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Waterside

Waterside is our purpose-built campus, designed to provide you with the learning experience and opportunities you expect from a modern university.

Travelling by car

The closest car parks to our campus are St John’s Car Park (NN1 1HA) or Midsummer Meadows Car Park (NN1 5NX). Both of these are in walking distance (5 – 10 minutes walk) to the campus. These are pay and display car parks and prices can be checked via the Council website.

Spaces are available at Waterside Campus for blue badge holders. If you require an accessible car parking space please contact your University host to book a space for you.

If you are attending an Open Day, make sure you download the Open Day guide for onsite parking information.

If you are visiting staff on university business, please see our visitor parking information.

University of Northampton Park and Ride

A Park and Ride system runs from the west side of Northampton – the car park is a short distance from M1 junctions 15a and 16. Parking at the Park and Ride site is free and a return journey is a reduced rate of £1.20 for university visitors (please visit the security cabin and ask to sign out one of our visitor bus passes, please sign this back in when you return). The Uno buses accept cash and contactless payments on board.

The address for the Park and Ride is:

Claret Car Park and Saints Car Park, Edgar Mobbs Way, Sixfields, Northampton, NN5 5JR.

The buses run every 15 – 20 minutes Monday – Friday from 6.30am – 10.00pm.  The car park is open from 6.00am – 10.30pm.

It’s approximately a 2.3 mile journey to the University, taking 15 minutes on average.

For the full timetable visit the Uno Bus pages.

Travelling by train

Northampton Railway Station is one hour by train from both London Euston and Birmingham New Street.  The number 18 bus connects the train station to campus Monday – Friday (at the weekends, visitors should walk to the Drapery and catch the 19 or 19A service to Waterside).

Travelling by bus or coach

National Express and other coach services operate from Victoria Street (please check with your operator to confirm) which is located directly beside the Upper Mounts car park in the town centre. Local buses operate from Northgate Bus Station, just off the Market Square in the town centre.

The Uno 19 and 19A depart from the Drapery to Waterside every 12 minutes.

Travelling on foot

You can walk to campus via our footbridge which connects with Becket’s Park. Its a 5 – 10 minutes walk from the town centre.

Travelling by bike

Cycle storage is available on site and we’ve got cycle hire scheme hubs across all our sites, or close to, where you can rent a bike by the hour for your journey. Members of Cycle CoNNect get the first 30 minutes free meaning you could easily cycle between the Rail Station and Waterside, for example, at no charge. Annual membership is just £3. In fact you can travel between virtually all of our sites in less than 30 minutes.

Travelling by taxi

Please ask your taxi driver to drop you off at Waterside Campus, taxi drop off laybys are available at both the east and west side of campus.

You may be asked which entrance – you can specify the closest one for the cheapest fare or use the following:

• Senate, Logistics Hub, Sports – east entrance
• Learning Hub, Creative Hub, Engine Shed – west entrance

Innovation Centre

The Innovation Centre is home to some of our performance courses. Located in the centre of town, this conservatoire teaching environment has six purpose-built specialist studios for teaching, rehearsals and acting workshops.

The Innovation Centre is also home to the University’s Competence Test Centre, which provides Part Two of the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s Test of Competence for overseas nurses and midwives who are seeking registration with the NMC to be able to practice in the UK. The Competence Test Centre has six designated bays where a range of scenarios and skills are tested.

As well as some of our performance courses and Competence Test Centre, the Innovation Centre houses several small business start-ups and has rentable office space and exhibition space.

The Innovation Centre is directly opposite the Northampton Train Station within the Waterside Enterprise Zone.

There is free parking for all users at the Park and Ride on Edgar Mobbs Way (approx. 1 mile away) Monday – Friday. The Uno 18 bus picks up from the Park and Ride and stops at the Rail Station opposite.

St Georges Avenue

St George’s Avenue is linked via our Uno Bus network – the 19/19A, 20 and 21.

Limited parking is available through the Borough Council at the Racecourse Pavilion – this is a 10-minute walk across the Racecourse to St George’s Avenue.

Additionally, the Borough Council Mayorhold car park in the town centre is opposite the bus station – the University’s Uno 19/19A operates from here and goes to Barrack Road/St George’s Avenue.

Alternatively, the University has a Park and Ride on the edge of town at Sixfields (NN5 5JR) – 2 miles from campus. Parking here is free and visitors can collect a visitor pass from the Security Cabin to travel on the Uno 18 bus (and change to Uno 20 bus) for £1.20 return to St George’s Avenue. (Passes must be signed out and returned).

Public Transport: St George’s Avenue is walkable in 30 – 40 minutes from Northampton rail station and bus station (or take the Uno 20 from the rail station (Sol Central stop) or Uno 19 from the bus station).

Spaces are available at St George’s Avenue for blue badge holders outside

If you are visiting staff on university business, please see our visitor parking information.

Boughton Green Road Halls

Located just north of Northampton town centre, Boughton Green Halls  are easy to access by public and sustainable transport. There is a dedicated Uno Bus service which connects the site to St George’s Avenue/Barrack Road, the bus station and Waterside – the Uno 19/19A.

To access the Halls from the rail station, walk 5 – 10 minutes to the Drapery and take the Uno 19/19A service.