The School of Mathematics reception is situated on the 5th floor in the James Clerk Maxwell Building (JCMB), which is located at the University of Edinburgh's King's Buildings campus.
The King's Buildings campus is approximately 4 km south of Edinburgh city centre, off Mayfield Road, and is easily accessible via local bus services.
This page gives public transport and taxi directions to King's Buildings from Edinburgh Waverley railway station and Edinburgh Airport. Directions for finding your own way by car, bike or on foot are also provided.
The taxi rank (black Hackney cabs only, seat 5 or 7 people maximum) is situated just outside the station on Waverley Bridge (leave the station via the ramp to Waverley Bridge). The journey time to King's Buildings is about 15 - 20 minutes and you should allow for a fare of up to around £10.
There are a number of Lothian Buses bus services travelling via two nearby routes. Journey times are around 20 - 25 minutes. The single fare is less than £2, and day tickets are also available. Note that buses require the exact cash fare for tickets (no change can be given), so please ensure that you have suitable small change in coins with you. Tickets are purchased from the driver when boarding the bus. Please refer to the Lothian Buses website for current fares information, as prices change occasionally.
All Lothian Buses are easy access buses, with a wheelchair space.
These services are less frequent (typically 20 - 30 minute interval), but pass by the campus directly.
Exit Waverley Station by the ramp to Waverley Bridge. Services 41 (use services with destination King's Buildings (do not board Craighouse services)), 42 and 67 stop at the southbound bus stop on Waverley Bridge (on the same side of the road as you when you leave the station). Note that some service 41 buses go to Craighouse only, and do not serve King's Buildings (the nearest stop served by Craighouse buses is at Blackford Avenue (Blackford Station), approximately 500 m northwest of the edge of the campus).
Note that the city centre routing (and stops) of these services may be subject to change, because of construction work for the Edinburgh tram system. Please refer to the Lothian Buses website for the latest route information.
If you are unsure where to get off (on services 42 and 67), sit near the front of the bus and ask the driver to let you know when you have reached King's Buildings (Mayfield Road). Service 41 terminates within the campus itself. From the bus stops, follow our travel directions for getting to the school on foot.
These services combine to offer a more frequent service (typically 10 minute interval or less) but the nearest stops are about 400 m northeast of the edge of the campus, near Cameron Toll shopping centre (Craigmillar Park road).
Exit Waverley Station by the Waverley Steps exit (escalators and lifts available) to Princes Street, and turn right at the top of the steps. You should now be facing towards the Balmoral Hotel. Walk past the hotel, continue straight ahead across to the far side of the road at North Bridge, and then turn right along North Bridge itself. There are 3 bus stops along the length of North Bridge. The buses which serve Cameron Toll (west side) are distributed between all 3 stops. Suitable services are: (1st stop) 49; (2nd stop) 3, 3A, 8, 29; (3rd stop) 7, 31, 37, X37.
If you are unsure where to get off, sit near the front of the bus and ask the driver to let you know when you have reached Cameron Toll shopping centre (Craigmillar Park). From the Cameron Toll bus stop, follow our travel directions for getting to the school on foot.
By Bus - Lothian Buses operate an "Airlink" shuttle bus service between the airport and the city centre. The journey time is about 20 - 30 minutes depending on traffic. The single fare in 2011 was £3.50, return £6.00 (Airlink fares information). The buses run very frequently during the day and evening, and also operate throughout the night (as service N22). The bus will drop you off on Waverley Bridge, just outside Edinburgh Waverley railway station. Further information, including timetables, is available from the Airlink website. To get to King's Buildings from Waverley Bridge, see our travel directions on getting here from Edinburgh Waverley station.
By Taxi - The taxi rank is right outside the main entrance to the airport. The journey to King's Buildings takes about 20 - 30 minutes depending on traffic and will cost around £15.
By Car - Exit the airport and follow signs to the city centre (A8) and city bypass (A720). After 1-2 miles you will approach Gogar interchange. Exit the A8 and follow the signs around the roundabout for the city bypass (A720). Once on the bypass, follow the travel directions for getting to us by car.
Whichever direction you are travelling from, the best route is to approach Edinburgh via the city bypass (A720). The bypass is about 12 miles in length and runs around the south side of Edinburgh. To get to King's Buildings, take the Straiton exit which is a few miles from the east/south end of the bypass. From there follow the signs to the City Centre (and Mortonhall Crematorium). After a few miles you will start driving down a long descending hill. As you approach the bottom of the hill, get into the left hand lane. Once through the traffic lights, take the left hand exit (forking to the left) going downhill. You are now on Mayfield Road. At the top of the next climb, King's Buildings are on your left.
Parking within the campus is by permit only and you will get an expensive university parking ticket if you park without a permit. Parking on the King's Buildings side of Mayfield Road is allowed except between the hours 8.30am-9.15am and 4pm-6pm (check signs for exact restrictions). If you park within restricted times you will get an expensive ticket (£40) and could be towed away (£120 to get your car back) so be careful! Parking down the side streets across the road from King's Buildings is allowed and there are no restrictions. Alternatively, there is a Park & Ride site at Straiton where you can park and then catch buses 47 (to Cameron Toll shopping centre, 400 m from campus) or 67 (directly past the campus).
Once you have parked, see our travel directions below on getting to the school on foot.
From the north (i.e. city centre), the best route is to cycle up The Mound which is halfway along Princes Street (be careful of the tram tracks), then cycle straight ahead down George IV Bridge. The road continues slightly to the left and ends at a T-junction, where you should turn left. Continue along the road you are now following for 2-3 miles, passing Potterrow, the Informatics Forum and the Meadows park en route. The road changes name several times, but becomes Mayfield Road as you near King's Buildings. The approach to King's Buildings is indicated by a short climb as you approach a crossroads with traffic lights. King's Buildings is on the far side of the crossroads, on the right hand side. See the map above for more details.
From the south follow the signs for City Centre until you come to the Cameron Toll shopping centre area. From there, cycle up onto Mayfield Road (see the map above) and enter the campus via entrance 4. Cycke parking stands are available at various points around the campus, including outside the entrance to JCMB.
From Craigmillar Park road (Cameron Toll shopping centre): From the bus stop, cross to the opposite side of the road, and walk along Gordon Terrace (the only two-lane road leaving the crossroads, lined with trees). Almost immediately, follow the curve of the road to the right, into Esslemont Road. Follow Esslemont Road for about 400 m to the next crossroads with traffic lights, which is at the northeast corner of King's Buildings campus. Cross straight ahead at the crossroads, so that you are on the same side of Mayfield Road as the campus, and turn left to walk alongside the campus on Mayfield Road. Then follow the instructions below.
From Mayfield Road: The bus stop is just to the north of the crossroads at the northeast corner of the King's Buildings campus. Cross diagonally at the traffic lights, so that you are on the opposite side of Mayfield Road, adjacent to the campus itself. Continue south along Mayfield road for about 200 m until you reach entrance 4 to King's Buildings, which is the last entrance. Turn into the campus at entrance 4 and after about another 200 m the road will start to curve to the left. The James Clerk Maxwell Building is straight ahead of you at this point, but to reach the main entrance you must turn to the right and follow the pavement along the right hand side of the building. The main entrance is at the top of the stairs (or ramp). Once inside, turn left, go through the automatic doors and take one of the lifts to level 5. The School of Mathematics main office is just to the right of the lift.
From King's Buildings bus terminus: Service 41 terminates at the King's Buildings bus terminus on campus. On exiting the bus, turn to your right. Follow the path across a small lawn, leading towards the Agriculture Building. At the road in front of the agriculture building, turn left and follow this road. After about 200 m you will reach the James Clerk Maxwell Building, via a short cobbled driveway. Enter the building, turn right, go through the automatic doors and take one of the lifts to level 5. The School of Mathematics main office is just to the right of the lift.
