Visit to Jodrell Bank

Jodrell Bank in Cheshire was established about 75 years ago and has several radio telescopes including the giant Grade 1 listed Lovell Telescope. The observatory is owned and managed by the University of Manchester and is a world-leading science research institute, with scientists working at the cutting edge of modern astrophysics. Since the last time Flamsteed Astronomy Society visited Jodrell Bank in 2019, a spectacular new visitor centre has been built, and also in July 2019 Jodrell Bank was recognised as a site of Outstanding Universal Value and inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage Site list.

Trip details

Our group is booked to arrive at 11:30 and to spend the rest of the day there, till about 4:30 - 5 when the site closes. We will be welcomed by Professor Ben Stappers, Professor of Astrophysics in the Jodrell Bank Center for Astrophysics. Some of you may remember Ben from when he gave one of our main lectures last year at the museum. After Ben's welcome, we will be free to explore everything the site has to offer. The Jodrell Bank team have suggested that a good full day might look something like this below, though this is only for ideas and after the talk by Ben nothing else is "fixed". 

• 11:15/11:30 - 11:45 Arrival, gather, have a coffee or toilet break ... 
• 11:45-12:15 Introduction Talk by Ben Stappers in the Classroom in Space Pavilion
• 12:15-13:00 Time exploring exhibition in Space Pavilion
• 13:00-13:30 Space Dome Show (optional, add-on ticket £5)
• 13:30-14:00 Lunch Break
• 14:00-14:35 Time exploring exhibition in First Light Pavilion
• 14:35-14:50 Space Dome Short Film ‘Introduction to Jodrell Bank’ (included in admission ticket)
• 15:00-15:30 Space Dome Show (optional, add-on ticket £5)
• 15:30-16:00 Telescope Talk presented by our Explainer team (included in admission ticket)
• 16:00-17:00 Time exploring Planet Pavilion, Exhibition Pathway, and Telescope Pathway

We do not intend to prebook the optional shows as a group beforehand so that we all have flexibility to do what we want at our own pace for the day. On arrival however, we will be given a ‘What’s On’ sheet which lists all activities available on the day, and we can purchase tickets for the space dome shows at the ticket booth or the gift shop. But in the meantime, think about the above for ideas and also take a look here for more details - https://www.jodrellbank.net/.

Cost and Booking

The cost of the visit is £12.50, with £11 concessions for over 65s, and free carer/companion tickets. no payment will be requested at this stage, and details of how to pay for the visit will be given after you have booked for the event. Booking and payment must be completed by 12th May.

Travel cost is NOT included

Travel arrangements

You will be responsible for making your own way to the observatory.

Driving from Greenwich to Jodrell Bank via the M1 and M6 takes about 4 hours. Parking is available at Jodrell Bank at no additional charge. Drivers willing to offer a lift, or members requiring a lift, please contact us after you have booked and we will see if we can match drivers and passengers.

For those planning to go by train, the recommended route is from Euston to Macclesfield Station (direct trains take about 1hr 50mins) and then a further 20-minute taxi ride to the observatory. We will be booking taxis or a minibus (depending on numbers) to take us from Macclesfield station to Jodrell Bank and back again at the end of the day (we will confirm the cost of this nearer the date). Advance (cheaper!) tickets are released by Avanti 12 weeks beforehand for weekday tickets (if you are planning to travel up early) and 8 weeks beforehand for weekend tickets (for those travelling up on the day). There is a train leaving Euston on the Saturday at 08:53 which arrives at Macclesfield at 10:42, and the taxi transfer takes approximately 20 minutes, so we will arrive in time for our 11:30 official entry time (with a little contingency). 

At the end of the day, we will book taxi transfers for approximately 4:30 - 5 pm to allow for traffic, and we will aim to be on the 17:37 train from Macclesfield arriving in Euston at 19:27.  Nearer the time we will ask you to confirm if you will be travelling by train and if you require taxi/minibus transfer with the group.

Special requirements

If you have any special requirements - for example access or mobility requirements or medical kit which requires mobile or bluetooth connectivity (as normally we would be asked to put devices in airplane mode) - please contact us after you have booked and we will inform the observatory team and make the necessary arrangements.

Booking Link is on our weekly newsletter

THIS EVENT IS OPEN TO MEMBERS OF THE FLAMSTEED ASTRONOMY SOCIETY ONLY. Please do not book a place on this event if you are not a member of the society. Your booking will be cancelled if your name does not appear on our membership database.