This year, AND Festival takes place in Barnsley, a market town in South Yorkshire with rich industrial heritage. It was once a coal mining powerhouse and home to glass making and the textile industries. Barnsley borders the Pennines and provides easy access to the central part of the Trans Pennine Trail and some of the most beautiful countryside in the north of England.
Visit Barnsley website has lots of visitor information about Getting to Barnsley, Getting Around and further highlights of What’s on and Things to Do in Barnsley and in the surrounding areas if you’d like to get the most out of your visit to the area.
Travel
Arriving by Train
Barnsley train station is part of the Barnsley Interchange and is the transport hub linking the town’s rail services with the bus network. Barnsley Interchange’s central location makes it an ideal starting point for exploring the town and for making connections to surrounding towns and cities.
We recommend using the National Rail Enquiries or Trainline journey planner to check live departures, platform numbers and connecting services across the country.
From Sheffield: 25-30 minutes
From Leeds: 35-45 minutes
From Manchester: via Sheffield or Huddersfield, 90 minutes
From Birmingham: 2 hours, 1 change
From Liverpool: 2.5 hours, 1 change
From London: Regular services from London King Cross St Pancras via Sheffield taking approx. 3 hours.
Arriving by Road
| From | Miles from Barnsley | Drive Time |
| Sheffield | 15 miles | 23 min |
| Leeds | 23 miles | 28 min |
| Manchester | 36 miles | 54 min |
| Liverpool | 69 miles | 1 hour 30 min |
| Birmingham | 93 miles | 1 hour 44 min |
| London | 174 miles | 3 hour 6 min |
| Edinburgh | 214 miles | 4 hours 10 min |
Getting around Barnsley
The majority of AND Festival 2026 venues are within close proximity of Barnsley Interchange. There is less than 1km between Barnsley Civic, The Glassworks Barnsley Market and Parkway Cinema.
To get to Elsecar Heritage Centre, the most direct route is by bus. You can catch the Stagecoach bus 66 from Barnsley Interchange and takes approximately 40 minutes stopping right outside Elsecar Heritage Centre.
The Stagecoach service runs every 20 minutes (Monday-Saturday) and every 30 minutes (Sunday), from Barnsley Interchange and at the same frequency when returning from Elsecar Heritage Centre to the Interchange. The last bus from Elsecar Heritage Centre is just after midnight.
All the buses in Barnsley are wheelchair accessible.
Alternatively, you can travel by rail to Elsecar Heritage Centre. The Northern Trains service to Sheffield from Barnsley Station stops at Elsecar Station. The train journey takes 10 minutes with a 10 minute walk from Elsecar Station to Elsecar Heritage Centre.
For live departure times and the most accurate up to date scheduling, check the Travel South Yorkshire website.
Distance to Venues from Barnsley Interchange (postcode S70 1SE)
| Venue | Distance |
| Barnsley Civic | 100 metres |
| Elsecar Heritage Centre | 23 miles |
| Parkway Cinema | Less than 100 metres |
| Barnsley Market, The Glass Works | 200 metres |
| Clusterduck locations | TBA |
By Bike
Another way to explore Barnsley and get to Elsecar Heritage Centre is by bike as the Trans Pennine Trail (TPT) crosses the borough providing mainly traffic-free paths for cyclists and walkers. The trail runs from coast to coast between Southport and Hornsea.
To connect with the Trans Pennine Trail (TPT) route from Barnsley, head east through the town centre and onto Pontefract Road into Dearne Valley Park. Follow the TPT signs through the park to Stairfoot and follow the Dove Valley Trail south past Wombwell. Follow the branch line tracking the old Elsecar Canal and this will lead you to Wath Road which is a short distance from Elsecar Heritage Centre.
The distance is 7.5 miles (12 km) and will take 45-60 minutes to cycle. The terrain is mostly flat, firm, unsealed paths along disused railway and canal paths. For detailed information visit the Trans Pennine Trail website.
Cycle parking
There are cycle parking spaces at Barnsley Interchange and there are cycle racks at Elsecar Heritage Centre.
There is not a cycle hire scheme in Barnsley. If you bring your own bike, Barnsley Bike Works located at Unit 5 in Barnsley Interchange does offer free bike checks and can do minor repairs if needed. Opening hours are Tuesday – Friday 0900-1700.
Parking
Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council website has useful information about car parks and on-street parking and can view locations of the car parks in the borough.
Closest car parks for town centre venues are:
Alhambra shopping centre, Lambra Road, S70 1SB
Barnsley rail station, Schwäbisch Gmünd Wy, S71 1AY
Market Gate, Kendray Street, S71 1AY
The Glass Works, Lambra Road, S70 1SF
All of these car parks have Blue Badge bays.
On weekdays, all car parks are £1 per hour, up to max for 24 hours. Weekends and bank holidays, most carparks are free for up to 3 hours, then £1 per hour up to max £5 for 24 hours. Alhambra and The Glass Works multistorey charge £1 up to 3 hours and then apply the same charges. Head to Visit Barnsley for the most up to date information on parking and Blue Badge parking.
Accommodation
Barnsley has hotels, B&B and self catering options if you need a place to stay whilst visiting the festival.
The two main hotels located in the town centre are Premier Inn Barnsley Central, S70 2SB and Travelodge-Barnsley, S70 3PE.
Both hotels have accessible rooms and if you need more information, Elsecar Heritage Centre provides a helpful listing of accessible accommodation in the area.
To find a place to stay check out Visit Barnsley accommodation listing or recommend using booking.com as you can specify dates, preferences and see up to date availability.
As an alternative, Sheffield is only 30 minutes by train and has more hotels centrally located.