MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
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I may (fingers crossed) be acquiring two tickets for England v Wales on the 10th Feb. Watching a six nation's game at Twickenham is always something I've wanted to do but never managed, so I've no idea what the best options for travel are. Coming from derby. Open to options, drive down stop somewhere close in a hotel, can't imagine them being cheap though. Train from derby to st Pancras or Lichfield to Euston, then is it trains or tubes or what from there. Genuinely no idea which is best and I'm sure there's a few regular visitors on here who may know a few tips to slightly avoid the mayhem of 80000 folk all going to one place.
Twickers is a bugger to get to so get train from waterloo, then post game go to a pub for an hour or two, as you will either queue outside station, or be in a warm pub for ages. I recommend the Barmy arms by the river.
Would it work if you took a train into Reading, then changed there for Twickenham? That is what I have done coming from Cardiff.
But I don't know if you can easily get to Reading from Derby, so you may just want to ignore me.
never been but drive past quite regularly, its right at the end of the M3.
PoP to get to by car, but its a fair way out of London, probably take an hour from Euston or KC. you will probably get a tube down to Waterloo then a SW train out towards Richmond...?
Train into Euston, then Victoria Line to Vauxhall and a train to Twickenham from there. If you drive, parking nearby will be expensive and it'll take an age to be able to leave.
Will it be those shysters at sw trains providing those services and are they liable to call one of their cheeky strikes that day?
Reading-Derby is on a direct XC service*, went through there on my way up north recently. There aren't many trains though, so would need planning rather than turn up and get on.
Reading to Twickenham is fairly regular, then not a long walk, several pubs on the way and also residents rent out their gardens for impromptu food stops, etc. (not toilets, make note), but the station is rammed on the way back so be prepared for a queue or find a pub and wait it out.
* I mean CrossCountry is the operator, not that the trains have 29" wheels and the conductors are in full lycra.
[b]wrightyson[/b] - Member
I'll send you a PM 😀
Free parking, Hotel for less than £40 and 20 mins to Stadium....
Will it be those shysters at sw trains providing those services and are they liable to call one of their cheeky strikes that day?
Probably. If I was you I'd drive.
If driving the best (only?!) option is one of the "Park in my drive" things - usually offices renting out their car parks for the rugby weekend. Traffic is horrible leaving though.
I live South of London so would either drive to a quiet residential road about a mile from the stadium (Twickenham Green, free parking or play £10 to school PTA) or train from Waterloo (many rugby specials, buses to/from Richmond).
If you do train it in plan to stay around the stadium / town for a couple of hours after the game as trying to leave immediately on the train is a major headache
If you get in early you can book a lunch somewhere (e.g. places on Church St), pub wise if you train it then I like the White Swan on the river (about 500yds from Barmy Arms) if the weather is decent. It's a shortish walk to/from station and there is footbridge to go direct towards the stadium (20-ish min stroll)
Enjoy. England Wales is a great fixture and there will be a cracking atmosphere in/around the town / stadium
Whenever I've been I tend to drive from the North West. Park up at Hounslow station and take the train in from there.
TBH the last few times have included hospitality, so usually there for lunch before the game and food afterwards.
Limits the drinking, if that's your thing (suits me fine - don't like booing at sports matches).
I live in Twickenham- fastest train from Waterloo is about 22 mins. Slowest, about 35.
It’s less than a mile to the stadium, everybody is walking in the same direction, it’s really not that bad before the game.
If you’re going for lunch beforehand, I recommend The Crown in St Margaret’s- it’s a longer walk, but really good food.
For afters, stick around for a couple in the West Car Park (they are making a thing of it now) then head down to the White Swan on the river via The Fox on Church street.
If you decide to drive, park near the green and go to the Sussex Arms for lunch.
Been a few times and its a pain in the arse to get to and even worse to get home.
I favour the train personally and take my time leaving the stadium to wait for the worst of the queues to go down.
A few travelodges within a couple of miles radius.
Friday and Saturday night stay for fairly reasonable rate *
* not sure if it acceptable for STWr's to stay at Travelodge 😉
I've gone with tigers suggestion and yes booked a travel lodge in Egham. It ticks all the boxes we need.
After the match, trains into London have a much bigger queue than trains outbound, so you are sorted with Egham.
Pre match, it’s about a 20 min stroll to the ground, lots of Braii’s in gardens on the way, plus a lot of burger vans.
It gets cold in the stands if windy - the sun doesn’t hit you in the winter.
Egham is a reasonable location, I was going to suggest parking within a mile and walking in - there are plenty of places further up the A316 near Whitton/Fulwell.
Then you have a half decent 30-45min walk to Twickers within one of the most densely populated pub areas in the world.
The White Swan on the Thames is a good shout for pre-match drinks, although it'll be packed to the rafters (as are most decent pubs in Twickenham) - lots of ex-pro's drink there.
Richmond riverside is also a great place for drinking, and an easy* couple of stops on the train away.
The beer is good at the stadium, as is the atmosphere.
Before they redeveloped the stadium I used to be able to climb onto the roof of my house and watch the game! Still have a couple of great billboard posters from the 1991 world cup (Where Theres a Will!).
*match days on trains are not much fun within a couple of hours either side of KO
As others have said....leaving is much worse than going. I normally do the route that aP has mentioned. Have driven a few times and from memory stadium parking was £25. Traffic was awful.
Enjoy it. Tbh I’ve parked at the stoop the past couple of times and it’s not been too bad, no drinking though. The train always a nightmare, used to park at Staines and train in and that was bad, stayed in London a few times too and that was horrendous.
Travelodge and walk sounds like just the right idea.
Brilliant day out. You will love it, if you stay in kingston at a budget hotel you can park in my bay.
A bit more expensive but i love it for its pool and riverside grounds is the lensbury club at teddington lock. You can park for free there and walk to the stadium.
Get your drinking head on, buy a few rolls before the game as a pasty in the ground is 6 quid.
Drive down, park on church carpark around the corner, pay stupid amount, stroll 200m to gate.
You won’t be able to leave in a hurry so go for a drink/food and return to car once street opened again
*its been about 9 years ( 😥 ) since I’ve been though so this advice could be well out
Happy to save you all the hassle and take the tickets off you!!
Alternatively use a park at my house on the A316 west of the stadium and preferably south of the road that way you can drive straight onto the A316 heading west and don't use stadium parking or you will need to wait hours to get out.
wrightyson - Member
I've gone with tigers suggestion and yes booked a travel lodge in Egham. It ticks all the boxes we need.
Legendary breakfasts available here also (much better than anything the Travelbodge has)
Shout nearer the time and I can sort parking etc..
and if you bring your bike Swinley on Sunday to clear the head... 😀
One thing I've learnt from this thread is that there's quite a few STW'ers living local to me.
If anyone is interested in parking, my kids school (Archdeacon Cambridge) on Twickenham Green charge £10. It's about 30 mins stroll to the ground with decent pubs nearby (including the aforementioned Sussex Arms - best beer selection in the area).
You'd need to arrive in good time to park in the streets around the Green, parking is bad at the best of times, and in the run up to a match all sort of numpty parking behaviour is in evidence.
Those travelling by train into London after a game could do worse than going one stop in the other direction before swapping trains and heading back on yourself, or walk a little further in the other direction to Whitton station (less frequent trains but will be less crowded).
I also have a ticket for this match 🙂 I have not yet decided how to get there though. I can park at my mate's house and walk to the stadium, but I'm not sure if I want to be driving down on match day... If I were to go down in the morning and leave late, would that be ok traffic-wise?
Trains from Brentford are often a good bet, Brentford station has free parking at weekends or at least did have up to recently. I live in Ealing and usually cycle. Loads of people seem to although probably mostly Stewards, safeish bike parking at the back of the North Stand or in the big Tescos opposite.
Houns - Member
Drive down, park on church carpark around the corner, pay stupid amount, stroll 200m to gate.
You won’t be able to leave in a hurry so go for a drink/food and return to car once street opened again*its been about 9 years ( ) since I’ve been though so this advice could be well out
Was it nine years ago? Crikey.
Will see what I can do.
It's on!!!!! Ive got the bloody tickets!!!! Get in!!!!
I hadn't realised that it was a late afternoon game, which means that I'll have difficulties parking up as I'm returning from a funeral. sighs
Message rec'vd
It appears they still work, I've emailed you
Cheers tiger. Good to know the message function still works.