27 - 30 October 2025
Lancaster House Hotel
Bailrigg, England, United Kingdom
Welcome to the ALMA All Hands Meeting for 2025. This page will provide all of the information that people will need to attend the meeting.
Agenda
Meeting Location
The meeting will be held in Lancaster House Hotel, located on the Lancaster University campus south of the city of Lancaster. The Lancaster area itself features several tourist attractions, the most notable of which is the castle. However, the city also has a few museums and historic buildings as well as the notable Williamson Park with its towering memorial, and the nearby shoreline features nice oceanside paths and unusual hidden sites.
The university campus has a few restaurants as well as a couple of stores that can provide basic necessities for people attending the meeting, while the city of Lancaster itself, which is a short bus ride away, has a range of shops that should provide anything that attendees may need.
The amenities on the Lancaster University campus include the following:
- Restaurants and cafes
- Barkers
- Coastal & Co
- Costa Coffee
- The Deli
- Friends Lubistro
- Greggs
- Guan Zi Chinese Restaurant
- JuiCafe
- KC’s African & Caribbean Cuisine
- The Lounge
- The Marketplace
- Pendle Rooms
- Pizzetta Republic
- Subway
- Sultan of Lancaster
- Wok Iin
- Pubs and bars
- Fylde Bar
- Grizedale Bar
- Trevor Bar
- Shops
- Lancaster University Pharmacy
- Post Office
- ReStore
- SPAR
Travel Information
Visa Requirements
Note that the United Kingdom is outside of the Schengen Area. Most visitors to the country are now required to get either an electronic travel authorisation (ETA) or a visa.
To determine whether you need an ETA or visa, please visit this page on the UK government website. After this, go to either the ETA application page or the standard visa application page to get the appripriate documentation needed to enter the UK.
Air Travel
The closest major airport to the venue is Manchester International Airport. Liverpool John Lennon Airport is also a viable alternate option.
Travel by Public Transport from Manchester International Airport
Train Information
Direct train lines run from Manchester Airport to Lancaster. However, if needed, it is possible to take a train from the airport to Manchester Airport to Manchester Piccadilly or Preston and then switch to a second train that runs through Lancaster. The direct trains may take about 1h 30min or less. Train timetables and tickets are available from the National Rail website.
Bus Information
From Lancaster, several buses run from King Street or Common Garden Street in Lacnaster to the Lancaster University Campus. Several 1A, 2X, 4, and 100 buses run every hour, while the other buses are less frequent. The buses run from approximately 6:00 in the morning to midnight, and the total travel time should be 30 minutes or less. Timetables and route maps can be found via the following links:
Travel by Car from Manchester International Airport
People traveling by car have two options for reaching the meeting venue. First, drivers could take the M56 south and then take the M6 north. Second, drivers could take the M60 clockwise around Greater Manchester, then take the M61 north, and then take the M6 north. Drivers should take the M6 to Hampson and then travel north from there on Preston Lancaster Road to reach the meeting site.
Social Activities
Lancaster Castle
Lancaster Castle is a 1000 year old castle on a hilltop at the edge of the city centre. The castle has been well-maintained during its existence and, until recently, even served as a functional prison and courthouse.
Tours of the castle, which show the historic prison cells and the court rooms and also discuss various historic events within the castle, run for 60-75 minutes. Because of the timing of the ALMA All Hands meeting, it was not possible to book tours in advance, but people visiting the castle should be able to join one of the available tours.
Minibuses will pick people up from Lancaster House Hotel at 13:00 and drop people off at the castle. People will then be picked up from the castle at 17:00. People with spare time waiting for the tour or spare time after the tour can visit other locations within the city centre.
Self-Guided coastal walk (Heysham to Morecambe)
The coastal area to the west of Lancaster has attracted many tourists. Heysham itself features a National Trust coastline and the historic ruins of St. Patrick’s Chapel and its rock-cut graves, which pre-date the Norman invasion of 1066. Morecambe itself is a mellow British seaside resort town that features multiple scenic viewpoints and an assortment of historical buildings (including the Midland, an art-deco hotel) and sculptures near the seaside.
Minibuses will pick people up from Lancaster House Hotel at 13:00 and drop people off near the Heysham Playground. From there, people could either walk to the southern end of the Heysham Coastline and then proceed north or walk directly to St. Patrick's Chapel. From Heysham, people can then follow the coastline to Morecambe. Buses will pick up people at 17:00 from the Festival Market in Morecambe.
See the map above or go to this Google map for the suggested route.