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LOCATION and TRAVEL
Findhorn Foundation College is part of the Findhorn Community in northeast Scotland, 600 miles (1000km) from London. The main Community campus is at The Park, about 15 minutes walk from the beautiful village of Findhorn situated on a peninsula bounded by Findhorn Bay and the Moray Firth coast.
Three other venues are in the town of Forres, five miles (8km) from Findhorn and 25 miles (40km) east of Inverness, capital of the northern Highlands. Forres (population 10,000) is a small and attractive Scottish Highland town with all amenities including a swimming pool, shops, banks, pubs and restaurants, and a post office. The nearest cinemas are in Elgin and Inverness (30 minutes and 50 minutes by bus respectively). The surrounding countryside is a mixture of villages, rolling farmland, woods and scenic coast, with open moorland and mountains not far away.
Venues
Depending on your course, you may be based in any one of four venues. There is a regular free community bus service between Cluny Hill College, central Forres, and The Park.
Bed linen and towels are provided at all venues. Laundry facilities and payphones are available. All meals are vegetarian.
The Park, Findhorn Here you would stay in a bungalow or ecological Guest Lodge shared with other participants, and set in beautiful gardens. You would eat breakfast in your accommodation, and lunches and dinners in the Community Centre. Your course would be in one of the meeting spaces in The Park. There is a cyber café and an excellent community shop on campus, and there are cafes and pubs in the village.
Cluny Hill College, Forres is a large Victorian Hotel set in extensive gardens and woods, and overlooking the golf course. All facilities are shared, and you would share a room with 1-4 others (single accommodation may be available at extra cost). All meals are eaten in the gracious Dining Room, and your course would be in one of the workshop spaces in the building. There is a cyber lounge on-site and internet access at the Library in Forres. There is a small shop in Cluny, and Forres High Street is 10-15 minutes walk away through the woods.
NewBold House is a retreat and workshop centre based in a large and beautiful Victorian mansion set amongst gardens on the edge of Forres. It is run by a small, independent community. Most rooms are shared, with shared facilities. All meals would be taken in the Dining Room, and your course would be in one of the workshop spaces. The centre of Forres is about 20-25 minutes walk.
Parkmount House is a small Guest House run by the NewBold community close to the centre of Forres. It has mainly twin-share accommodation (one triple) with en-suite facilities, and its own workshop space. Breakfast and lunch is normally served at Parkmount, and dinner either at Cluny Hill College (5 minutes walk through the woods) or at NewBold House.
Travel
You can get to Inverness or Aberdeen by air, rail or bus. From there, you can reach Forres by rail or bus, or by taxi. Further information is given below, including instructions for coming by car.
Air:
International flights to London (Gatwick or Luton), Prestwick and Glasgow connect directly with flights to Inverness. There are also flights from some British and European cities to Aberdeen. Please check with your travel agent for the most up-to-date information. British Airways (+44 (0)8708 509850 ) and Easyjet (www.easyjet.com) can provide information about inexpensive air tickets.
We may be able to arrange for a community member to pick you up at the airport. Please contact us if you are interested.
To get to Forres from the airports:
From Inverness Airport:
There is no public transport direct to Forres from this airport (you would have to take a bus into Inverness and then a bus or train to Forres). Taxis are usually readily available at the airport, and you can arrange for a pick up by ringing Central Taxis on 0800 402 010. The journey costs about 22 GB pounds to Forres, and 30 GB pounds to The Park (and a bit more on Sunday).
From Aberdeen Airport:
There is good, reasonably priced, public transport from Aberdeen Airport to Forres. Buses run directly from the airport terminal. Trains run from the city station. A taxi costs approximately 95 GB pounds.
Rail:
There are sleeper and daytime trains from London, Glasgow and Edinburgh to Inverness and Aberdeen, with connections to Forres. The number to call for National Rail Enquiries is: +44 (0)8457 484 950, or visit www.nationalrail.co.uk. Aberdeen to Forres costs approximately 15 GB pounds one-way. Inverness to Forres costs approximately 5 GB pounds one-way
There are usually taxis at Forres railway station for the short drive to your venue. Findhorn Community buses meet two Saturday mid-morning trains, one from Inverness and one from Aberdeen, at Forres station.
Bus and Coach:
National Express (+44 (0) 8705 808 080) and Citylink (+44 (0)8705 505 050) operate express services from London, Glasgow and Edinburgh to Aberdeen and Inverness. There are regular buses to Forres from Aberdeen (hourly from Aberdeen airport) and from Inverness. For local bus information contact Stagecoach Buses (+44 (0)1463 239 292).
From Aberdeen to Forres costs approximately 7 GB pounds one-way.
From Inverness to Forres costs approximately 5 GB pounds one-way.
To get a taxi from the bus stop in Forres, ring one of the local companies from a payphone (Local free phone numbers: 0800 834 233, 0800 0851050, 0800 123 444).
By Car:
See the locality map above
From the south:
Travelling via Edinburgh or Glasgow, join the A9 at Perth. 5 miles (8km) past Aviemore, take the right turn onto the A95 to Grantown-on-Spey, and then the A939/A940 to Forres.
For The Park, in Forres follow the signs to Aberdeen, turning right onto the by-pass (A96). Then turn left at the large roundabout on the eastern outskirts of town towards Findhorn and Kinloss. At Kinloss, turn left towards Findhorn, and The Findhorn Foundation is about a mile (1.5km) on the right.
To reach Cluny Hill College, NewBold House or Parkmount House, turn right at the large roundabout along Forres High Street, and then right again down Tolbooth Street (just past the Tolbooth building with a stone tower). Go straight ahead at the small roundabout up St Leonards Rd. For Parkmount House turn into the entrance in about 200m. For Cluny Hill College, drive a few hundred yards further, and turn left at the sign to the College and Golf Course, and then bear left up the driveway. For NewBold House, continue along St Leonards Rd past the hospital. The entrance is on the left a few hundred yards further on.
From Inverness:
Follow the A96 towards Aberdeen until the large roundabout on the outskirts of Forres. For the Park, continue on the A96, and turn left at the large roundabout at the far end of Forres towards Kinloss and Findhorn. At Kinloss, turn left towards Findhorn, and The Findhorn Foundation is about a mile (1.5km) on the right.
For Cluny Hill College, NewBold House or Parkmount House, follow the signs to the centre of Forres, and turn right into Tolbooth Street as in the directions for coming from the south.
From Aberdeen:
Follow the A96 towards Inverness. For The Park, turn right at the large roundabout on the outskirts of Forres towards Findhorn and Kinloss. At Kinloss, turn left towards Findhorn, and The Findhorn Foundation is about a mile (1.5km) on the right.
For Cluny Hill College, NewBold House or Parkmount House, turn left at the roundabout on the A96 towards the town centre. Pass a park on the left, and turn left just before the stone primary school building. Follow round corners to a small roundabout, and turn sharp left into St. Leonards Rd. Then follow directions as for coming from the south.
Arriving, leaving and what to bring
Arriving:
Registration for most courses is on Saturday from10am – 12 noon at the course venue. In most cases your course will start on Saturday afternoon. Please advise us if for any reason you expect to be late.
If you are arriving early you may be able to stay at the course venue but we cannot guarantee this. We can send you a local Bed and Breakfast list so you can book accommodation for yourself.
Leaving:
Your programme will end on Friday night with a celebration dinner. Accommodation is provided until the Saturday morning and you are welcome to stay for lunch if you wish.
What to bring:
Bed linen and towels are provided at all venues. We suggest that you bring suitable clothing for work as well as play. The weather varies a lot here, so include warm and waterproof clothing, and shoes for all seasons.
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