Portsmouth: Directions, Beer & Food

[Diego_Sideburns]

NOTE: This information may be out of date in an ever-changing world.

 

Portsmouth FC, Fratton Park, Frogmore Road, Portsmouth, PO4 8RA.

 

Fratton Park is a throw-back to the days of football grounds with character and atmosphere. If you get chance to wander around the outside of the ground beforehand then make sure to go down towards the home end to look at the mock Tudor facade in Frogmore Road.

 

Away fans are housed on one side of the Milton End (on the North Stand side) where around 2,000 fans can be accommodated. It comprises a terrace with seats bolted on, but it now benefits from being covered. The facilities within are pretty basic and the leg room tight. There are also some supporting pillars along the front of the stand that may impede you view. On a positive note, away supporters can really make some noise from this stand, adding to what is normally a great atmosphere, with the home support recognised generally as the most vocal in the country.

 

Although this end is shared with home supporters, the Pompey home support get behind their team but generally in a non-intimidatory way towards the away contingent. Fans are separated by a netted area only three seats wide, but generally there are no problems.

 

NOTE: Entrance to the stand is gained by inserting your ticket into a barcode reader. If you have not pre-purchased a ticket for the game, then allow yourself plenty of time as the ticket booth is located at the opposite end of the ground to the away end.

 

Disabled Facilities:

Parking and Access: There are no specific disabled car parking spaces, but the main car park is available, and places can be booked in advance for home and away supporters by contacting the club.

There are two adapted toilets in the KJC Stand end, one of good standard and the other not very wheelchair friendly.

Wheelchair Users: There are 35 places pitch-side in the KJC Stand, shared by Home and Away supporters and positioned directly behind the goal. Helpers are seated a little way behind.

For the Visually Impaired: Hospital Radio commentary is via headsets, which are available from the Club office but there are only two sets available though you can sit anywhere in ground, helpers sit alongside.

 

How to get there:

 

By Car:

The main thing to remember about Portsmouth is that most of the city is crammed onto the small island of Portsea, making it the second most densely-populated city in the UK after inner London. Because of this there are only three roads into the city, all of which are congested before a match.

 

From the West/Midlands:

Continue along the M27 eastbound (ignoring the M275 turn off for Portsmouth city centre at J12) on to the A27 following signs for Portsmouth East/Havant/Brighton. Take the slip road off the A27 for the A2030, Portsmouth East/Southsea, and then the third exit at the roundabout, onto the A2030, known locally as ‘The Eastern Road’, following the signs for Southsea and Portsmouth Football Club.

 

From the M25:

Continue along the A3 southbound, which becomes the A3(M) and then joins the A27 westbound. At the junction with the A2030 turn left towards Southsea/Fratton. Continue along the A2030 and eventually you will see the ground in front of you.

 

From the East (Sussex):

Continue along the A27 westbound. At the junction with the A2030 turn left towards Southsea/Fratton. Continue along the A2030 and eventually you will see the ground in front of you.

Follow the A2030 all the way down, you will be able to see the floodlights in the distance. You will go through several sets of traffic lights. After a right-hand bend with the Good Companion pub on your left, you will soon arrive at another traffic light junction in Velder Avenue. You will see an Enterprise Car Rental & a mobile phone shop in front of you, with a large mobile phone clock/thermometer on the wall. Fratton Park is slightly to your left behind them.

 

NOTE: Anyone intending to visit the City Centre, Gunwharf Quays or the Old Portsmouth area before the game would be better off entering the city on the M275 rather than the A2030.

 

Car Parking:

Fratton Park is situated next to a residential area to the south and a commercial/industrial zone to the north, so parking close to the ground is always very difficult. Portsmouth FC suggests the following suitable places to park:

• PARK AND RIDE SCHEME.
  Portsmouth City Council operates a Park and Ride scheme on Saturdays, which allows you to park your car for only £2.50 (regardless of the number of passengers) and includes a bus ride into either the City Centre (Edinburgh Road) or to The Hard, at Portsmouth Harbour where Gunwharf Quays, the Spinnaker Tower and Historic Dockyard are all located.
  From Edinburgh Road, in the city centre you walk to Fratton Park in approximately 20 minutes or you can catch a bus directly to Goldsmith Avenue.
  From Portsmouth Harbour you can either catch a bus directly to Goldsmith Avenue or you can catch a train from Portsmouth Harbour Station - it is only two stops to Fratton Station. For more details follow the link: http://www.welcometo...ide scheme.html
  
• MILTON CROSS SCHOOL CARPARK.
  Milton Cross School which is only a short walk north of Fratton Park, operate a football parking scheme in the school car park. The cost is £5.00 per car for match day parking. If using Sat Nav the school postcode is PO3 6RB the school is located directly across Milton Road from St Mary's Hospital.
  
• FRATTON PARK.
  There is a large car park just behind the Fratton End stand, at the west side of the stadium, accessed via Dickinson Way. This is owned by the previous owners of Portsmouth Football club and costs a whopping £10 per car on match days.
  

Other than this you will need to find parking in residential side streets which are already very congested, be aware that some residential streets are subject to local parking schemes where a resident’s permit is required. There are signs to indicate if a scheme is in place.

 

NOTE: You should not park in the St Mary's Hospital site or on any of the commercial or business sites around the Rodney Road area as you are liable to be wheel-clamped or towed away and receive a hefty fine as well.

 

By Train:

If travelling by train from London Waterloo, you can choose to get off either at Fratton (nearest to ground – about a ten minute walk), Portsmouth & Southsea (best for pubs but at least a 25 minute walk away ) or Portsmouth Harbour.

 

On arrival at Fratton by train you pass the ground on the left. Fratton station has a footbridge as the only way out. At the top of the stairs from the platform turn left onto the footbridge (from which you can see the floodlights of Fratton Park) and exit into Goldsmith Avenue. (NOTE: If the gate on the footbridge is closed you need to turn right on the footbridge and exit via Platform 1, turn left as you exit the station, walk 30 metres and go back over the footbridge to Goldsmith Avenue.) Turn left along Goldsmith Avenue and walk about half a mile passing straight around a small roundabout (by the Pompey Centre). Then Turn Left into Frogmore Road and the entrance to the Fratton End and South Stands is 100m ahead. For the Milton End stay on Goldsmith Avenue for another 100m and turn left into Apsley Road. The entrances to the Milton End are 100m ahead.

 

There are two Wetherspoon pubs near Portsmouth & Southsea Station and you can get the train back to Fratton for the match.

Trains back to London Waterloo from Fratton after the game run every 20 or 30 minutes or so.

 

By Taxi:

Taxis in Portsmouth are relatively cheap, but negotiate a price first if you are going "off the island". Taxis from a rank will cost more than ringing for one.

 

By Coach

National Express coaches usually terminate by the Harbour Station, this area is known as "The Hard". From there either get a train to Fratton, or a bus (numbers 17 and 18 go to Goldsmith Avnue and stop near the ground). There is also a taxi rank at the Hard.

 

Where to drink:

 

NOTE: Away fans are advised to avoid the Milton Arms, the Newcome Arms and the Shepherd’s Crook.

 

Just outside the ground at the north east corner, a large enclosed white marquee is erected on occasions for away fans, with a bar and televisions.

 

The Good Companion pub is about a five minute walk away from the ground on the main A2030. It is a large pub serving real ales and had a good mix of home and away support. It also serves food.

The Brewers Arms, 170 Milton Road, PO4 8PN welcomes home and away fans. It is family friendly and serves food.

About a mile away from the ground, on Fawcett Road, is the Red, White and Blue. Friendly staff, friendly Pompey fans (chiefly of the older variety) and simple food fayre on offer. To reach the pub, you just head west from the ground, towards the Fratton Railway Station, along Goldsmith Avenue. Just past the station, you reach a roundabout - and Fawcett Road is immediately on your left.

In the Eastney area the RMA, the Cellars and the Eastney Tavern have live music at weekends, as does the Admiral Drake near the Continental Ferry Port.

 

If your idea of a good night out is to consume as much alcohol as possible, then head for the Guildhall Walk area, in the city centre, south of the Guildhall, near Portsmouth & Southsea station (known to locals as the ‘Town’ station). It’s a lively area on Friday and Saturday nights, with pubs, bars and nightclubs, but not the place for a quiet drink.

 

Where to eat:

There is a McDonald’s and KFC across the road from the ground and there has been a burger van outside the marquee bar when erected.

There are plenty of takeaways (of all varieties) along Fawcett road.

If you fancy a curry, head for the Albert Road area of Southsea, near the Kings Theatre. There are many pubs and curry houses in the area but it's not quite as noisy as Guildhall Walk. Some curry houses stay open till very late at weekends.

 

Local attractions:

Southsea, adjoining Portsmouth, has a small beach and funfair. It also houses the naval base and includes historic ships such as HMS Victory, HMS Warrior and the Mary Rose. You can get a short boat trip around the harbour showing which warships are in dock.

Along the seafront are the Royal Marines’ Museum, South Parade Pier, the D-Day Museum, the Sealife Centre and stunning views across the Solent to the Isle of Wight.

 

A new development called the Gunwharf Quays has opened adjacent to the historic ships dockyard. There are bars and restaurants, plus a bowling alley, cinema and shopping factory outlet. For more details visit www.gunwharf-quays.com . The Quays incorporate the spectacular Spinnaker Tower over 300ft high, the UK’s tallest publicly-accessible building outside London, offering stunning views from its three decks at 100, 105 and 110m.

 

Points of historical interest include the forts on Portsdown Hill, the ‘Hotwalls’, the only sea-fort open to the public, the birthplace of Charles Dickens and Southsea Castle.

 

Cash machines:

There aren't any cash machines around the ground, so it's best to find one near the station before heading towards the ground.

[Diego_Sideburns]

Pompey ticket prices: Adults £20, over-65s and 17/22s £15 and under-17s £10.

[opinions4u]

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[Diego_Sideburns]

Anyone eating in the Good Companion pub on the two main meals for £8.95 deal can get a voucher for two free drinks (and can get the same for five mates): Foster’s, Carling or Carlsberg; IPA or John Smith’s Extra smooth; house wine white, red or rosé; Coke or lemonade. You don’t need to give your address or mobile number, simply your email.

http://gkpubs.co.uk/...-companion-pub/