Travel, Accommodation, Meals

Location

The 2025 EASP Summer School will take place at the University of Kent’s campus in Canterbury, Kent.

Accommodation

You will be staying in Keynes College, the home of the School of Psychology. Located on the leafy park-based University of Kent campus overlooking the spires of Canterbury Cathedral. All rooms are en-suite with a private shower, and are comfortably furnished with a single or double bed, wardrobe, desk and chair. All bed linen and towels are provided, along with tea and coffee making facilities. A continental breakfast is included in the price in the Dolce Vita restaurant in the college, and is served from 7.45am. Rooms are booked for you to check in on Sunday 20th to check out before 11am on Thursday 31st July. Reception is open until 1pm on Saturday 19th, and has extended hours to 8pm on Sunday 20th (the day that most people arrive). If you arrive after this, please call Campus Security on +44 (0) 1227 823300to check you in. 

Food and Drink

Lunch is provided each day and will be served buffet-style in Woolf College, where most of the teaching will happen. All the food at lunch will be vegetarian and vegan, and on the Saturday and Sunday we will provide a packed lunch. Alongside this, we will have coffee breaks with biscuits and sweet treats in the mornings and afternoons of each weekday.

Dinner is provided each day except the weekends, where you have the freedom to choose your own meals either in Canterbury (Saturday) and/or Margate (Sunday). Most dinners will be a self-service 2-course meal in Dolce Vita in Keynes College, with one meat option, one vegetarian option, and one vegan option. Dinner will be served at 7pm sharp. On the first night, we will have Pizza in K-Bar accompanied by live music, and on either Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday of the first week students will go to The Parrot to enjoy a 3-course local British meal in the oldest pub in Canterbury. On the final night, we will enjoy a meal at Las Iguanas in Canterbury.

Travel

There are frequent, high speed train services to Canterbury from St Pancras International (where the Eurostar also arrives). There are also direct services from London Victoria, London Charing Cross, and Ebbsfleet International. The University is just a short bus or taxi ride direct from Canterbury East and Canterbury West railway stations.

If you are flying into London Heathrow, you can take the Piccadilly Line from Heathrow to St Pancras, and then the train to Canterbury West from there (Jim’s preference). Alternatively, take the Heathrow Express to Paddington, change to the underground to St Pancras International then the train to Canterbury.

If you are flying from London Gatwick, you can take the train from Gatwick to London St Pancras and then get the high-speed rail to Canterbury West (Jim’s preference). Alternatively, take the train to London Bridge then rail to Canterbury, or the Gatwick Express to London Victoria and then the slower train to Canterbury East station.

If you are driving from France, you can take Le Shuttle from Calais to the Folkestone Eurotunnel Terminal. From the terminal, follow signs to Folkestone, Dover, Canterbury and Ramsgate (M20/A20). Stay on the A20 until instructed to join the A260 signposted Canterbury.

If you are taking the ferry from Calais or Dunkirk, you can use the National Rail Service from Dover Priory to Canterbury East Rail Station.

Canterbury is a small and very walkable city, but also has an extensive bus network allowing for easy travel around the city. The Canterbury bus station is located within the city walls, opposite Whitefriars shopping centre. Stagecoach, the local bus company, provides regular, reliable, and affordable bus travel in Canterbury and other areas in Kent. No prior booking is required.

 Entry to the UK

Your passport or identity card will be checked upon arrival at a UK port or airport to verify your eligibility to enter the country. It must remain valid for the entire duration of your stay. You might need a visa to enter the UK, depending on your nationality. Here, you can find out whether you need to apply for a visa or not. If so, please visit the UK government website to check visa and immigrant rules and find visa application centres where you can apply for a visa in your country.  

If you need an invitation letter for your visa application, please email us at easp2025@kent.ac.uk. We recognise that it can be challenging for people to obtain visas on short notice, and so we have brought forward the timeline for applications to give students 6 months between notification of acceptance and the start of the Summer School. If so, we recommend that you apply for a visa as early as possible to avoid any problems. Please note that an invitation letter for your visa application will be provided once we receive full payment of your registration fee for the summer school.  

We are aware that the visa application process might be stressful for some of you. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.

Further Information

Currency. The pound sterling, or GBP, is the official currency of the United Kingdom. Please note that you can also use your debit card / contactless payment / Apple Pay in the vast majority of places.

Climate. The weather in the UK during summer is typically reasonably warm and sunny. However, occasional periods of rain may occur from time to time.

Timezone. Clocks are on Greenwich Mean Time  plus 1 hour during British Summer Time (BST). 

Power socket. A three-pin electrical plug is used in the UK, which is different from many other countries. Be sure to bring your own converter plug adaptor with you. You can buy one at the airport before departure or in shops in Canterbury upon arrival.