Site location
This year, EF! will be squatting a site in the Peak District. As it will be non-permissive, the exact location can’t be shared ahead of time. It will be shared on this website on the morning of Wednesday 12th August.
However, the rough location can still be shared, as it’s often important to make bookings in advance.
Traveling from the East (Sheffield)
It’s recommended that people coming from the East side of the country make their way to Sheffield. The site location is accessible by a direct bus ride from the city centre, lasting no more than 45 minutes and costing £3. The bus runs from the morning until the early evening — any gaps in the service should be filled by a shuttle.
It will then be a 5 minute walk on slightly bumpy, narrow, and then steep terrain. (We appreciate this sounds concerning to people with mobility needs — please email us earthfirst.uk@proton.me if you’d like to talk about options)
Sheffield is accessible by train and coach from virtually all major cities.
Traveling from the West (Manchester then Bamford)
If you are traveling from the West of the country, you are still welcome to make your way to Sheffield, however you may also find it easier to go to Manchester and then take the Hope Valley line to Bamford, from which the site will be a half-hour direct bus ride, costing £3.
Manchester is accessible by train and coach from virtually all major cities. The train to Bamford normally runs hourly from about 6am to 10pm and lasts about an hour.
The anytime fare is £15.10 (£10.05 with a railcard) for a single, or £19.60 (£13.05 with a railcard) for a return. Often cheaper advance tickets are available.
When to arrive and leave
Site setup will start from the early morning on Wednesday 12th August, however it may take a few hours to secure it enough to be able to publicly announce it. It should be announced by 10am, from which point everyone is welcome and encouraged to come help set up the site! If you’re planning on arriving early, bring some water and a packed lunch, as the first scheduled meal won’t be until the evening.
The gathering will last until Monday 17th, which is the pack down day. There will be breakfast, but no lunch and dinner. Everyone should expect to leave by mid afternoon — please stay and help us to pack down if you can, but as it’s a squat you may not want to linger too long after most others have left. There will be plenty of other pretty places nearby if you wanted to stay in the Peaks!