SCFC2Nottingham Forest on Saturday 30 March 2019 at 15:00
Distance from the Liberty Stadium: 198 miles ~ 3 hour 50 minutes.
Address: City Ground, Nottingham. NG2 5FJ
Telephone: 0115 982 4444
Web Site: www.nottinghamforest.co.uk
Photo by Mark Robinson/Getty Images
What’s the City Ground Like
Away fans are in the lower tier of the Bridgford Stand, where the facilities and view of the action are good. Pies, pasties, sausage rolls, burgers and hot dogs are sold.
Carlsberg, IPA beer and Bulmers, Smirnoff Ice and shorts should be served in the ground.
Visiting Nottingham
Nottingham is a cracking place for a weekend away. I’ve stayed there and you have loads of pubs and clubs to choose from, as well as accommodation ranges from small B&B to chain and boutique hotels.
There are many award winning restaurants, and plenty of shopping, world class venues, arts and cultural festivals, history and heritage, family attractions, trails and waterways, and adrenalin pumping activities.
With Mother’s Day on the Sunday, it might be an ideal game to make it a weekend trip.
The city centre has plenty of hotels to choose from including; Hotel Ibis Nottingham Centre (NG1 2FS) and Travelodge Nottingham Central (NG1 6AJ) which are 1.7 miles away from the Ground, Park Plaza Nottingham (NG1 6GD), which is 1.8 miles away, the Britannia Nottingham Hotel (NG1 6BN) is .1 miles away and the Mercure Nottingham City Centre Hotel (NG1 3BP) is 1.9 miles away.
What’s On in Nottingham
At 2pm the day before the game, you can try Peel Street Cave Tours (NG1 4GR). For £10 you can explore Nottingham’s largest cave system, which has not been open to the public in many years. The meeting place is outside the Arboretum cafe just inside the Arboretum from the Waverley Street entrance.
The night of the game at Royal Concert Hall (NG1 5ND) at 7.30pm, the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra and the Nottingham Trent University Choir perform hits of Queen and The Beatles. Tickets are £5.
UB40 are there on the Monday 1st April, with tickets at £39.50.
Every day you can get a Cellar Cave Tours at Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem (NG1 6AD), to book call 0115 947 3171. Saturday nights at 7pm, The Original Nottingham Ghost Walk, starting at the same venue, cost is £6, children pay £3, a family ticket is £15.
Each Sunday from 7pm, Madame Parboiled’s Historical Pub Tour starts at The Bell Inn (NG1 6HL). To book before 5pm on the night call 07773147271, cost is £7.
The Theatre Royal (NG1 5ND) has Benidorm Live from 25th – 30th March. Tickets are priced from £20 to £48.50.
Eating and Drinking in Nottingham
Nearly all the pubs near the ground are home fans only.
The Meadow Lane Sports Bar (NG2 3HJ) is the Notts County Supporters Bar. I’ve been there a couple of times when we’ve played either County or Forest and it’s big and welcoming (especially if we’re going to take 3 points off Forest) and 0.8 miles away.
The Nottingham Rowing Club (NG2 5FA) charges £1 entry and the beer is well priced and just 0.1 miles away.
Stratford Haven (NG2 6BA), 0.6 miles away has great beer and food, and is busy with home and away fans.
There are many burger/pizza/kebab and chip shops near the ground, all on Radcliffe Road – the A6520.
If you’re coming by train and have a bit of time on your hands, the Olde Trip to Jerusalem (NG1 6AD) is 1.7 miles from the ground and may be worth a visit. A 12th century pub and some of the rooms are ‘cave like’ having been carved out of the rock that Nottingham Castle is built on.
Also near the train station, 1.2 miles from the ground is Vat and Fiddle (NG2 1NB), it has a big range of real beers and serves food.
Other pubs in the city centre are Ye Olde Salutation Inn (NG1 7AA) 1.7 miles away, The Castle (NG1 6AA), 2 miles away, The Round House (NG1 6FS) and Canalhouse (NG1 7EH) in a listed building has part of the canal inlet running through the the pub. Both are 2.2 miles away.
There’s also the Waterfront complex of bars including a Wetherspoons, The Company Inn (NG1 7EH), near the train station and is 1.7 miles from the ground.
Parking near the City Ground
There’s hardly any parking at the stadium, there is some street parking to be had, especially around the Meadow Lane Sports Bar across the river.
Alternatively if you want to avoid the crowds, you can also choose from a selection of private car parking spaces near the City Ground – including around 59 parking spaces which you can reserve for your visit from just £4.00 for the day.
Other options are the council has a car park (£5) on the Victoria Embankment (NG2 2JY), near to the cricket ground, which is a two minute walk to the stadium.
There’s also parking at the council Eastcroft depot (NG2 3AH) for £4, a ten minute walk away.
A new multi-storey car park is at Nottingham train station with parking at £5 all day on a Saturday. You enter the car park via Queens Road.
There’s parking at the East Midlands Parkway train station (NG11 0EB) off J24 of the M1. A train to Nottingham takes 15 minutes. The cost of £5.10 covers parking and a return ticket to Nottingham. After the game this avoids the traffic to the M1.
Train to Nottingham
Trains leave Swansea at 07:29, 07:59, 08:29 and 09:33 for the 4.5 hours journey.
Trains come back at 17:41, 18:06 and 19:06, getting in at 22:20, 22:44 and 00:03.
The ground is 1.1 miles from the station and can be walked in 20 minutes.
For the Travelling Jacks making the trip – Be Loud, Be Proud and Be Positive!
This Travelling Jacks guide was kindly provided by Swans fan Steve Griffiths.