The weather can be unpredictable in England and can rain in the middle of summer, so bring suitable clothes and an umbrella. It is good to wear layers in case it gets cold. English is the main language in the UK, so if you don’t speak English you may need to arrange for translation. London public transport systems are excellent and easy to use. When using the Underground or buses, plan ahead and allow time and budget to get where you need to go.
Don’t bring more gear than you can carry on your own. Remember, less is more. If you are booking tent accommodation at Go 4 Glory, remember to bring a pillow, sleeping bag and mattress. Or you can rent a sleeping bag and blow up mattress for £20 for the week when you register online (bring your own pillow).
Insure your passport has a least 6 months after your planned travel ends. Photocopy your passport, travel tickets and other important documents in case of loss or emergency. Have a list with personal emergency information including insurance policy details, 24 hour emergency contact number; list any health problems; family contact details and have some extra passport photos in case you need them. Give one copy to family back home, one to another team member and keep another copy in separate place in case of loss or theft. Keep your passport and travel documents in a safe place at all times.
Make sure you have a valid visa to cover the entire visit. The Olympics have increased the processing times for UK visas. To allow for any delays, you should apply at least one month, preferably two months before you intend to travel. For up-to-date info on obtaining a visa or if your country has a visa waiver policy with England, go to: www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk.
Book your flights well ahead of time to get a good price as things get expensive and booked out during an Olympic event. When working out your flight schedule you might want to allow time to recover from jet lag if you are traveling through several time zones. When you arrive in England, try to stay awake until 9pm to ease the transition into their time zone as quickly as possible.
Check with your airline about luggage weight limits and what they will and won’t allow you to bring. Don’t put liquids in your carry on luggage, put them in your checked luggage as this will save time at customs.
Ensure you have comprehensive/adequate travel and/or medical insurance to cover the whole time you are away. Don’t bring valuables that can be lost or stolen without travel insurance. Remember that with most policies will not accept claims for any lost or stolen items without purchase receipts to prove initial ownership.
Money can be exchanged at the airport or you can use your visa card to get local currency from any ATM in the UK. Tell your Credit Card providr that you’ll be traveling overseas and not to stop payments that you make whilst in the UK. There will be Money Exchangers at airports and some train stations. There are some around London also but they’re a little harder to find. You’ll need to show your passport and expect to pay a fee for exchanging currency anywhere.
TopIf you are under medication, it may be wise to check with your Doctor before traveling, get the necessary letter authorising your medication for UK customs and sure to bring enough prescription medicine to last for the entire trip. Also check if you need any vaccines for the UK, but they are not a generally required.
England is a very safe place to visit, however be aware when travelling anywhere, that we can easily be distracted or overwhelmed by new and unfamiliar surroundings so take extra care and caution with your luggage and belongings. And it is always safer to travel in groups or pairs, avoiding traveling alone late at night.
Tipping is not generally expected in England. You might wish to bring postcards or small gifts unique to your home, as gifts for hosts and other people you meet.
There are several airports surrounding London, the largest being Heathrow, which sees roughly one million people each month! Most of the budget airlines however, use the smaller airports with lower landing fees, to keep their fares down.
We’ve complied a list of directions below, to help you get to Go 4 Glory from each point of arrival. Luton Airport is closest to Harpenden and definitely the preferred choice for convenience.
By Coach
Follow signs to the Coach station near Terminal 4 or check at the Airport Info Desk for directions to the main coach/bus station and from there take:
Greenline 724, Heathrow to Harlow coach to St Alban’s bus/train station. (estimated journey time: 1 hour 30 mins; estimated cost: about £7). You can then take the north-bound First Capital Connect (Thameslink) train service. Harpenden is only one stop (estimated journey time: 5 mins, estimated cost: £3).
OR
JetLink No.787 or FlightLink No.230 coach (these are owned by National Express) to Luton Coach Station, (estimated journey time: 1 hour 15 mins; estimated cost: about £20). Follow posted directions to Luton Train Station (but called London/Luton) it’s a 4 minute walk, and from here take the south-bound First Capital Connect (Thameslink) train service (toward London), Harpenden is the second stop after Luton Train Station, (estimated journey time: 10 mins, estimated cost: £3).
From Harpenden Train Station you can either:
Catch a taxi: to Highfield Oval, Ambrose Lane costing approximately £4.
Walk: The route is:
- Walk down slope from Station ticket office to the main road.
- Cross straight over main road and walk along Bowers Way (which is immediately opposite Station slope), walk along here until you come to a junction with Sun Lane.
- At Sun Lane turn right and walk up road until you come to a bridge.
- Take the road immediately left before the bridge (Tennyson Road), walk straight on until you come to junction with Hollybush Lane.
- Turn left on to Hollybush Lane and then immediately right on to Ambrose Lane
- Walk along Ambrose Lane (curvy road), across a small bridge, keep on the right hand side and Youth With a Mission will be on the right about 5 mins from Hollybush Lane. The first YWAM sign is the back road, keep walking to come to the main entrance.
By Train
Take the Courtesy Coach from Luton Airport to “Luton Parkway Train Station”. Catch the south-bound First Capital Connect (Thameslink) train service (toward London), Harpenden is the first stop after Luton Parkway Train Station (total estimated journey time: 30 minutes, estimated cost: £3).
From Harpenden Train Station you can either:
Catch a taxi: to Highfield Oval, Ambrose Lane costing approximately £4.
Walk: The route is:
- Walk down slope from Station ticket office to the main road.
- Cross straight over main road and walk along Bowers Way (which is immediately opposite Station slope), walk along here until you come to a junction with Sun Lane.
- At Sun Lane turn right and walk up road until you come to a bridge.
- Take the road immediately left before the bridge (Tennyson Road), walk straight on until you come to junction with Hollybush Lane.
- Turn left on to Hollybush Lane and then immediately right on to Ambrose Lane
- Walk along Ambrose Lane (curvy road), across a small bridge, keep on the right hand side and Youth With a Mission will be on the right about 5 mins from Hollybush Lane. The first YWAM sign is the back road, keep walking to come to the main entrance.
By Bus
Take the 321 from Luton Airport. You can get off the bus at the bottom of Hillside Rd (you can recognise this stop by there being a few small shops on the right hand side of the road. It is also just before a tall bridge going over the road). Walk up Hillside Rd, at the top turn right and YWAM Harpenden will be just on your left. Click here for the 321 bus timetable
By Train
The train departs from within Gatwick Airport and is on a north-bound direct line straight to Harpenden, no changes (estimated journey time: 1 hour 30 min, estimated cost: £20). Harpenden is the first stop after St Alban’s.
Purchase any of the following tickets:
From Harpenden Train Station you can either:
Catch a taxi: to Highfield Oval, Ambrose Lane costing approximately £4.
Walk: The route is:
- Walk down slope from Station ticket office to the main road.
- Cross straight over main road and walk along Bowers Way (which is immediately opposite Station slope), walk along here until you come to a junction with Sun Lane.
- At Sun Lane turn right and walk up road until you come to a bridge.
- Take the road immediately left before the bridge (Tennyson Road), walk straight on until you come to junction with Hollybush Lane.
- Turn left on to Hollybush Lane and then immediately right on to Ambrose Lane
- Walk along Ambrose Lane (curvy road), across a small bridge, keep on the right hand side and Youth With a Mission will be on the right about 5 mins from Hollybush Lane. The first YWAM sign is the back road, keep walking to come to the main entrance.
By Coach
FlightLink No. 777 coaches travel direct to Luton Coach Station: 00.30, 06.05, 08.00, 10.20, 13.30, 16.30, 18.30, 21.00. There are other coaches in between, but they are not direct (estimated journey time: 1 hour 30 mins; estimated cost: about £20). Warning: these can be subject to major changes/cancellations! You will arrive at Luton Coach Station, then follow posted directions to Luton Train Station (but called London/Luton) it’s a 4 minute walk, and from here take the south-bound First Capital Connect (Thameslink) train service (toward London), Harpenden is the second stop after Luton Train Station, (estimated journey time: 10 mins, estimated cost: £3).
From Harpenden Train Station you can either:
Catch a taxi: to Highfield Oval, Ambrose Lane costing approximately £4.
Walk: The route is:
- Walk down slope from Station ticket office to the main road.
- Cross straight over main road and walk along Bowers Way (which is immediately opposite Station slope), walk along here until you come to a junction with Sun Lane.
- At Sun Lane turn right and walk up road until you come to a bridge.
- Take the road immediately left before the bridge (Tennyson Road), walk straight on until you come to junction with Hollybush Lane.
- Turn left on to Hollybush Lane and then immediately right on to Ambrose Lane
- Walk along Ambrose Lane (curvy road), across a small bridge, keep on the right hand side and Youth With a Mission will be on the right about 5 mins from Hollybush Lane. The first YWAM sign is the back road, keep walking to come to the main entrance.
Take the Exit Junction 10/10a off the M1 for Luton/Luton Airport, follow the signs toward Luton.
At the first roundabout (which is Junction 10a) take the 3rd exit ( A1081 to St Albans/Harpenden)
Follow this road for about 3.5 miles into Harpenden.
Turn left up Hillside Road, which is about 80 meters before an overhead Railway Bridge.
At the top of Hillside Rd, turn right, onto Ambrose Lane. YWAM Harpenden is immediately on your left.
From London “King’s Cross Thameslink” station, take the north-bound First Capital Connect (Thameslink) train service. Harpenden is the first stop after St Albans, (estimated journey time: 30-45 mins; estimated cost: about £13).
Warning: Check before boarding to make sure Harpenden is listed as one of the stops, sometimes the Express runs straight through Harpenden.
From Harpenden Train Station you can either:
Catch a taxi: to Highfield Oval, Ambrose Lane costing approximately £4.
Walk: The route is:
- Walk down slope from Station ticket office to the main road.
- Cross straight over main road and walk along Bowers Way (which is immediately opposite Station slope), walk along here until you come to a junction with Sun Lane.
- At Sun Lane turn right and walk up road until you come to a bridge.
- Take the road immediately left before the bridge (Tennyson Road), walk straight on until you come to junction with Hollybush Lane.
- Turn left on to Hollybush Lane and then immediately right on to Ambrose Lane
- Walk along Ambrose Lane (curvy road), across a small bridge, keep on the right hand side and Youth With a Mission will be on the right about 5 mins from Hollybush Lane. The first YWAM sign is the back road, keep walking to come to the main entrance.
Take coach to Luton Coach Station, then follow posted directions to Luton Train Station (but called London/Luton) it’s a 4 minute walk, and from here take the south-bound First Capital Connect (Thameslink) train service (toward London), Harpenden is the second stop after Luton Train Station, (estimated journey time: 10 mins, estimated cost: £3).
From Harpenden Train Station you can either:
Catch a taxi: to Highfield Oval, Ambrose Lane costing approximately £4.
Walk: The route is:
- Walk down slope from Station ticket office to the main road.
- Cross straight over main road and walk along Bowers Way (which is immediately opposite Station slope), walk along here until you come to a junction with Sun Lane.
- At Sun Lane turn right and walk up road until you come to a bridge.
- Take the road immediately left before the bridge (Tennyson Road), walk straight on until you come to junction with Hollybush Lane.
- Turn left on to Hollybush Lane and then immediately right on to Ambrose Lane
- Walk along Ambrose Lane (curvy road), across a small bridge, keep on the right hand side and Youth With a Mission will be on the right about 5 mins from Hollybush Lane. The first YWAM sign is the back road, keep walking to come to the main entrance.
View Go 4 Glory – Surrounding Airports & Train Stations in a larger map
The National Express Coach website is: www.nationalexpress.com
Coach/rail telephone enquiries: 0870 608 2 608
For more detailed information and links to timetables and other information on travelling around London, please go to: www.tfl.gov.uk
Registration for the Go 4 Glory International Arts & Sports Festival is now CLOSED on this web site.
