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Blackburn, Saturday 20th December

Fanny FanackapanFanny Fanackapan
in General Charlton
Need some advice please, guys, especially those up north...

Thinking of travelling up on the Friday, staying somewhere not too far away overnight & then driving to the match on the Saturday.

Travel Lodges are offering some good prices in December from £25 per room .....

Any suggestions where would be a decent area to stay which has a bit of character, shops for last minute Xmas presents etc ?

Comments

  • RiscardoRiscardo
    Stay in Preston or blackpool and get the train
  • Charlton_StuCharlton_Stu
    edited November 2014
    Manchester, plenty of life and shops.
    edited, just looked and it's 26 miles travelling, so maybe a bit far.
  • Fanny FanackapanFanny Fanackapan
    Thanks, guys.

    Just looking at a map and wondered about Sheffield- possibly the Travel Lodge at Meadowhall for shops & maybe cinema ?
  • ExiledinManchesterExiledinManchester
    Blackburn is approx 90mins from Sheffield and 50mins from Manchester. Sheffield has Meadowhall and Manchester the Trafford Centre both will be TEEMING with shoppers that weekend. I have little knowledge of the former but the latter has 11500 car parking places which isn't enough at busy times of the year.

    I would recommend you find a hotel (Ibis is on offer at £70) in Manchester City Centre which might cost a little more but will give you a wide range of shops, pubs and restaurants. Whatever you do don't stay in any of the Britannia Hotels.
  • lancashire ladlancashire lad
    If you don't need a really major shopping centre I would suggest staying at the Travel lodge in Blackburn or Preston as the latter has all the major stores. Near Blackburn there is two beautiful rural areas with lots of good pubs in the Ribble Valley or Forest of Bowland, For the match there is reasonable parking on the industrial sites which can to found off to the right as you come down the hill from J4 M65 just after the Total garage at the traffic lights. There is also a shopping centre thingy at a place called Botany Bay at J8 on M61.
    Enjoy your trip up here and maybe see you at Ewood Park
  • PL54PL54
    ExiledinManchester said:

    Whatever you do don't stay in any of the Britannia Hotels.

    That Brittania near the station in Manchester is an absolute pit
  • UboatUboat
    If you are driving you should allow for the fact that the M1/M6 combination is absolutely horrendous on a Friday evening. If you leave Kent any time between about 4pm and 8pm be prepared for a frustrating journey.
  • BR7_addickBR7_addick
    Can I borrow someones Valley Gold membership to get hold of a ticket for this the day they come out!?
  • Fanny FanackapanFanny Fanackapan
    Thanks for all the advice.

    We'll leave Dartford early on Friday morning and proceed ( hopefully not too slowly!) to the Travelodge at Meadowhall. Double room for £35 now booked.

    Browse around the shops, dinner and maybe part 3 of The Hobbit saga at the cinema there.

    Then off to Blackburn after a late breakfast.

    See you there, lancs lad !

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  • LincsaddickLincsaddick
    as all (or most) of the advice on here suggests, all the shops will be teeming and all roads very busy on Friday 19th and the Saturday .. better off saving your pennies and 'doing' Meadowhall in the spring then catching the tram into Sheffield proper for the Owls game whilst dressed in your Easter bunny outfit

  • SHoare93SHoare93
    Stayed at that Travel Lodge at meadowhall for last years FA Cup vs Wendies... (The one that got cancelled)

    Decent place, literally right across the road from meadowhall. Also went ice-skating instead of the game!
  • UboatUboat
    edited November 2014
    .
  • Fanny FanackapanFanny Fanackapan
    Lincsaddick said:

    as all (or most) of the advice on here suggests, all the shops will be teeming and all roads very busy on Friday 19th and the Saturday .. better off saving your pennies and 'doing' Meadowhall in the spring then catching the tram into Sheffield proper for the Owls game whilst dressed in your Easter bunny outfit

    I know it'll be busy, Lincs but hate missing a match so travelling early on Friday and relaxing once we're at the hotel sees a better bet than stressing about the drive on the Saturday .

    As for my Easter bunny outfit....would hate to distract our players !

    :-)

  • LincsaddickLincsaddick
    edited November 2014
    Fanny Fanackapan said:

    Lincsaddick said:

    as all (or most) of the advice on here suggests, all the shops will be teeming and all roads very busy on Friday 19th and the Saturday .. better off saving your pennies and 'doing' Meadowhall in the spring then catching the tram into Sheffield proper for the Owls game whilst dressed in your Easter bunny outfit

    I know it'll be busy, Lincs but hate missing a match so travelling early on Friday and relaxing once we're at the hotel sees a better bet than stressing about the drive on the Saturday .

    As for my Easter bunny outfit....would hate to distract our players !

    :-)

    cheers Fanny, as you know there are Travelodges and Premier Inns all over the place, the sooner you book, the better the price .. for example I stay quite often at the Sheffield Central and Meadowhall T/Lodges or the Wakefield Campanile hotel (another cheapish hotel chain) and the price I pay booking a month or so in advance is around £30-£45 .. however, booking a day or two in advance, the marked up price is often around £80-£100 ... just get on the websites and type in 'Blackburn' and you'll get a choice of hotels within about a 30 mile radius of the selected town .. I find that 'non football' town hotels are usually cheaper than those with a biggish club nearby .. and of course, nowadays, there are shops and shopping centres everywhere .. and good luck in choosing a suitable Easter outfit and bonnet
  • EpsomAddickEpsomAddick
    edited November 2014
    Just booked my ticket. £13 for a student is not to be sniffed at. Interesting that Blackburn charge £10-15 less than the like of Ipswich, Norwich and Brighton, even allowing for the fact that they're oop North.
  • roseandcrownroseandcrown
    Tickets on sale £21 adult.
  • Leroy AmbroseLeroy Ambrose
    Chorley is about 12 miles away (and just up the road from me now). From what I've seen of it, it's a lovely little place. Unlike Preston, Bolton and Blackburn itself, which are all abject shiteholes.
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