Hotel, in Bradford. Photo: Thomas Hauerslev

Hello there, fellow movie fans ...!

I'm always glad to encourage anyone to attend Bradford's Wide Screen Weekend ("WSW")! It's a fun gathering, taking place in an interesting (at least, to me) location. You participate in it with lots of others who value the same kinds of experiences.

This is written from the standpoint of assisting "first timer" attendees coming to England from distant shores, but it also will be applicable for Europeans visiting -- just bypass the transatlantic airplane stuff!

I'm sometimes blessed by being a bit too "chatty", in e-mail and in person, possibly a mixed blessing. So, to save you time, I'll give some condensed observations here at the beginning, and then (for those really interested), more details follow, which you can read at your leisure.
 

Official Weekend Info:

I can now announce the hotel deal for the Widescreen Weekend, 7th – 10th March 2008. The Midland Hotel is providing a ‘package’ for attendees, which will be on a 2, 3 or 4 night basis. Rates are as follows and will not be available any cheaper elsewhere.

Film Festival Rates 2008 29th February until 15th March

Bed & Breakfast for 2 nights @ £46.00 per person per night sharing a Standard Double/Twin bedroom.

Bed & Breakfast for 3 nights @ £42.00 per person per night sharing a Standard Double/Twin bedroom. 3 night reservation will be upgraded, subject to availability, and will be given a complimentary bottle of wine in their bedroom upon arrival.

Bed & Breakfast for 4 nights @ £38.00 per person per night sharing a Standard Double/Twin bedroom. 4 night reservation will receive the above and Dinner complimentary on one of the evenings.

*Premium bedroom supplement of £10.00 per person per night.
*A single supplement of £30.00 applies per room per night.

Dinner will be available from £16.95 per person, per night with a Special Themed Menu running throughout the festival.

Bookings are to be made directly through the Midland Hotel and festival guests will be advised to quote “Bradford International Film Festival” when booking.

Details for contacting the Midland are + 44 1274 735735

Best wishes

Bill Lawrence
Head of Film
National Media Museum
National Media Museum. Photo: Thomas Hauerslev

By way of background information, most Bradford WSW event(s) take place at the "Pictureville Cinema", which is part of the National Media Museum ("NMM"), (formerly called the National Museum of Photography, Film & Television, "NMPFT"). Also part of this complex are the museum facilities itself (an interesting place to visit), and two other cinemas, an IMAX theatre, plus a much smaller place, the "Cubby Broccoli Cinema", a nice intimate room for "smaller" shows and videos. A few shows will be scheduled in those venues. Obviously, anything IMAX has to run in the IMAX site.

When I discuss costs, I'll mostly be doing so as costs appear to us now, as written in late 2007, when the dollar is VERY LOW vs. the UK pound(£), like about 2 - 1, so UK £ 50 is about US $100.

I typically approach the trip as a whole travel experience, so I may not always take the most direct route, nor eat at the fancy restaurants. But travelling to, and in, the UK, presently, will cost you some money, no doubt about it, because of the currency issues. But there is nowhere else can you see some of these cinematic treasures!
 
More in 70mm reading:

Widescreen Weekend

2008

Who is Paul Rayton?

Internet link:

Rail Planner
Midland Hotel
National Media Museum


 

Getting to England

  
Kings Cross Train Terminal. Photo: Paul Rayton

Bradford is approximately 175 miles (278km) north of London.

Unless you are already in the UK, your trip to Bradford will very likely include both air and train travel components. From the Continent, you can do it entirely by air, or entirely by train, or a combination. From overseas origination points, you'll probably use some of both. For train only, you may skip to the "Access from Europe" section, below.

If you come by air, there are 3 principal airport options to consider: #1) London, of course, actually with several airports -- the primary ones being Gatwick (LGW) and Heathrow (LHR). London also has the smaller "City" airport (LCY), and the farther-out Luton (LTN) and Stanstead (STN) airports. Farther to the north, option #2) Manchester (MAN), another large airport with both Transatlantic and intra-European flights. And, of course, #3) Bradford's local airport, (LBA), smaller, but the closest to Bradford.

There is also, call it option #4, a "lesser-known" airport, a former air force base, Durham/Tees Valley (code MME, and formerly called "Teesside"), which is off to the northeast of Bradford. It's one other smaller-airport option you might check, possibly with lower fares since it's lesser known, yet still with reasonably convenient rail service to Bradford.

London is the capitol city of the UK, obviously, and for some routings, that may save some money. Manchester (MAN) and Durham/Tees Valley (MME) are somewhat closer to Bradford, but still involve a train trip to get to Bradford.

Bradford (LBA) airport is the closest to Bradford. It will almost certainly cost you a taxi fare of some £15 - £18 (approx. US$ 30 - $36) to get into Bradford -- which is probably the cheapest of the ground options -- but fares in and out of small airports are often higher.

You will have to spend some time calculating your airfare costs + your ground costs, to figure out which routing works best for you, in terms of total cost. Air fares often vary based on unpredictable nuances in times and days, as perceived by airline "revenue management" types, so some persistence is required. I cannot say flat out that a routing via Manchester is cheaper than, say, coming in to Bradford... it will depend on your schedule and what other conditions apply to the route(s) and time(s) you select. The tools and links provided here will let you figure your costs fairly well.
 		  

Land travel to Bradford

  
If you fly to London or Manchester (or any other UK airport), you'll have to take surface transport to get to Bradford. Trains are the most readily-available option; there are buses, but I've never tried them and can offer no information.

Rental cars are also available at all airports, though useful mostly if combining your trip to Bradford with visits to other nearby scenic areas, e.g. the North York Moors or Yorkshire Dales national park, or the east coast seaside resorts of Scarborough and Whitby, which either have very minimal public transport or none at all.

Depending on which city you originate from, the land travel cost to get to Bradford will vary by 1) the distance travelled and 2) the advance purchase restrictions which would apply to your ticket. I suggest you consider these costs carefully because the additional costs will add up...

Here is a link to the (very good) UK rail system travel planner website; you can estimate your additional costs (on top of your airfare costs) and come up with the total cost(s) for your trip to Bradford.
 		  

Hotel(s)

  
I'm sentimentally attached to the "Midland" Hotel, since I've stayed there many times in the past. Additionally, it's the "official" hotel for the WSW of 2008, so they typically offer some kind of promotional rate. You'll also be a bit more in the center of things if you stay there, since breakfast time has the opportunity to meet some other attendees in the breakfast room (plus, the food is hearty and good!), and /or the late night "aprés screenings" informal gatherings, in the hotel bar, which can be fun...
 		  

Food

  
There is a cafeteria in the adjacent NMM building, open mostly during "daytime" hours. The cafeteria kitchen also conveniently supplies light "snack-" type foods to the Pictureville Cinema bar, immediately outside the theatre entry doors. You can eat light snacks in either place (subject to opening times and availabilities), or you can go out from the complex. You do not need to go hungry! More details in the "Restaurants and Food Service" section below.

That ends the "summary" information: Transportation, Hotel, and Food. Now, I'll go into a bit more detail. If you don't want to read it "all", please skip to any area that may be of interest to you.
 		  

THE DETAILS ...
Getting to England

  
Leeds Bradford International Airport. Photo: Paul Rayton

For people from the USA, you'll be flying "across the pond". Many routes and ways to do it! (If you are originating from somewhere on the European continent, see "Access from Europe", below)

Depending on your wishes and time constraints, you can fly to England's "main city", London. This allows you to visit a few historic spots (time permitting) in London, should you wish. Also, sometimes, airfares are cheaper (but also, sometimes, more expensive!) to London... Factor in that you'll have to take a train from London to Bradford, a trip of about 3+ hours, at additional cost.... If you're into trains, this is a great treat -- quality high-speed railroading (not super high speed, but very good mainline rail service). The train fare will be additional cost, probably at least $150 each way, see discussion about rail fares following. The most recent price I had was the trip in '06, which was £71. It's probably £75 now, so, that would be about $150... (In 2005, it was £52, and my bill was $103.)

Caution about LHR: If you fly in to the London Heathrow (LHR) airport and are planning on making a "direct" airline connection to LBA, or anywhere up north, advice from folks who live there suggest allowing PLENTY of time. Arriving flights from the US arrive at Terminals 3 or 4, and domestic flights operate out of Terminal 1. Getting between them will tax the hardiest traveler and add stress and considerable time, not to mention possible long immigration queues. If you can avoid LHR for such same-day connections, do so.

You can also fly in to several more northerly airports, the largest one with intercontinental (overseas) flights arriving being Manchester International (UK) airport, code MAN. It is somewhat closer to Bradford than London but still a bit of a train ride away. The train ride costs less because 1) it's only a "commuter" train service, with more stops, and 2) it's a shorter overall distance (approx. 50 miles [75km], as the bird flies). I've only done it once, and I seem to recall the cost was around £20, so it would be about $40, and the total travel time will be about 2 to 2 1/2 hours, including possible train changes. (More about that later)
 		  

The smaller airports

  
The airport formerly known as "Teesside", now Durham/Tees Valley (MME) is off in a northeasterly direction. MME offers a free bus connection from MME airport south to Darlington, at which point you can change to a train to Leeds, where you will then connect to Bradford. (See the "At Leeds" information, below.)

You might also check the Newcastle airport, too (code NCL), to see if you can find a cheap flight there. Newcastle is presently being served by several "low cost" airlines and there could be some amazing promotional fare to Newcastle that works out for you. But the ground transportation to Bradford could be a bit more difficult (and longer) than from MME or MAN, so suggested primarily for the intrepid traveler!

And of course, there is also LBA, the airport for Bradford. Actually, this airport is located midway between Bradford and the city of Leeds and serves them both; hence the LBA airport code, as in, "Leeds/Bradford Airport". Sometimes fares are cheaper to LBA, sometimes not. There are no nonstop flights to LBA from the US, but "connecting" flights via London, Amsterdam, Paris, and a few other European cities are available via major international carriers.

If you fly to Bradford airport, taxi fare in to Bradford proper will run about (maybe) £15 - £18 , or US$30 - $36. If you arrive here, if possible have some UK £ before arriving in LBA, because the change kiosk at the airport is small and may be busy. (It's a rather smallish airport). The taxi is the most viable way to get in to Bradford City. One big plus will be that the taxi will take you directly to your hotel. There is a taxi queue line out in front of the airport; usually waiting times are short. There is an extremely limited bus service from LBA in to Bradford, but it seems to be routed and timed for employees working at the airport, and is virtually useless for travelers such as us.

One final airport idea: since you almost certainly will have to take a train trip to get to Bradford from these various "distant" airports, another UK arrival city you might also think about would be Glasgow (Scotland), (GLA). In terms of time and cost of getting to Bradford, it's about the same (178 miles, 285km) as coming from London. So, if you want a more northerly bias to your trip, this one is worth checking.

The multiple-airport itinerary...
One different variation for air travelers is to fly in to one city, and return from another. If you do that, fares may vary, up or down. Or not. Airline fares are quite changeable, perplexingly so, as you probably know. Occasionally (but not always) flights tied in to overseas fares are somewhat independent of the final destination. I most frequently have been flying in to London, and flying out from LBA, but my choice of arr and dep airport changes year by year, depending on what I may be carrying and who's with me (if anyone), etc., etc., etc.
 		  

Access From Europe

 
If you are coming from the European continent, you probably have plenty of ideas about how to get to the UK. Air service is generally considered the most time-efficient -- but probably not by flying in and connecting through London Heathrow. If you fly in/out of the Bradford airport, or even Manchester, you are able to do it all in one day.

You have a selection of various airports. For the budget-conscious, I suggest you study carefully the airports [listed above] and rail options (in terms of costs) to determine the "real" total costs of getting to Bradford. Discount airlines often fly to out-of-the-way airports, so, once you tally up the additional ground transport costs, your total may come to more than flying a traditional airline in to one of the "major" airports.

One new option for train travel (as of late 2007) is the newly-improved rail link, the "Eurostar" service, which recently completed the high-speed rail portion in the UK, allowing much better (and faster) service from the Continent to central London. And, the London Eurostar terminal is now at St. Pancras station -- and that one is immediately adjacent to Kings Cross station, the London originating point for train trips to Bradford.

So, an all-rail trip is quite possible, without too much transfers hassle, from the several points on the mainland that offer direct train service in to London (esp. Brussels and Paris). (For the dedicated train/movie buff, you can fly in to Paris, ride the Eurostar to London, and train to Bradford, and get the best of both worlds! Not necessarily the most efficient, but definitely the most fun!)
 		  

Train services in the UK

  
Bradford station. Photo: Paul Rayton

Read the information below, and then, if you want to search for specific information, the UK "national rail" travel information service has an excellent website, which is quite a good site for getting pricing and schedule information on rail journeys everywhere in the UK.

From London: London has, like, 8 (?) major rail stations, so check the maps! You'll need to originate your trip to Bradford from the "King's Cross" station (sometimes it's shown as "King's +"). As mentioned before, it's high quality mainline rail, and departures are hourly throughout the day. The mainline service I take, when going to Bradford, operates to the city of Leeds, which is the somewhat larger city of the city pair, Leeds and Bradford. At Leeds, you usually must change trains. See below:
 		  

At Leeds

  
Whether you come by train from London, or from Manchester, you almost always get off at Leeds (you shouldn't miss it, it's frequently the last stop of several of the routes -- but not always! Pay attention!!) . At Leeds, you transfer to a local train service, Leeds to Bradford. The Leeds-Bradford services operate about every 15 minutes, and it's about a 20 min. ride.

Make sure when buying your ticket that you get it issued to destination "Bradford", not Leeds, and then your connection ride price is already paid. The local train to Bradford operates right out of the same (Leeds) station, so a very quick connection is sometimes possible, depending on whether the mainline train arrives a few minutes early or not...

Special note: There is (or have been, in the past -- it still shows in the timetables) at least one train per day between London King's Cross and Bradford as direct, no-change-of-trains service. You get on in London, off in Bradford. "Easy as pie". The one listed now leaves London around 5:30pm, and arrives in to Bradford Forster Square around 8:20pm -- a bit on the late side if trying to catch any movie events that evening. However, if you are not otherwise planning something in the early evening, it eliminates all the "change at Leeds" business. (It goes through Leeds anyway, you just don't have to get off there!)... Details at that rail planning site.
 		  

Two local train routes from Leeds to Bradford...

 
Be aware that there are two rail routings between Leeds and Bradford..

And, just to confuse you, there are two separate train stations in Bradford! They're not so far apart, really -- if you are just walking at a normal pace, without luggage, you could walk between them in, maybe, 9 or 10 minutes. With baggage, it would be more.

The train services out of Leeds run at 15 minute intervals, alternately going to Bradford "Interchange" station, and then Bradford "Forster Square" station.

I strongly suggest you wait for the proper train destination, even though it's technically possible to be "in Bradford" sooner by going to the "wrong" station. You'll waste an equivalent time (and probably money) getting sorted out from the wrong station, just because of the hassle factor, (plus that you may well be quite tired for a long airline journey), and the weather may be blustery and ... you get the idea. So now see next paragraph about the two stations:
 		  

Two train stations in Bradford ...

  
There are the two different stations in Bradford, one called "Interchange Station", the other called "Forster Square Station". Either station will get you into central Bradford, but (IMHO) the station you want is the "Forster Square Station", because it is only about 100 yards easy walking distance to [my] preferred hotel, the "Midland". (see "Hotels", below).

If you have to wait for the train to the Bradford station you want, I recommend you do that wait there in Leeds, as opposed to taking an earlier train to the less-preferred station. You will have a good 10 min. walk, juggling those bags, or a taxi ride, at additional cost in Bradford, so ... as I say, you may as well wait the few minutes for the "correct destination" train!

On the other hand, if you are on a day trip from within the UK, the "Interchange" station is the one closer to the NMM. If you are arriving without baggage from some other local UK city, "Interchange" is probably the better choice.

The "Forster Square" station is more handy to the Midland Hotel. If you are heading to or from the hotel, that's the station you want -- "Forster Square".
 		  

Train Fares

  
Train romance. Photo: Paul Rayton

You can purchase rail tickets from that national rail travel website, but they work like airline bookings: you may lock yourself into a certain departure time and, if you miss it, you may lose some of your value...

In my experience, for London to Bradford, it is essential to buy the ticket at least a day before the trip, i.e., "advance purchase". If you buy the ticket same day of travel, and it's a weekday, they'll charge you plenty. When I've been in London, I've typically purchased my ticket (the day ahead) right at Kings Cross station, just to be SURE I've got the station location set in my head, relative to where I'm staying, and I don't miss something. Of course, if you're not going to be in London the day before, that option is not available. You can pre-purchase your ticket for most or all of these trains from the national rail website but if so doing, be sure to allow yourself sufficient time for connections to your station of origin. The tickets I've bought have all been reserved seat ticketings, for a specific departure time. If you miss your scheduled departure, you'll lose some value.

For Manchester to Bradford, it's basically a longish commuter ride -- albeit with nicer commuter railcar equipment for the service. The purchase price for single trips will not change all that much, so I don't see any urgent need for one to buy far in advance on that one. You may as well just get it at the airport.

But still ... reports are that you can pay for your ticket in advance on this route, as well. You use your visa card from "home", and then get your ticket issued automatically at the airport station ("prepaid"), thus availing yourself of the advance purchase discounts. I have not personally tried this option and don't know if there are any reserved seat/specific departure time issues here (I doubt it). Word of this option comes from a reliable source. You might save as much as £2 or £3 for the trip.

Some trains run from the Manchester airport station right through, direct to Leeds. Some others require a change [in Huddersfield - same platform, ed], and possibly two changes! When you board your train, be sure to ascertain whether it actually will be going to Leeds, or not. And if not, where do you change?

And at Leeds, almost invariably, you must change. All this changing shouldn't be a problem for you, as the platform announcements and electronic signage are usually quite good -- but if you're arriving from an intercontinental flight, you'll still be a bit groggy. Be careful.

The UK rail website is, again, quite good at providing schedules, times, change-of-train locations, and costs, so that should be your guide. If you can print a copy of "your" itinerary before you leave, you'll be much better prepared for the train portion, if you've never done UK train riding before.
 		  

Hotels in Bradford

  
The Midland Hotel. Photo: Paul Rayton

There are several possibilities, most centrally located, i.e, all more or less within walking distance of the National Media Museum (NMM) ...

The primary list includes:
Holiday Inn ["Express"]
Hilton Inn
Travelodge
Midland Hotel
Or, the operating company for the hotel

My favorite is the last-listed one, the "Midland Hotel", partly because it's a historic building, built somewhere around the late 1800s, and is (or was) formerly an old "railway" hotel. Also, it has, in recent years, become the "official" hotel of the WSW events. Nice, classic, brick structure. They have (usually) lots of rooms, singles and doubles, reached via somewhat labyrinthine corridors. Sometimes you can pre-arrange to share a double with someone, and when you book your room, you should mention that you are attending the Bradford Film Festival and/or the Wide Screen Weekend, as there are usually some kind of special rates. No matter what, lower rates usually prevail on weekend nights.

I seem to recall that in March of '07, the nightly single rate was £85, but, again, that will vary, (and that was before I thought I'd be writing up this travelers guide to Bradford....! )

In '05, my net Visa charge was for £167, and I was billed $330.
In '06, my net Visa charge was for £186, and I was billed about the same, some $330.
But the 3 nights in '07 (my Visa bill doesn't show the '07 £ cost) cost me $422.

Like I say, travel costs add up... But still it's a nice hotel, and the [included] hot breakfast is quite hearty (ham and eggs and cereal and tea and rolls and juice and beans and ...more toast and jam and ... ) And all that will help keep you going during the day.

There are other hotels, as I listed before. You may check them by doing a web search for "'hotels'+'Bradford, England'". Caution, though, as some may be a bit farther out from the city center.
Keep in mind that time can be of the essence. One cash-strapped guy I know sought to save absolute $ by staying at the lowest-price hotel that he could find, which was the Travelodge. But he realized (later) that he spent about 40 minutes per trip each direction, walking back and forth to the hotel, which kind of ate into his available time for seeing films and talking with other people attending ... So, after all was said an done, he felt it was a bit of a "false economy".

I've never tried one in Bradford, but "bed and breakfasts" are quite common in the UK, and usually the least expensive for accomodations. However, they may be located some distance away from the center of the city. There is local bus service along several routes through the city, but my priority has been to stay near the NMM in order to be handy to as many events as I wish to see. And those local buses later in the evening can be few and far between!

I checked the Midland Hotel's online rates listed right now (December '07), for a single room in March 2008, and it seems to work out to about £66 (for a single) per night, but that was for 4 nights, some "weekday", and some "weekend", so -- who knows, see what comes up on your own search. You can book via the online links, or telephone them, at (+44) (0) 0124-735-735. Fax is (+44) (0) 1274-720-003.

The "in70mm.com" website will have some hotel and event pricing information as well, later on.
 
 

Restaurant and Food Service

  
Breakfast. Photo: Paul Rayton

There are several various choices, varying in level of quality and service. "You pays your money and takes your level of service", you could say.

The Midland Hotel's breakfast is a splendidly hearty way to start the day. And that's included in your room rate.

Later in the day, there is a cafeteria inside the NMM which functions daytime hours, and you can get quick helpings of sandwiches, soup, hot dogs, and other hot (and cold) food without having to spend much time in going out. There's also a small "bar" right in the theatre lobby, with coffee, tea, beer, cookies, and the occasional croissants and light sandwiches (supplied from the NMM cafeteria).

Alternatively, going a bit further out, there's the "franchise" options. Your basic Burger King, and a McDonalds -- and other "fast food" spots -- in central Bradford, which you can get to in a 7- to 10- minute walk from the NMM.

And there are other places, too: one at the Midland hotel, as well as a very good Indian restaurant just up the hill from the NMM -- but you'll need to allow time for a full meal there, they are not "eat and run" places.

However, truth be told, most of the time I've spent my time watching shows, or schmoozing, and hardly have time to worry much about mundane issues like "food"... I've been known to just get a bottle or two of diet cola from a small shop just up the street from the NMM, and quietly subsist on that, since they basically discourage food being brought into the theatre (because of cleaning considerations). Dietarily disastrous, but the caffeine keeps me going. Maybe a "granola" bar sometime... The large breakfasts become the primary meal of the day...
 		  

Weather

  
OK, so central England isn't Tahiti, or anything resembling a tropical paradise. It's late winter (or early spring -- whatever!), and the weather can best be described as "blustery and changeable". Typically, in Fahrenheit degrees, it's maybe 45°F or so daytimes, and 35°F, or lower, nighttimes. (That's approximately 7°C days, and 1°C to 2°C nights). Temperatures and conditions can shift significantly, so you may have a brief flurry of snow, followed by hail or rain, and then sunny for a spell. All within an hour! Sometimes accompanied by rather windy days. So, bring warm clothing, which is wind-resistant, and be ready to take off a layer or two when inside! Umbrella a good idea, but if the wind really kicks up, keep that umbrella closed!
 		  

Local currency via ATMs and banks

  
There are several ATMs in Bradford, near the Midland Hotel. (But none that I'm aware of right in the Museum!) The ATMs will dispense £ notes from your overseas accounts, so you can get ready UK£ cash that way. (I don't recall seeing an ATM at the LBA airport, but there may be one). There is at least one bank right near the Midland Hotel. It may not be open on Saturday (can't remember their hours right now), but definitely is closed on Sunday, so plan accordingly.

Hope that helps you get a handle on setting up your visit.

Thanks to Thomas Hauerslev (Denmark), Brian Guckian (Ireland), and Leo Entickamp (UK) for additional comments and pointers
 		  
   
 
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Updated 23-04-08