World Conker Championships 2025: Location, nearest station & cheap train tickets

The closest and most well-connected station for the World Conker Championship is Peterborough, which is around 13 to 14 miles away from the village of Southwick. From Peterborough, you can get there by:

• Bus: Stagecoach X4 from Peterborough Queensgate Bus Station to Oundle (Old Town Hall). Journey time approx. 40 minutes, £2–3. Departures every 2 hours on Sundays from 08:05. From Oundle, catch a local taxi.
• Taxi: Around 19 minutes to Southwick, costing £30–40.

It's not a good idea to walk from Peterborough or Oundle - the winding and narrow country lanes aren't suitable for pedestrians.

The address is: Shuckburgh Arms, Main St, Southwick, Peterborough PE8 5BL, United Kingdom.

The World Conker Championship runs from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm, so to arrive when the gates open, you'll want to get into Peterborough Station between 8:30 am and 9:00 am. This gives you plenty of time to continue your journey to Southwick by taxi.

Remember, trains start later on Sunday mornings, so - depending on where you're coming from in the UK - you may need to arrive on Saturday and stay overnight to make it for the very start of the event. The first train from London doesn't arrive until 09:31.

Peterborough is one of the busiest stations in the region and has all the facilities you'll need. You'll find toilets, food outlets and ticket machines, as well as staffed ticket counters that open early in the morning. There is step-free access throughout the station, too.

This is a surprisingly popular event, so it's a good idea to book taxis in advance.

Here's how a London trip would work in practice:

• London King's Cross → Peterborough: LNER direct services take between 45 minutes and 1 hour 20 minutes, depending on the route. Trains run regularly throughout the day, with the first departure on Sundays at 08:13, arriving at 09:31. Advance fares start from around £19.
• Peterborough → Oundle: The X4 bus departs from Queensgate Bus Station (5 minutes from Peterborough train station) and takes 40 minutes to Oundle. On Sundays, there are departures every 2 hours from 08:05. If you arrive on the first train from King's Cross, the next bus is at 10:05. Fares cost £2 to £3.
• Oundle → Southwick: When the X4 bus drops you off at Oundle Town Hall, you'll need to catch a local taxi to Southwick, which is about 3 miles away. This costs around £10 to £15. It's not a good idea to walk in country lanes - with the National Speed Limit - can be dangerous.

You can also take a taxi from Peterborough directly to Southwick. It takes around 20 minutes and usually costs £30 to £40.

London to Peterborough

The first train on Sunday, 12th October, is with Thameslink and leaves London King's Cross at 08.13, arriving at 09.31. LNER also operates this route, with a quicker journey time of around 50 minutes. Between the 2 operators, there are 3 trains per hour. Fares start from £19.

Birmingham to Peterborough

CrossCountry operates this route out of Birmingham New Street, with fares starting from £13. The journey is around 1 hour 50 minutes and the first train on Sundays leaves at 11.22. This gets in to Peterborough at 13.07, so you'll be at the World Conker Championships by 2pm.

Manchester to Peterborough

On Sundays, there are no direct services, but there's an easy change in either Leeds or Doncaster. It's a TransPennine Express train first and then LNER. Fares start from £25. The first departure is at 08:25 from Manchester Victoria and you'll get to Peterborough by 11:07.

Bristol to Peterborough

You'll depart Bristol Parkway at 08:30 and arrive at Peterborough at 11:07 - there's a change in London, though. Take the Great Western Railway to London Paddington, then self-transfer by bus or the Tube to London King's Cross for the LNER train to Peterborough. Fares start from £60.

Glasgow to Peterborough

To arrive in time for the event, you'll need to leave on Saturday and stay the night in Peterborough. Take the 15:08 TransPennine Express train from Glasgow Central and change at Manchester Piccadilly for the East Midlands Railway train to Peterborough, arriving at 21:49. Fares start at £50.

One of the easiest ways to find cheap train fares to the World Conker Championship is with Trip.com's Journey Planner. Just pop in your travel dates and you'll see all departure times and prices in one place.

Book early if you can - advance tickets are usually released around 12 weeks before travel and are almost always cheaper than buying on the day. If you're travelling as a group (3 to 9 people), check for GroupSave discounts, too. Railcards are another good way to save. A 16-25, Senior, or Two Together Railcard will knock up to a third off most fares.

You've also got Split Ticket options. Sometimes it's cheaper to buy separate tickets for different legs of the same journey, such as London to Stevenage and then Stevenage to Peterborough, even though you stay on the same train. Trip.com automatically flags these savings for you, potentially saving you hours of guesswork (and quite a few pounds).