Copmanthorpe Carnival 2008

Getting to the Carnival

Copmanthorpe is a detached suburb of York. It is on two bus routes and York's southern (A64) and northern (A1237) by-passes converge in a junction which serves Copmanthorpe. The main York to London railway line passes through Copmanthorpe, however the station has been closed for over 40 years, so not much help their. The Recreation Centre's Car Park will be taken over for the use of games and activities on Carnival Day which will mean that there will only be street parking available. If you intend to drive to the Carnival be prepared to have to walk up to a quarter of a mile. The recreation centre car park will be available for events during Carnival Week. It is frankly shameful that the Recreation Centre does not have a bicycle rack. If you cycling to the carnival then you may want to bring a lock which is big enough to go round a tree!

Bus from York

The bus service that runs closest to the Recreation Centre is First York's No. 13. A return fare form York is £3.00 (a single is £1.80) however, if you are traveling from outside the city centre and need to change buses then a FirstDay ticket is £3.70

The 13 can be caught at Stonebow, Rugier Street and the Railway Station. Alight the bus at the village green, the stop immediately after the Royal Oak pub. Pay attention to where the bus goes and follow it down Main Street and left onto St Giles Way. Take the second left, Barons Crescent and then walk along it for 200 meters until you reach the Recreation Centre.

A cheaper (£2.50 rtn) and twice as frequent service from York to Copmanthorpe is run by Yorkshire Coastliner. They pick up from the same stops in York and drop off in Copmanthorpe at the stops described below.

Bus from Leeds

Yorkshire Coastliner operate a bus service from Leeds to Copmanthorpe that takes 45 minutes, it runs via Tadcaster which is about 15 minutes away. The Leeds return fare is £5.00. Coastliner have recently improved their service between Leeds and York and there are now 4 buses an hour during the day.

Catch the Coastliner at Leeds City Bus Station or on New Brigate. Alight at Hallcroft Lane, the first stop in Copmanthorpe when there are houses on both side of the road. Walk about 20 meters in the direction the bus departs in and then turn right down Horseman Lane. Follow this road down through the village centre and pass the Royal Oak pub. Turn left down St Giles Way. Take the second left, Barons Crescent and then walk along it for 200 meters until you reach the Recreation Centre.

You can also catch the Coastliner from York and alight on Hallcroft Lane.

By Train

York is very well served by trains from all over the country. If you are coming to the carnival by train then you will need to hire a taxi from the station or cross over the road to catch a Number 13 bus.

Cycling

Copmanthorpe is very easy to reach on a Bike with Route 66 of the National Cycle Network running along the edge of Copmanthorpe.

From York city center follow either of the river-side paths south. At the millennium bridge make sure you are on the Roundtrees Park side of the river and continue on the path across the Race Course. When you reach the T-junction next to the bridge under the A64, turn right at the large model of the Sun! After 100 meters you will pass under a low road bridge and then spiral up to the road. Turn right on to the cycle path. After crossing over the railway bridge, turn left at the "toucan crossing". You will pass under the A64 and then you will have to join the road at the "village gateway" (that's the Copmanthorpe sign to you and me). Take the second left (Horseman Lane) and drop down into and through the village centre. Once you have passed the Royal Oak pub turn left on to St Giles Way. Take the second left, Barons Crescent and after 200 meters until you reach the Recreation Centre.

By Car

We cannot emphases this enough, if you can get to the carnival without using a car then please do. But if you must...

To get to Copmanthorpe from central York use Blossom Street and Tadcaster Road. Once you have passed York College and the Total filling station take the right turn at the traffic lights and then follow this road all the way in to Copmanthorpe. Either take the first left (Merchant Way) and park somewhere near the school or the second left and park in the Village Centre or on Low Green.

If you are driving to Copmanthorpe on the A64 or A1237 then use the junction of these two roads to access the village, Copmanthorpe is clearly signed from all directions. The road from this junction is Manor Heath. To park on Merchant Way (Sat Nav YO23 3TS) or Farmers Way (Sat Nav YO23 3XU) take a left turn at the crossroads and then the second right. For the village centre and Low Green (Sat Nav YO23 3SD) follow the road until the T-junction and park at the shops or turn right and immediately left and left again at the co-op to reach Low Green.

Parking

As stated above there is very little parking available on Carnival day so do expect to have to walk reasonable distance. All street parking near the entrance to the recreation centre will be nabbed by residents and stall holders by 11am so don't bother even trying to park on Barons Crescent or the streets off it.

There is a Public Footpath which provides access to the Recreation Centre. The path links Low Green and Wheelwright Close. It will probably be easier to park at the bottom of Merchant Way or on Farmers Way and then use the footpath.