Info
The UKI Discs Meeting will take place in Room N001 of the de Havilland Main Building on the University of Hertfordshire’s de Havilland Campus in Hatfield, Hertfordshire. The university comprises two campuses—College Lane and de Havilland—which are within walking distance of each other and the nearby Galleria shopping centre. A bus also connects the campuses for added convenience.
Accommodation
Student rooms are available on the de Havilland Campus at the University of Hertfordshire. These are a convenient and affordable option:
- £70 per night (room only)
- £85 per night (room with breakfast[1])
Each room includes a wardrobe, desk, and a small ensuite bathroom, with access to a shared kitchen located on each corridor. Photos below show typical rooms and facilities, courtesy of UH Venues.
There are relatively few budget hotel options in Hatfield this year. The nearby Travelodge is charging slightly more than the student rooms. Other local hotels include the Premier Inn (fairly good value but not within easy walking distance) and the Comet Hotel, a luxury option very close to the venue.
[1] The prepaid breakfast option in the dining hall is only available on Tuesday 9th and Wednesday 10th. For those needing breakfast on Monday 8th, local options include the Sports Cafe on campus (limited selections) or the Wetherspoons close to campus for a full breakfast.
Campus Map
The meeting will take place on the de Havilland campus in room N001.
Getting Here
Arriving by train
Hatfield Station is located just 1.5 miles from the University of Hertfordshire’s de Havilland and College Lane campuses. The station sits on the Great Northern Line, with regular direct services from London Kings Cross, making it easily accessible from central London and surrounding areas.
From Hatfield Station, you can reach the campuses by UNO bus (£3, 10–15 minutes) or by taxi/Uber (approximately £8–£12, 5–10 minutes). The main bus routes serving the university are the 614 and 644, which depart from Stop 3 just outside the station and stop directly at both campuses. Services run frequently on weekdays, with slightly reduced schedules during evenings and weekends. For live schedules and ticket info, visit the UNO Bus website.
Arriving by (long-distance) coach
You can travel to the University of Hertfordshire from other parts of the UK by long-distance coach via National Express, which operates services that stop at The Galleria in Hatfield—a short walk from the university’s College Lane and de Havilland campuses.
Arriving by car
For those wishing to park at the de Havilland campus, there is a large open air car park that you’ll come into as you drive on to campus. It’s marked DH1 on the map here: https://www.herts.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/66774/campus-parking.pdf
The university charges £3/day (or free for the first 2 hours) with payment via Hozah. The procedure is to sign up once only at their website (https://hozah.com/uhparking/) providing your registration and payment details. Then everything is taken care of automatically, using automated number plate recognition to trigger payments. You can sign up before or after you arrive but must do so by midnight on the day you first park.
N.B. After clicking “Pay as you go” on the website, DO NOT CLICK THE BOX asking
“Are you a Student?” — this refers to University of Hertfordshire students, who
are not allowed to park there.
Further details are at:
https://www.herts.ac.uk/contact-us/parking
You can ignore the mention of residential parking information since that refers to UH students.
Arriving by plane
Hatfield is relatively easy to reach from several London airports via public transport:
- From Heathrow Airport, the Arriva 724 bus provides a direct service to The Galleria bus stop in Hatfield, located just across the road from the de Havilland Campus.
- From Luton Airport, take the DART to Luton Airport Parkway Station, then a short train ride to St Albans City Station. From there, there are multiple direct buses to The Gallaria in Hatfield.
- National Express operates a coach service from Stansted Airport that stops directly at The Galleria in Hatfield.
These routes offer convenient and cost-effective options for reaching the University of Hertfordshire from London’s major airports.
Food
Lunch
Lunch is included with the meeting registration. If you have any dietary requirements, please inform us when completing the registration form so that we can accommodate your needs.
Refreshments
We will be providing refreshments (tea, coffee, fruit juice, water, biscuits) throughout the meeting.
Dinner/Restaurants
We’ve arranged coach transport 4 miles down the road to St Albans, leaving campus at 6.40 pm for any who want it on Monday and Tuesday. A list of local restaurants in St Albans is provided below.
All the restaurants are within walking distance of where the coaches will be stopping on St Peter’s street. Rather than arrange a big group dinner, we encourage participants to form groups for dinner each night, e.g. by preferred type of restaurant or preferred science topic.
We have not arranged return transport but buses run until late from St Peter’s street back to de Havilland campus. Uber (~£15 fare) and several taxi companies also operate in the area, e.g. A1 Taxis (01727 86666) and Gold Line taxis (01727 833333).
| Italian | Indian | British | Others |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per Tutti | Infuse (closed on Mondays) | The Ivy (restaurant) | Bar Meze (Cypriot) |
| Zizzi | Veer Dhara | The Beech House (gastropub) | Cote St Albans (French) |
| L’Italiana | Amrit | The Cock Inn (no low budget options) | Craft & Cleaver (US - Barbecue-style) |
| Locanda Bagutta (closed on Mondays) | Chili Bar & Kitchen | Prime Steak and Grill | Tabure (Mediterranean) |
| Ballacino’s | Swadisht (closed on Tuesdays) | The Beehive (pub) | Saute (Turkish) |
| La Cosa Nostra | Chez Mumtaj (closed on Mondays) | White Hart Tap (pub) | Wagamama (Asian fusion) |
| Samrat | The Mermaid (pub) | Little Marrakech (Moroccan) closes early on Mondays | |
| St Albans Tandoori | The White Lion (pub) | ||
| The Alban | Lower Red Lion (pub) | ||
| Waterend Barn (Wetherspoons) | |||
| Peahen (pub) | |||
| Blacksmith’s Arms (pub) |
Local Interest
- Hatfield is just 7 miles from St Albans, a historic market town with strong Roman and mediaeval roots. Highlights include St Albans Abbey and the Roman ruins of Verulamium. We plan to arrange transport to St Albans for conference groups to enjoy dinner together.
- Another Hatfield attraction is the Hatfield House, built by the Cecil family beside the remains of the original Tudor palace, where Mary I and Elizabeth I spent much of their childhoods. The house is surrounded by formal gardens and a large park.
Access to the Swimming Pool and Gym in the Sports Village
The Sports Village adjacent to the conference venue is open to both staff, students and members of the public. If you would like to use the pool, you can do the pay as you go rate which is £6.15 before 5pm Monday to Friday and on weekends. After 5pm Monday to Friday, the price is £7.20. Swimming sessions do not need to be booked, but we advise checking the pool timetable before you arrive: https://www.hertssportsvillage.co.uk/news-swimming-pool-timetable-9
If you want to use the gym, you will need to create an account:
https://www.hertssportsvillage.co.uk/ (Click the ‘Login’ button at the top right, then go to ‘Create an account’.)
For gym access you would need to complete a gym induction which can be done at reception on one of kiosks: no appointment is needed. An off peak gym session is £11.75 and a peak session is £13.50.