2023 IRIS Collaboration Meeting

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Royal Observatory Edinburgh

Royal Observatory Edinburgh

Blackford Hill Edinburgh EH9 3HJ
Andrew Sansum (STFC, Scientific Computing Department), Bob Mann, David Crooks (Science and Technology Facilities Council), George Beckett, John Kewley (STFC Daresbury Laboratory, Scientific Computing), Jonathan Hays (Queen Mary), Mark Holliman
Description
The IRIS Collaboration Meeting will be taking place at the Royal Observatory Edinburgh (ROE), which is located on Blackford Hill, a couple of miles south of the centre of the city. Accommodation is available within walking distance of the ROE as well as within the city centre, but note that those arriving for the meeting by any means other than taxi or car will conclude their journey with a bracing walk up Blackford Hill.

The January IRIS Security Workshop will take place on the day before the  Collaboration Meeting. This full-day workshop (provisionally starting around 10am) will focus on security fundamentals including security architecture, risk management and vulnerability management. It will include both lectures and in-person exercises so participation in person is recommended to get the most from the event. Please consider this workshop when making your travel plans.

ACCESS to ROE: On arriving at ROE please use the buzzer to the left of the main gate to gain access and then sign in at the Lodge, collect your name badge and follow directions to the Higgs Building.

TRANSPORT
Edinburgh is well served by the Lothian Buses network, which covers all areas of the city likely to be of interest to workshop attendees, including the airport. Tickets can be paid for in a variety of ways, with contactless payment being the simplest; change is not given for cash payments.

City Cabs (0131-228-1211) and Central Taxis (0131-229-2468) are the two main black cab firms in Edinburgh, although there are a number of private hire companies, such as Capital Cars (0131-777-7777); for metered journeys around the city they all use the same fare tariff.

Arrival by Air
Edinburgh Airport is located a few miles to the west of the city. Travel into the city centre is possible by bus, tram and taxi, while travel straight from the airport to ROE is really only feasible by taxi (at a cost of ~£30). Licensing complications means that there are separate queues for black cabs (provided by City Cabs) and private hire vehicles.

Arrival by Train
Edinburgh Waverley, located right in the city centre, is Edinburgh’s main train station, although some services also stop at Haymarket to the west of the city centre. The taxi rank at Waverley is now just outside the station, on Market Street, with most buses running from Princes Street (although airport buses stop on Waverley Bridge). Lothian Buses 3, 29, 31 and 37 run from Princes Street to Cameron Toll, which is 1.1 mile from ROE (but note that work on North Bridge means that northbound return journeys follow a slightly different route).  Lothian Bus 41 runs from The Mound (just up Market Street from Waverley), to King’s Buildings, which is about 0.5 mile from ROE.

Arrival by Car
The postcode “EH9 3HJ” should be used for GPS navigation to ROE and there is usually ample parking just outside the Observatory

ACCOMODATION
Accomodation near ROE
There are a large number of B&Bs and hotels on Mayfield Road and Mayfield Gardens/Craigmillar Park, which are two of the main roads southbound from the city centre. The following are all within 1-1.5 mile of ROE:
N.B. Lothian Bus route 12 runs down Mayfield Road to King’s Buildings and routes 3, 7, 8, 29, 31, 37, 47 and 49 down Mayfield Gardens/Craigmillar Park to Cameron Toll

Accomodation in the city centre
University visitor accommodation can be booked through www.uoecollection.com and use of the promotion code ENJOY will yield a 15% discount on the basic rates. The Scott and Scholar Hotels are on the Pollock Halls campus, while the KM Hotel and Apartments is close by. All three are about 2 miles from ROE, but close to the bus routes that run down to Cameron Toll.
Other hotels close to those bus routes include:
MapToWorkshopDinner
Workshop Dinner Menu