Dhamma Dīpa and Dhamma Padhāna office telephone number:
+44 (0)1989 730234
If you have any questions about travelling to the centre, please write to:
[email protected]
Aucun des ressortissants de l’Union européenne n’aura besoin de visa pour effectuer des voyages touristiques de courte durée (moins de six mois) au Royaume-Uni. Les personnes effectuant de courts voyages d’affaires (simples visites professionnelles, formations, conférences, séminaires, etc.) seront également exemptées de visa au Royaume-Uni. Les autres auront besoin d'un Visa Visiteurs Standard. Veuillez vérifier si vous aurez besoin d'un visa.
Informations visa : Informations importantes pour les méditants Vipassana entrant au Royaume-Uni
Pour avoir accès aux services d'urgence au Royaume-Uni, les personnes venant d'Europe auront besoin de l'un des éléments suivants : une carte européenne d'assurance maladie valide (CEAM), ou la nouvelle carte d'assurance maladie mondiale (GHIC), ou un certificat provisoire de remplacement (PRC).
Les visiteurs en provenance de Norvège pourront avoir accès aux soins médicaux nécessaires en utilisant un passeport norvégien valide.
A partir du 1 janvier 2021, il est possible que la plupart des visiteurs en provenance d'Islande, du Liechtenstein et de Suisse doive payer pour le service de santé au Royaume-Uni (NHS).
Jusqu’au 1er octobre 2021, il sera encore possible d’entrer sur le territoire britannique avec une carte d’identité ou un passeport en cours de validité. Après cette date, la carte d’identité ne sera plus suffisante pour traverser la Manche et vous devrez disposer d’un passeport.
Veuillez utiliser la liste sur cette page (en anglais) pour connaître les règles qui s'appliquent à votre situation.
Travel to Dhamma Dīpa and and Dhamma Padhāna might be affected due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Please refer to your course confirmation letter regarding travel arrangements and make sure you have the latest travel information.
If you are travelling to the UK from overseas please read this important information for Vipassana Meditators.
Please choose from the options below for advice on how best to reach us. If you cannot find the answers you need then please contact us on: [email protected]
All students are asked to arrive between 2 and 5 pm on the day the course begins. After registration is completed, a light meal and orientation will precede the start of the course.
The course will end at approximately 7:30 am on the last day of the course. All new students, as well as old (returning) students taking a full course, are required to remain until the very end of the course. Part-time old students will not be permitted to leave on metta day, the tenth full day, except in case of emergency or by prior arrangement with the assistant teacher(s).
There are several routes to the centres. All routes will eventually take you either to Ross-on-Wye (7 miles), Hereford (10 miles) or Gloucester (25 miles), the three nearest towns/cities.
The Vipassana Trust organises a direct coach service from Gloucester to Dhamma Dīpa/Dhamma Padhāna on the starting and finishing day of every course. Otherwise you can use a bus or taxi from either city (details below).
There is plenty of car-parking space at the centre.
There are no EV charging units at Dhamma Dipa and Dhamma Padhana. The closest EV charging points can be found in Ross-on-Wye (15-minute drive) and in Hereford (25-minute drive). Please ensure that your vehicle is sufficiently charged before arriving for your course.
The nearest postcode is HR28NG but it is better to use the address Dhamma Dipa Vipassana Meditation Centre, Pencoyd, St Owens Cross.
You can also use these coordinates: Latitude: 51.937 / Longitude: -2.718 (equivalent to North 51 degrees 56 minutes 2 seconds, West 2 degrees 43 minutes 0 seconds).
The Vipassana Trust organises a coach/taxi service on the starting and finishing day of every course between Gloucester and Dhamma Dipa/Dhamma Padhana. The coach/taxi leave from the car park in front of the Gloucester train station (Bruton Way, GL1 1DE). The train station is about 100 metres walk from the Gloucester Transport Hub (bus terminal).
The departure is at 3:45 PM. Note, that the driver will not wait for delayed trains/coaches. Plan your travel accordingly to arrive in good time.
For long courses only (20-, 30-, 45- and 60-day courses) an additional coach/taxi service is departing Gloucester train station at 5 PM on the day before the start of the course (Day -1).
At the end of the course, the return coach/taxi will leave at 9.00 AM from Dhamma Dipa/Dhamma Padhana and arrive at Gloucester train station around 10 AM. At the end of 3-day course, the coach leaves at 5 PM and arrives in Gloucester around 6 PM.
The return ticket is non-refundable and covers your round-trip journey. It costs £25+booking fees and must be purchased online before your travel date. Cash payments and one-way tickets are not available.
Important: you might be asked to prove the purchase of your ticket.
Ticket booking closes at 9am on the day of the journey. If you miss the deadline or haven't booked a ticket, you will have to use a local bus or taxi.
Refunds: There is no refund if you cannot travel or miss the coach for any reason.
If you wish to buy a ticket for the Gloucester coach/taxi service, Click here.
Please do not contact the centre directly about this coach/taxi service. If you have any questions about travel to the centre, please email [email protected]
Having arrived in:
From either direction on the 33 bus, ask to be let off at the Harewood End Inn bus stop.
For local bus timetables visit: www.stagecoachbus.com/plan-a-journey
Please note that Harewood End Inn stop is between Peterstow and Kingshorne bus stops.
The local bus stop is Harewood End Inn.
On the starting day of each course, the centre car will come and pick you up from the Harewood End Inn bus stop, provided you follow the steps below. Please do not attempt to walk from here.
In order to arrange this, please call the centre once you are on the bus (from Hereford or Gloucester) on 01989 730234 or use the freephone number 0800 9177377 and tell the centre managers what time your bus departed so that a car can be ready to collect you. If you are unable to call once you are on the bus from Gloucester or Hereford or you don’t have a mobile/cell phone, you can use a public phone booth, when you arrive at Harewood End Inn bus stop; it is located opposite the Harewood End Inn. Use the freephone number 0800 9177377 – no cash or card required. However, please be warned that it may not be possible for centre staff to arrange an immediate pick-up at short notice, meaning there may be a delay in picking you up.
Please do not disturb the owners of the Harewood End Inn or the neighbouring homes by asking to use their phone, and please wait for the centre car on the opposite side of the road from the inn.
Taxis should always be booked in advance to avoid an initial delay in the pick-up. The companies have a variety of different-sized vehicles, so if more than one person books a taxi at a similar time of day they will group them together so the cost can be shared. If you prefer not to share a taxi please notify them at the time of booking.
For more information or to pre-book a taxi contact:
Asif - GloucesterTaxis.com on +44(0)1452 500 880, +44(0)7724413472, https://gloucestertaxis.com, email: [email protected]
S&R Taxis on +44 (0)1989 566246 / 566100, Google Map, [email protected]
Please note, that the prices can be changed due to the rising prices of the fuels.
Airports at Birmingham (BHX), Bristol (BRS) and Cardiff (CWL) are close to the centre and coach/rail connections are available from them to Gloucester or Hereford.
London has five main airports:
Heathrow is closest and most convenient for Dhamma Dīpa/Dhamma Padhāna.
Flights to Stansted and Luton are usually less expensive, although the extra distance will add a few hours to your journey.
National Express Coaches run regularly between airports.
Airports at Liverpool (LPL) and Manchester (MAN) have low-cost airline flights from the continent. Rail connections are available to Hereford.
National Express Coaches offer services from these smaller airports to Gloucester. Go to the National Express Coaches website to find coach times.
Birmingham airport has its own railway station – Birmingham International station – from which you can catch a train to Gloucester or Hereford. You may need to change at Birmingham New Street.
From Bristol airport there is a coach to Bristol Temple Meads railway station from where there are regular trains to Gloucester.
Cardiff airport: a rail link connects Rhoose Cardiff airport station to Cardiff Central station. There are regular trains from Cardiff Central to Hereford and Gloucester. For further information about trains, see the National Rail Enquiries website.
The simplest and cheapest way to get to Dhamma Dīpa/Dhamma Padhāna from London Heathrow is by coach. Coaches run from other London airports to Heathrow, at least once an hour. See the National Express for coach times to Gloucester.
Please note: a return ticket only costs a little more than a single, and considerably less than a single each way.
Heathrow Central Bus station is located between Terminals 1, 2 and 3 and above the Underground railway station. To get there from Terminal 4 and Terminal 5 there are free rail services called Heathrow Express and TfL Rail (formerly Heathrow Connect).
Both airports have local stations with single-change rail services to Hereford. There is a good service back from Hereford to Liverpool airport on a Sunday morning.
For further information about trains, see National Rail Enquiries.
Eurostar trains from Paris, Lille and Brussels arrive in London at St Pancras International station.
From central London, trains travel from Paddington to Gloucester or Hereford (see National Rail Enquiries). The Circle line of the Underground (the Tube) connects St Pancras to Paddington.
Alternatively, from Victoria coach station you can catch a National Express coach to Gloucester or Ross-on-Wye, or one of the cheap services offered by Megabus between Victoria coach station and Gloucester.
To get from St Pancras to Victoria coach station, take the Underground (Victoria line) to Victoria railway station. Note that the coach station is about ten minutes’ walk south of the railway station along Buckingham Palace Road.
It is sometimes possible to get a lift by car with other students.
At the end of the course there is a coach service leaving the centre at 9 am and arriving at Gloucester railway station around 10 am.
The fare for the Gloucester coach service is £25 + booking fees per person. This covers travel to and from the centre. Single (one-way) tickets are not available.
If you wish to buy a ticket for the Gloucester coach service, Click here.
For the return journey to Gloucester, Ross-on-Wye, Hereford or Heathrow after your course, you can also share a local taxi with other people at a preferential rate at a different time. More information will be put up on the last day of the course, so you will be able to make arrangements then.
Public transport for courses ending Monday–Saturday is reasonably good. Local buses run from the Harewood End Inn bus stop to Hereford and Gloucester.
On Sundays public transport is poor, with local buses not starting until the end of the morning. For the times of coaches to Heathrow leaving from Gloucester, visit National Express.
Day 0 bus pick-ups from Harewood End:
+44 (0) 800 9177377 (free from phone box)
For general use:
+44 (0)1989 730234
If you have any questions about travelling to the centre, please email:
[email protected]
Info for Dhamma Dīpa or Dhamma Padhāna.
Coach booking - Gloucester to DD/DP
Click here
Coaches
National Express
Megabus
Trains
National Rail Enquiries + 44 (0)8457 48 49 50
Train Line +44 (0)871 244 1545
Local Buses (33)
www.stagecoachbus.com/plan-a-journey
+44 (0)1432 260211
Taxis
Asif - GloucesterTaxis.com :
+44(0)1452 500 880, +44(0)7724413472
gloucestertaxis.com, email: [email protected]
S&R Taxis :
+44 (0)1989 566246 / 566100
Google Map, [email protected]
Blue Line Taxis :
+44 (0)1432 343435
www.blueline-taxis.co.uk