A railway journey to a book festival has two ends: reaching the event comfortably and getting home after the last session you choose. Start with the station in the relevant guide, then plan the onward leg to the actual venue. Some festivals have a town station; others need a bus or a separately arranged transfer. The comparison below uses the travel information described in our festival guides. Follow the official link for current timetables and the edition you intend to attend. It does not promise a service, a fare or a walking time.
Stations and onward journeys
| Festival | Rail arrival | Onward journey and official source |
|---|---|---|
| Cheltenham Literature Festival | Cheltenham Spa | GWR identifies Cheltenham Spa as its station for Cheltenham. The festival’s own pages put the walk to the gardens at 20 or 25 minutes, depending on the page. Allow extra time to suit your own pace. Consider luggage, road crossings, weather and whether you want to arrive ready to go straight into an event. The festival also identifies a taxi rank at the station. |
| Aye Write | Depends on venue; Charing Cross for the Mitchell area | Choose the rail arrival and onward route after establishing the venue. National Rail’s Glasgow Central information covers that station, while Charing Cross station information is relevant when investigating the Mitchell Library area. Aye Write takes place across the city, so there is no single nearest station for every ticket. |
| Bath Literature Festival | Bath Spa | Visit Bath identifies Bath Spa as the city-centre station. Plan from there to your first actual venue, not simply to “Bath Festival”. Check the operator’s timetable for your dates, including the return and planned engineering work. If you need rail assistance, arrange it through the operator’s current process and read the station information relevant to your route. |
| Bloody Scotland | Stirling | Use Stirling station for your railway journey, checking the operator’s current timetable for the dates you actually intend to travel. National Rail’s station information identifies the station and its ScotRail management. Read its facilities information and arrange assistance through the railway if needed. Include the journey from the station to your first venue in your planning. |
| Chalke History Festival | Salisbury | The festival identifies Salisbury as the rail connection for reaching the site. Its travel page asks visitors to allow at least 45 minutes from Salisbury station to the festival. Treat that as the organiser’s planning allowance, not a published shuttle frequency or a guaranteed transfer. Arrange the onward part before selecting an arrival train that leaves no margin. |
| Durham Book Festival | Durham | Durham station is on North Road. The festival visitor information gives a ten-minute walk to Gala Durham. Allow extra time for luggage, your own pace and any access needs. Include the final approach in the journey plan rather than arriving at the station just before the event begins. |
| Edinburgh International Book Festival | Edinburgh Waverley | The festival identifies Edinburgh Waverley as within walking distance and warns that August streets are busy. Plan the route from the station to the correct entrance at Futures Institute, not simply to the centre of Edinburgh. Allow for luggage and unfamiliar streets. |
| Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival | Harrogate | Harrogate station, on Station Parade, is the station to use when comparing rail journeys to town. National Rail provides the station address, facilities and travel links. Check your rail operator’s current timetable for the travel dates you need and look at the return before buying the final event ticket. National Rail station information. |
| Hay Festival | Hereford | The organiser names Hereford as the nearest railway station and puts it 21 miles from Hay. You therefore need to plan the connection, not just purchase a rail ticket. Its travel page links to rail operators and public transport information. Use the railway’s journey planner for your dates and leave room for the onward leg. Official travel information. |
| Henley Literary Festival | Henley-on-Thames | The festival identifies services to Henley via Twyford. Check your entire connection in the rail operator’s journey planner, including the final branch-line leg. A ticket to a nearby main-line station does not by itself complete the trip. For a weekend visit, check engineering information before departure and again close to travel, particularly if a replacement service would change your first event. |
| Ilkley Literature Festival | Ilkley | Use Northern’s Ilkley station page for station information and the operator’s live journey planner for your date. The festival identifies rail links with Leeds and Bradford. Check which route suits your starting point, and include any interchange and the walk from the station to the specific venue. |
| Oxford Literary Festival | Oxford (central station) | Use the operator’s current planner for a journey to Oxford, checking the actual station and service rather than choosing a destination by name alone. The festival’s directions refer to the central railway station and its onward routes into town. Read station facilities and assistance information if you need support, and arrange railway assistance through the operator’s current booking process. |
| Stratford Literary Festival | Stratford-upon-Avon | Use Stratford-upon-Avon station on Station Road as the town-centre rail reference. National Rail publishes its location and facilities. Check the full journey in the operator’s planner, including the return and any changes. Be careful to distinguish Stratford-upon-Avon from Stratford in London when searching for tickets or saving directions. |
| Wigtown Book Festival | Onward connection required; organiser offers Dumfries rail-transfer advice | Wigtown requires planning beyond the mainline part of a railway journey. The festival’s rail information asks visitors interested in shared transport from Dumfries station to contact the box office. It offers to advise when cars or a festival minibus may be travelling. This is an enquiry route, not a scheduled transfer you should assume will run for your train. |
| Hay Festival Winter Weekend | Hereford, with onward connection | The festival identifies Hereford as the nearest railway station. Plan from there to the venue, not just to a rail destination named on a search result. The winter travel page links bus and other onward information; use the current operator or journey planner for your exact day and return. Its rail-operator names include older branding, so follow current railway information when buying your actual ticket. No journey time or onward seat is promised here. |
| Bath Children's Literature Festival | Bath Spa | Visit Bath’s travel information identifies Bath Spa as the city-centre station. Plan from the station to the actual event venue and accommodation. Include your luggage, the children’s pace and any assistance you need. A rail arrival that looks convenient on its own may still leave too little room before the session starts. |
| Cambridge Literary Festival | Cambridge | The festival’s visitor information describes Cambridge station as the rail arrival for its city venues and links to Greater Anglia for railway information. It also identifies bus and taxi options for the onward journey. Use an operator’s current planner for your date, including any changes, assistance and engineering work. Choose the actual station and service on the booking rather than relying on a general search result for Cambridge. |
| Bradford Literature Festival | Bradford Interchange or Bradford Forster Square; choose for the venue | The organiser identifies Bradford Interchange and Bradford Forster Square as the city’s two central railway stations. Choose between them using the service from your starting point and the venue on your ticket. The official travel page links National Rail and relevant railway operators. Use the current planner for your actual date, including changes, engineering work and any assistance you need. Do not assume that a route used on a previous visit will be identical next time. |
| Manchester Literature Festival | Venue dependent; Deansgate or Manchester Oxford Road for HOME | Manchester Literature Festival recommends the Transport for Greater Manchester journey planner for train, tram and bus planning. Choose the actual venue address as the destination. A mainline arrival is the beginning of the final leg, not a guarantee that the first event is beside the station. Read the rail operator's current information for your date, including engineering work and assistance if needed. |
| Off the Shelf Festival of Words | Sheffield | Use Sheffield station as the railway reference and choose the onward route for your venue. The University's national public-transport page describes a direct tram link from the station towards the main campus. Its local public-transport page links Travel South Yorkshire for current journey planning, timetables, departures and disruption. Check the actual service and day rather than copying an older frequency or journey time into your plans. |
| Charleston Festival | Lewes, with onward connection | Charleston’s Firle travel information uses Lewes for the rail arrival and onward journey. Plan beyond the mainline train before deciding that the trip works. The 2026 festival had a dedicated Lewes station shuttle, documented by Charleston and the bus operator. That is the earlier edition’s arrangement, not a guarantee that a future shuttle will run at the same times, charge the same fare or connect with the train you choose. |
| Wimbledon BookFest | Wimbledon | Wimbledon station is the rail, Underground and tram reference given by the organiser. Use the operator’s current journey planner for the date you intend to travel and include the route from the station to the specific venue. Check the final connection home before buying a late-event ticket. If your fare limits you to a service, allow a margin that suits your pace and any bag collection, rather than building the day around a very tight interchange. |
| Boswell Book Festival | Auchinleck | Dumfries House identifies Auchinleck as its nearest railway station. Reaching the station is only part of the journey: you still need a practical onward connection to the estate. |
| Capital Crime | Barbican, Moorgate or Liverpool Street | The venue and organiser identify Barbican, Moorgate and Liverpool Street as nearby transport references. Use The Brewery’s directions and TfL’s journey planner to compare the route from your arrival station to the event address. |
| Chiswick Book Festival | Turnham Green | The festival identifies Turnham Green, served by the District line, as close to most sessions. |
| Dartmouth Book Festival | Totnes | Dartmouth’s official visitor information identifies Totnes as the nearest national railway station, approximately 14 miles away. You need an onward bus or taxi journey to Dartmouth. |
| Lichfield Literature Festival | Lichfield City or Lichfield Trent Valley | Lichfield’s two stations serve different purposes for a festival visit. Lichfield Trent Valley has direct connections towards London Euston and the north. The festival’s travel information also describes a connection between Trent Valley and Lichfield City. |
| StAnza | Leuchars | St Andrews has no railway station. The festival’s travel information directs rail passengers through Leuchars, with an onward bus connection to the town. |
Getting home after an evening event
| Festival | Return journey advice from the guide |
|---|---|
| Cheltenham Literature Festival | Check the rail operator’s journey planner for your actual dates, including the homeward leg. Engineering work, replacement transport and the last suitable connection matter more than a typical headline journey time. If you need assistance, arrange it with the railway through its current assistance process and check the station facilities relevant to your route. Leave a margin between your final event and the train you intend to catch. |
| Aye Write | Check the operator’s current journey planner for the date and any engineering information. Include the last part of the journey to the actual venue and the connection home. If you need assistance or a step-free route, check station facilities and arrange support through the railway’s current process. Do not judge the whole trip by the arrival time at a mainline station. |
| Bath Literature Festival | Work backwards from the final event when choosing your train home. Include leaving the room, collecting luggage if needed and reaching the platform. If your fare restricts you to one service, give that connection enough room to remain comfortable. A trip that ends with a sprint to the station may not be the right fit for an evening event. |
| Bloody Scotland | Work backwards from your last event when choosing a return train. Leave time for the venue exit, collecting luggage and reaching the station. A cheaper fare that requires a very tight connection may not suit a relaxed festival day. Check engineering work and disruption shortly before travel and keep an alternative plan for the final part of the journey. |
| Chalke History Festival | Check the rail operator’s journey planner for your specific date and the return connection. If you need assistance, arrange it through the operator and ask about the station facilities relevant to your route. Allow time for the separate final journey after the train, and avoid choosing a last return service that relies on leaving a busy festival site instantly. |
| Durham Book Festival | Check your operator’s planner for the actual date, including the return connection and engineering work. If you require assistance, arrange it through the railway’s current process and look again at station access information shortly before travel. The station page can contain temporary notices; read their dates carefully. An old disruption notice should not determine a future trip. |
| Edinburgh International Book Festival | Use your rail operator’s journey planner for the dates you need, including engineering information and the return journey. If travelling with accessibility requirements, check station assistance and the route beyond the station independently. The easiest train connection is not automatically the easiest complete arrival if it leaves a difficult last stage with bags. |
| Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival | For drop-off requirements, use the organiser’s access instructions. Confirm the permitted point before arrival and avoid stopping at an entrance where it would block other visitors. Read street restrictions locally rather than assuming an empty bay is available for the whole day. If leaving after an evening event, check car park access as well as the tariff. |
| Hay Festival | The travel page describes festival bus links, but the detailed timetable currently displayed is labelled for 2026. Check the 2027 bus arrangements before relying on a connection. Recheck the next published timetable before buying a train that relies on a particular bus. Allow for the return connection and the last journey you can comfortably make after your event. |
| Henley Literary Festival | Save the route home and the last connection you are willing to take. If you need rail assistance, arrange it with the operator and confirm the facilities relevant to your journey. You can then choose between walking onward and arranging another connection without making the decision hurriedly on the platform. |
| Ilkley Literature Festival | Do the return journey first when deciding whether an evening event works. A session that fits your arrival train may still finish too late for the connection you need. Check engineering information before travel and arrange assistance through the operator where required. Leave more space if you have luggage, are unfamiliar with the town or need an entrance different from the main one. |
| Oxford Literary Festival | Check the last suitable return before buying a late event. Include leaving the venue, collecting luggage and reaching the platform. If an event changes venue, reconsider the connection rather than keeping the old assumption. Engineering work can affect your trip, so check current rail information again shortly before setting off. |
| Stratford Literary Festival | There is also a separate Stratford-upon-Avon Parkway station. Make sure the station on your booking matches the onward plan you have made. Do not select a destination solely because its name looks familiar. Check whether the connection, arrival point and last return suit the events you are considering before buying the festival ticket. |
| Wigtown Book Festival | Ask before committing to an inflexible rail ticket, giving the day, arrival time, number travelling and any access requirements. If the proposed connection does not work, compare another train or another onward arrangement. Check the return as carefully as the arrival, especially if you want to attend a final evening session. |
| Hay Festival Winter Weekend | The festival identifies Hereford as the nearest railway station. Plan from there to the venue, not just to a rail destination named on a search result. The winter travel page links bus and other onward information; use the current operator or journey planner for your exact day and return. Its rail-operator names include older branding, so follow current railway information when buying your actual ticket. No journey time or onward seat is promised here. |
| Bath Children's Literature Festival | Choose the return before adding a final event. Allow time to leave the room, collect bags if necessary and reach the platform. Check the operator’s journey planner for your date and review engineering work close to departure. If the plan depends on railway assistance, use the operator’s own booking process. Festival access booking and railway support are separate arrangements, so neither should be left as an assumption about the other. |
| Cambridge Literary Festival | The onward leg should suit your first event, your luggage and your own pace. If walking is not the right choice for you, check the bus stop or taxi arrangements before setting out. Give the return equal attention: include leaving the event, collecting bags if necessary and reaching the platform. A cheaper fare tied to one train may not fit a late conversation comfortably. Resolve that question before buying the event ticket rather than trying to shorten the evening once you are there. |
| Bradford Literature Festival | Include the onward journey to the event entrance. The station name alone is not a complete festival plan, particularly if your ticket is for a district venue. Work backwards from the return train when deciding whether a late session fits. Allow for leaving the room, collecting luggage and reaching the platform. If a fare restricts you to one service, choose a margin that suits your own pace and needs. A cheaper ticket can be poor value for your trip if it leaves you worrying about the final connection. |
| Manchester Literature Festival | Work backwards from the last session when choosing the return. Allow for leaving the venue, any activity listed after the conversation, collecting a bag and reaching the correct platform or stop. If your fare is tied to a particular service, give that transfer enough space for your own pace. A later session may turn a comfortable day trip into an overnight stay. Make that decision before buying the event, not while trying to leave the room early. |
| Off the Shelf Festival of Words | Start with the return when deciding whether an evening session fits. Allow for leaving the room, any signing you plan to attend, collecting luggage and reaching the platform or stop. A fare tied to one train may be less comfortable if the transfer is tight. Check engineering work before departure and again close to travel. If the last suitable connection does not fit the event, compare a different day, a shorter programme or an overnight stay before buying. |
| Charleston Festival | For the next visit, inspect the current festival travel page and operator timetable before buying an inflexible rail ticket. Include the return after the final event, waiting time and any luggage collection. If you need a particular vehicle feature or assistance, ask the operator directly and retain the answer. A rail-assistance booking does not automatically cover the onward shuttle, taxi or event entrance. Keep the whole chain in the same plan rather than treating arrival at Lewes as the end of the journey. |
| Wimbledon BookFest | The official visitor page describes local buses and parking options for its venues. Use the live operator or council information when comparing them for your day. Check the exact stop, direction of travel and return after the final event. If driving, compare the car park’s opening, maximum stay and payment rules with the full length of the visit. A space described near a venue is not a reservation. |
| Boswell Book Festival | The return deserves just as much attention. Start with the finish time of your last booked session, add an allowance for leaving the venue and meeting transport, and then check the train. Do not plan on a connection that depends on getting out immediately and finding a taxi without a booking. |
| Capital Crime | For the return, work backwards from the train you intend to catch. Add the event’s finish, leaving the room, collecting a bag and reaching the correct station or platform. If that produces a hurried connection, choose an earlier final event, another train or an extra night instead of depending on every part of the evening running perfectly. |
| Chiswick Book Festival | For the return, work from the finish of your last session. Include the walk to the station and onward rail connection if travelling beyond London. |
| Dartmouth Book Festival | For a return after an event, confirm the transfer to Totnes as carefully as the outward journey. Work from the finish time and leave enough room to reach the station without rushing. |
| Lichfield Literature Festival | For the return, start with the end of your final session and allow time to leave the venue, reach the right station and make any connection. Choose a plan with a margin instead of one that depends on everything happening immediately. |
| StAnza | Check the return just as carefully. Start with the end of your final event and work forward through the journey to the bus stop, the connection to Leuchars and the train. Do not assume that the last practical departure is the last train shown in a rail search. |
Work backwards from the final train or connection you would be comfortable taking. Allow for leaving the venue, any signing you plan to attend, collecting luggage and reaching the station. If a ticket restricts you to one train, make the margin generous enough for your own needs. A talk that fits the outward train may still finish too late for the trip home. Compare a shorter programme or an overnight stay before buying a ticket that depends on a hurried transfer.
Check the return for the actual day of the week. A bus shown during the day or a previous festival edition does not confirm an evening service for your date. For Hay, inspect the next published travel and bus information. For Wigtown, contact the box office about its rail-transfer advice before treating a shared ride as part of your booked journey. Save any confirmed details and a contact route with the rail ticket.
Choosing a visit without a car
A town or city station can be a useful starting point, but the precise event entrance still matters. Compare Bath Spa, Stirling, Harrogate, Ilkley and the other town arrivals in the table with the buildings on your tickets. Glasgow needs a venue-led decision rather than one station for every Aye Write event. Oxford and Stratford also need attention to the exact station name when you use a journey planner.
For a rural festival, settle the onward service before paying for inflexible travel. Chalke’s Salisbury arrival and Hay’s Hereford connection are not the final destinations. If staying outside the festival town, include the daily return as well as the first arrival. Use the stay guides to compare bases once the travel pattern is clear.
Railcards, booking ahead and assistance
Use National Rail for current Railcard information and operator links. Compare fares using the operator’s current conditions. Check any Railcard eligibility, time restrictions and the requirement to carry it before choosing a discounted fare. A lower price may come with restrictions on which service you can use or how changes work. Keep those conditions beside the event timetable so you can see whether the two bookings fit.
Arrange railway assistance through the operator’s current process if needed, and check the facilities at every station you will use. Festival access booking is separate from railway support. Include the route between platform and venue, any luggage and the journey back to your room. The access comparison links the festival information, while station and operator pages cover their own services. Check engineering work and service notices again close to departure.