Information for an International Tourist

[AmtrakMan]

Yew,

I understand. I just have had such a difficult time getting match tickets in the London area, that I had this crazy idea of a mathematical Ratio....

The ratio is The Largest Ground (total seats available) / The Worst Club in the Worst Division (lower number being worst position in all divisions)

So this type of Stadium Club combination would have the MOST seats available on match day.... Leeds United and Wednesday seems to come to mind in this case, and I would love to see Leeds United play as well.... But no loyalty anywhere, I swear.... whoever lets me buy a match ticket I will support them that day. I just love english football.

But I understand that up NORTH, I have plenty of choices even in the premiership....

Sheffield wednesday isn't bad, it's not the newest or the largest stadium, however it boasts the largest single tiered stand, and had the worlds first full length cantilever stand. And so far they are having a good season

If it helps, when I went to Blackpool a while back, I had a good time.

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Ivo,

Yes, I have considered visiting Cornwall. As soon as I think of Cornwall, the original Strawdogs film comes to mind (the 1971 one) Now although it is a crazy movie, I can't help but notice how beautiful the filming locations are. Thumbs up!

It seems to me that Cornwall is a nice place to rest and relax, but not much in the form of museums or attractions etc.... Also, I think I would do this from london, not Manchester... if I ever do it.

Unfortunately I have to vote against Blackpool. But half of the regulars probably knew that already.

I see that you wish to travel to the northern reaches of England, and have expressed a wish to avoid the south-east, but have you ever been to or considered the south-west of England? Plenty to see this way, with Cornwall's fishing towns and villages, the aquarium in Plymouth, the English Riveira around Torquay, the Jurassic Coast, and out a bit further towards Bournemouth on the south coast and Bath and Bristol on the Severn Estuary. Just make sure you avoid Weston-super-Mare; effectively the south's equivalent of Blackpool - only smaller and a lot less crowded during peak tourism periods.

 

[Chapeltom]

You'll have no problems paying on the day at Sheffield Wednesday and so far are unbeaten at home (8 wins, 1 draw, 2 wins in cups at home), its a good time to go and watch them...

 

[Gathursty]

There's lots of fantastic places in the North to go to and shame on all those for detracting Blackpool!! It's brilliant (admittedly not in Winter) and whilst it does have a bad reputation for being grubby around the edges, it's redeeming features are the rejuvenated Tower and the Pleasure Beach to name but a few.

My top tips for North West places to visit are:
Buxton (Famous resort in the Peak District National Park)
The Sefton coastline (accessible from any station between Southport and Blundellsands and Crosby)
Lancaster (Historic city with castle to view)
Liverpool
Manchester (now's perfect to go to the Christmas German markets)
Chester
Entwistle (nestled in the West Pennine Moors if you want to see the countryside at it's best)
West Kirkby (not to be confused with Kirkby!!! Stunning views of Wales beyond the River Dee not far from Liverpool)
Windermere (for the Lake District)
Bentham or Clapham for Ingleton if you want to go on a guided tour in White Scar cave.

 

[MCR247]

Nottingham Forest have quite a large ground (the City Ground)


Plug

 

[RichmondCommu]

Nottingham Forest have quite a large ground (the City Ground)


Plug

Oh please! All I can say is up the Rams! God bless Brian Clough!

 

[AmtrakMan]

Yes,

Lots of Football options... but really if I see 1 or 2 football matches on this holiday it will only be 1% of the holiday..... So much more to do in Britain.

But in my case, a big PLUS for a Football Ground is rail station proximity...
Hillsborough is 2.8 miles from the Sheffield Rail station..... a bit far to walk...

The reason I mentioned Stockport and Bolton is they are in the Manchester area, but also very close to the rail station.

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OK change of subject.... What about the Ale Trail Pubs near Huddersfield? Or what is a good pub town (with real cask ales) anywhere in UK? Don't worry, I am NOT a big drinker, but love to sample a good ale.....
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OK.. next question, where are the best pub pies in North England?
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Is anyone tired of this thread yet???

I am still on topic.... This is going to be a RAIL holiday. Promise...

 

[Holly]

...
But I find it interesting because it is from a "lost age". ....

If looking for a Victorian seaside resort in the North, I suggest you consider Llandudno.
Blackpool is great if you are into ballroom dancing.

 

[pmgarvey]

On the topic of football I wouldn't forgive myself if I didn't mention Altrincham FC (proper non-league experience, and it's a short walk from Altrincham station).

In terms of finding real ales, in honesty you can find ales in nearly any town in the UK, I'd be shocked if you could find a town without a pub serving real ale somewhere, so you'd be fine to just pick a town you'd like to visit, it'll have a pub (though admittedly anywhere with ramblers is probably going to have the kinds of places you're looking for in a much higher density). Anywhere in the Lake District (which is worth a visit anyway) is going to have them left right and centre (I can highly recommend getting the train to Penrith and walking down the old line to Keswick, a big fan of all the pubs on that route, and you can spend it admitting it is nicer to have the footpath than the now closed line).

Pies, this will no doubt cause a debate, but if they sell Hollands, buy it, if not, I'd steer clear.

 

[northwichcat]

Bolton are in the Premier League!
Also the Premier League isn't necessarily more expensive for tickets - if you're in the north west try Blackburn, Wigan or Stoke.

Wigan would be the best bet for the Premiership in my opinion. Wigan is really a town of rugby followers so there are plenty of spare tickets for football games, because not that many locals are interested in football.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

For the football front, others nearby include:
Blackpool FC (1/2 a mile from Blackpool South station),
Accrington Stanley FC (1 mile from Accrington station),
Burnley FC (9/10 of a mile from either Burnley Central or Manchester Rd stations).

Of these, the first and last are in the Championship, and the middle one League 2.

If all that fails, try Darlington FC, who play in the Conference National. Darlington is just over halfway between York and Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and the ground is 1.4 miles from the station, but, this is the awesome bit, the ground is empty. 25,000 capacity, crowds of about 2,000. Last season, there were 15.6 seats per person!

 

[northwichcat]

There's lots of fantastic places in the North to go to and shame on all those for detracting Blackpool!! It's brilliant (admittedly not in Winter) and whilst it does have a bad reputation for being grubby around the edges, it's redeeming features are the rejuvenated Tower and the Pleasure Beach to name but a few.

Yes Blackpool at the weekend may not be the best place to go but Blackpool during the week is a good visit.

The Sefton coastline (accessible from any station between Southport and Blundellsands and Crosby)

Of specific interest the National Trust Formby site with the sand dunes and the rare red squirrels. It's about 15 minutes walk from Freshfield station, which has regular trains to both Southport and Liverpool.

Chester

Not far out from Chester there's Delamere Forest which has it's own station and has a Go Ape activity centre.

 

[moonrakerz]

This may help with deciding which football ground to go to.

http://itv.stats.football365.com/dom/ENG/PR/attend.html

I would think that any of those clubs at the bottom of this list would be worth trying.
Quite how Norwich can have an average attendance of 101.7% of their ground capacity escapes me.....

I took an American friend to The Emirates a few weeks ago - he was very impressed. (I am a club member !)

 

[AmtrakMan]

This is great information! I have bookmarked the ITV football attendance page.

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Also thanks to the person who recommended Holland's Pies. Remember, I can't get either high street brand pies or pub pies in the USA that are any good... so there is no difference as far as I am concerned... I just want to try a "real" english pie, whenever I am in the UK visiting.

Think of some visitor to the USA, and he has no hamburgers in his country (just bear with me) I put 2 hamburgers in front of him to try... one is a great home town local hamburger, and the other is a mcdonalds big mac...

The guy may very well prefer the Big Mac and think its the best thing since sliced bread.

Well this is how I am with English Pies. I think the BEST one I ever had was out of a plastic package at a football match somewhere. But I am sure I would also like a pub pie that was ranked 1st in the UK... so no prejudice one way or the other.... Can't get ANYTHING like that here.

Thanks for all the tips!!! This is a great all around forum.

This may help with deciding which football ground to go to.

http://itv.stats.football365.com/dom/ENG/PR/attend.html

I would think that any of those clubs at the bottom of this list would be worth trying.
Quite how Norwich can have an average attendance of 101.7% of their ground capacity escapes me.....

I took an American friend to The Emirates a few weeks ago - he was very impressed. (I am a club member !)

 

[Chapeltom]

If you like beer, I could name quite a few pubs instantly that are well worth visiting and not one is a chain pub either.

2 instant recommendations:
Cask, near Deansgate station in Manchester. Large selection of Belgian beers and 4 hand-pulls on, I love the place and its fairly cheap! Literally 2 mins walk from Deansgate station, fish+chip shop next to it.
Sheffield Tap is another, on Sheffield station itself, a bit pricey but a superb pub.

 

[Dewedin]

I wouldn't risk Leeds United, quite often there are no concession tickets available to buy on the day. And I say that as a Leeds fan

 

[AmtrakMan]

Cask Bar - Now marked on my GPS waypoints file. I originally had Knott Bar for my Deansgate Pub... This one seems better. I also have Lass O Gowrie marked in Manchester.

Recommended Fish and Chips shops would be something else I would want to mark on the GPS file. But I suppose there are also good ones all over.

2 instant recommendations:
Cask, near Deansgate station in Manchester. Large selection of Belgian beers and 4 hand-pulls on, I love the place and its fairly cheap! Literally 2 mins walk from Deansgate station, fish+chip shop next to it.
Sheffield Tap is another, on Sheffield station itself, a bit pricey but a superb pub.

 

[WestCoast]

I live near Blackpool and know it very well. Yeah, it's run down, but it's not the horror story some people make it out to be. If you're into traditional British seaside amusments, then it's not bad for a day or two. It's tacky but then that's the point. The council have spent quite a bit of money making the place look smarter and it does show compared to the late '90s.

There will also be double decker trams next summer season still running alongside the new ones - the only system apart from Hong Kong and Alexandria to have double deckers!
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If you want the authentic Northern rail experience, a trip on a class 142 Pacer railbus is not be be missed!

 

[driver9000]

Don't go to Blackpool! Quite possibly the worst coastal resort in the UK

I thought Morecambe would have taken that title. A run down ghost of its former glory populated by cheap or boarded up shops and a general feeling of decay in the air. Very little to except leave The only thing in favour of Morecambe is the stunning view from the promenade across to the Lakeland hills.

At least there are things to do in Blackpool despite the town being on the tacky side.

 

[West Coast]

Not been to Blackpool for years so I can't really comment on that, but Southport is indeed lovely, I get the impression its the posher sibling to Blackpool. Loads always going on and to do in Southport too, year round.

And like others have said, Wigan is your best bet for a match - tickets are ridiculously cheap for the Premier League, and they barely get their stadium half full.

And West Highland Line > Kyle Line. Both are tremendous, but West Highland probably edges it - Rannoch Mor is stunning to travel through/over. And there's slightly more to do somewhere like Fort William than Kyle.