Trains
A realistic Guide to life at UCLan - written by students!
Preston is a pretty handy city when it comes to train links. Preston Railway Station has railway connections going to and from the North (Lake district, Scotland) and the South (London). There are also regular trains to Manchester (including a direct train to Manchester Airport train) and Liverpool should you fancy a shopping splurge or a night out in a different city.
Blackpool is not too far away and there are direct trains from Preston to Blackpool should you fancy The Pleasure Beach or a spot of sunbathing although remember you are ‘up-North’ so you may need to take a jacket!
The main entrance to the rail station ramps down off the railway bridge near the bottom of Fishergate, which is the opposite end of the bus station. For some, Preston is quite a small city, but trains to Manchester and Liverpool for more shops, nightlife and hustle and bustle are fairly regular. The services to Manchester are pretty much all direct and take about 45 mins. There are fewer direct services to Liverpool and it takes about an hour, but as it was the capital of culture in 2008 it has had a decent amount of investment over the last few years including a couple of new shopping centres.
However if you want to get away from it all you can simple jump the train to the seaside town of Lytham St Annes. It’s a lot more sedate than Blackpool but offers the three key ingredients - sun (if you are luck) sand and sea.
If you book ahead trains tend to be cheaper and if you have a railcard then use it as you could save 1/3 off your train fares. A Young Persons Rail Card [http://www.16-25railcard.co.uk/online] is for individuals aged 16-25 or for people over 25yrs old if the are in full time education. Some banks offer young persons rail cards when you open an account. Tickets can also be bought and collected in the main entrance of the train station.
Unfortunately, there are no bus services which go from the train station to campus. The best way to get to the campus from the railway station is by walking, cycling or catching a taxi. It is fairly easy walk to UCLan from the train station and it takes about five or ten minutes, UClan have a handy little map so you can familiarise yourself with the route from the train and bus station.