Groundhopping journeys

 A late September Saturday afternoon took me to the North East, to Grayfields, the home of FC Hartlepool. I took the train to York and had the morning there, before catching the 1258 Grand Central to Hartlepool arriving at 1352. The ground is about 1.5 miles walk away so I set off straight away upon arrival, getting to the ground about 1430, very late for me. Admission and a 50 50 half time draw ticket came to £7 and I made my way briefly into the bar before visiting the food facility as I hadn't eaten. Strangely their is no menu advertising what they sell so after enquiring I got 2 sausages and chips with gravy, along with a fruit shoot drink for the bargain price of £5. A special word for the chips, the best I've had at a football match since a game at Bradford Park Avenue many years ago. It was strange not having an age to wait before kick off and no sooner had I finished my chips, it was time to pick my spot to stand as the teams emerged from the tunnel. The opposition were...

 It's a number of years since I completed the Scottish 42, even more in reality as I ended up doing 47/48 with promoted teams added into the mix. However since their meteoric rise to Scottish League One, East Kilbride had evaded me until now. An outpost suburb of Glasgow, links to the stadium are not very good at all, with the nearest one still requiring a mile walk, I managed to get within 1.5 mile going, coming back with a 45 minute wait I took on the 2.5 mile walk back to the hotel the other side of town. The ground sits on the edge of a national park and it really does have beautiful surroundings, the ground itself, the bumblebee stadium is very small, I didn't realise how small until I got there with a capacity of only 700, given that the terrace behind the goal is given to away fans that just leaves the seated stand along the side for home fans. The other two sides are not for spectators. The crowd was 421 on the night so I was relieved to have bought a ticket through the...

 A midweek trip to the Fylde Coast, saw me arrive early morning and spend the day in Blackpool, my spiritual home from many happy days as a youngster spent there. Parking was found near Coral Island where we went for breakfast which was a very decent offering. After spending a small fortune in the amusements attempting to win a soft toy we took a walk along the sea front to the South Pier and back before Fish and Chips in Harry Ramsdens at the Tower. A short drive up the coast to Cleveleys saw us pass the legendary Blackpool Illuminations however sadly they don't seem to be as good as they once were in that there isn't half as many of them. I had intended to do this ground last season on the ground hop weekend, however the officials ridiculously called the game off that day, costing the club a lot financially, so I was glad to put a bit back into the club so soon after.  Cleveleys ground boasts ample car parking and very modern bar facilities with food catering available if yo...

 I made the most of Northern Trains flash sale and got a return to Lancaster for £4 for this one, Garstang then being an 11 mile bus ride out of Lancaster priced at £3 each way. I spent the morning in Lancaster, thinking there wouldn't be a lot in Garstang but on arrival I was suprised to see a decent little high street and a branch of the excellent supermarket, Booths. After looking in the cafe which had a warning for long waiting times, I decided to purchase some food from the shop itself, two giant pretzels from the bakery, some Lancashire crisps and two magic star apples did the job, I initially bought them for tea on the train home but on arrival at the riverside ground there was no food on offer so it became lunch. I was amazed thar there wasn't so much as a pie on offe given the distance the opposition, Shildon had travelled. I know the clubhouse is getting an upgrade and is closed but I'm sure a microwave and hot counter could have been used for a few pastry based i...