Fall Workshop 2008, Oxford UK

Travel recommendations for overseas visitors to the Oxford workshop.

Where is the workshop?

St. Edmund Hall of Oxford University; main switchboard +44 (1865) 279000

The formal address is St Edmund Hall, Oxford, OX1 4AR. It is located in Queen's Lane, just of the High St. ("The High" in Oxford parlance), and here is the Google map reference.

Travel recommendations within the UK, including from airports, can also be found on the St. Edmund Hall website.

See also the satellite view of the college and the map of Oxford.

Flying to Britain

The most convenient international airport to get to Oxford is Heathrow, LHR. There is a frequent coach (=nice bus!) service from LHR which actually stops in the High St. at Queen's Lane, a few yards from the college. The buses run every 20 minutes during the day, and details can be found at the Oxford Bus Company website.

Some people may find the Continental service from Newark to Birmingham, BHX (or other, indirect links to BHX) to be better for them. BHX is served directly by British Rail, and there are hourly trains from Birmingham International direct to Oxford. The schedule can be found on the National Rail web site. This site will also help if you are spending time elsewhere in the UK before or after the workshop.

Good fares can usually be found on Expedia, though it is worth keeping an eagle eye out for airline sales, and the discounts sometimes available on individual airline web sites. Most major airlines fly to Heathrow, with direct flights to most major US cities. Fares quoted in February 2008 on Expedia were: from New York $800, Chicago O'Hare $880, San Francisco $945, Cincinnati $1000, Albuquerque $1150. Early booking is advisable as flights are often full at this time of year, and even if not full, the cheaper seats may be taken.

Travelling with musical instruments

At the time of writing there is an absolute "only-one carry-on bag" rule for all airlines flying out of Britain. It might be possible to find an airline flying in to Britain that still allows two carry-ons, but you won't get them out! However, there is a specific exception for musical instruments. Both UK and US governments allow, in addition to your carry-on, a single case containing a musical instrument. It must be an instrument case not an ordinary bag, and you must not pack anything else in this case. The TSA rules are here, and the UK government rules are here. Note that French horns are brass instruments, which are not allowed as carry-on items - the reason appears to be that they cannot be X-ray screened for concealed weapons, though you may be lucky. But airlines can be less accommodating than governments. It is essential to check your airlines' policy for musical instrument carry-ons before flying. This is normally on the web site, and you may wish to print it out to take it to the airport if you have an instrument that does not fit in your single normal carry-on. You may need special packing, or early arrival at the airport, or a polite request to the check-in agent to call to check with their supervisor.

Remember to put your sharp pointy things in your check-in luggage: screwdrivers, reed knives, bass clarinet pegs, etc.

The Kammermusik President is a frequent commuter with clarinets, basset horns etc to and from the USA and has not normally had any difficulty in taking a quad clarinet case containing two or three instruments on board, in addition to a carry-on containing a computer etc. The one exception has been small commuter aircraft with tiny luggage racks - then all carry-ons are checked in at the gate and retrieved on the runway, but they do not go through the luggage handling system. As a backup, not yet needed, he uses Wiseman cases, which would protect the instruments through almost any baggage handling system. He can arrange for a discount on Wiseman cases for Kammermusik participants, but note that the delivery times may be long. Feel free to email him for informal advice.

Insurance

Check your musical instrument insurance policy to see if they do cover loss and damage to instruments in checked baggage - just in case. Some do, some don't, and some may impose conditions such as acceptable instrument cases. Many airlines will not cover instruments, or will limit liability to, say, $2,500. Check this in good time.

What if I have questions?

After you are accepted into the workshop, you will be given an account on the private Members' page. You also may contact the Workshop Director by email if you have any other questions.

You are visitor number 277 this year

This page updated February 12, 2008