Derby v Newcastle – A Newcastle United fan’s away guide.
Posted on February 7th, 2010 | 21 Comments |
I’ve never heard of any real trouble involving Derby fans, a bit of banter and some handbags maybe but that’s about it. Just remember that they, like us, are very passionate about their team and can make a lot of noise, It’s up to you guys to match them as, unfortunately, I can’t make it due to work commitments.
It’s a Tuesday evening so you may want to leave some extra travel time as your bound to hit some rush hour traffic during the 160 mile journey. We’ll begin, as always, by leaving Newcastle down the A1 and joining the M1 at Leeds. In my previous guide (Leicester) a comment was left about going down the A1(M) until the M18. Ordinarily, this is quicker but as they are restructuring the junction of the A1/M18, temporary speed limits and lane closures mean traffic can get very bad at times, hence why I’m trying to get people to avoid that route.
Where were we? Oh yes, M1! Continue following the M1 south through Sheffield and past the Chesterfield turn. From there you can take your pick of junctions to leave at, each one is pretty simple but I’ll list them anyway.
Leave at J28 (A38) – Probably the best option as it cuts out around 15 miles of roadworks on the M1. Follow the A38 towards Derby, then at the next roundabout start following the A61, also towards Derby. Keep following the A61 until you reach a roundabout called ‘Pentagon Island’. Take the 5th exit onto the A52 and keep left. You’ll then branch onto the A601. At the next roundabout, take the 1st exit and the gorund should be visible.
Leave at J27 (A608) – A bit more rural than above. Follow the A608 towards Heanor, then continue on until you meet with the A61 and follow above directions.
Leave at J25 (A52) – The most straight-forward choice. Follow the A52 towards Derby. Eventually you’ll meet up with ‘Pentagon island’, then follow above directions.
Leave at J24a (A50) – Best for people coming from the south. Follow the A50 towards Stoke, leave at the A6 junction. Follow the A6 until you meet up with the A52, and turn left. You’ll come to ‘Pentagon Island’ where you should follow directions above.
So plenty of ways to get there then, now to park the car. The best place is the cattle market. It’ll cost around £4 and it looks like a dump but it will do the job. Back at the ‘Pentagon Island’, take the 4th exit and then take a quick left after that. You’ll run parallel to the A52 and it’s down there. There used to be a pub down there called ‘The Meadows Inn’ which lets away fans in.
Alternatively, if you leave at the J24a turning and use the A6, follow the brown signs for ‘football traffic’ and it should take you to a college car park. There is a pub about 2 minutes away on the London Road called ‘The Navigation Inn’. It’s not much to look at but it lets away fans in too!
Be warned, by the stadium itself there are a lot of retail outlets and car dealerships. If the signs say don’t park, don’t park! There are some eager clampers around trying to make a fast profit out of rogue parkers!
I’ve had a look at the train times and I don’t think that option would be very useful as trains stop running effectively before anyone has a chance to get back to the station. If you are using the train though, there are a few pubs near to the station that let away fans in. For them, turn left at the top of the stairs, or for pubs nearer the ground (like Old Orleans), turn right.
If any of them still haven’t whet your whistle, then there is a Harvester on the Pride Park complex itself. I’d imagine this would be busy though.
The usual bits and bobs are available inside the ground and I’ve never heard of them not selling beer (unlike Leicester!). I think our allocation is 3,100 although I’m not overly certain on that. I do know that however many Newcastle fans there are they’ll be in fine voice!
Let’s hope the we can grab another 3 points!
NUFCBlog Author: toonsy
toonsy has written 643 articles on this blog.
Well if we can beat Cardiff relatively comfortably, the only thing stopping us from doing the same to Derby is ourselves. Let’s just hope they go out there with the same attitude!
And aye, Hughton, that means a bit of pace and 2 upfront would be a nice idea.