Harrogate v Portsmouth: fan advice on how to get to Wetherby Road, parking options and where to eat and drink

The Town’s stadium has a capacity of more than 4,000, although this has been reduced to 3,400 for the Blues’ visit because of the TV cameras and segregation purposes.

Blues supporters will mainly be in the covered terrace on the Wetherby Road side of the ground in the Envirovent Stand.

A few seats have been allocated at one end of the stand.

Harrogate Town urges supporters not to bring bags to the game as a stop and search policy will be in place at the turnstiles.

Here’s some additional advice for those 616 Pompey fans travelling to the game...

Getting to the Ground

By Road

Leave the A1(M) at Junction 47 and take the A59 towards Knaresborough.

Then take the A658 towards Bradford/Harrogate.

At the second roundabout turn right on to the A661 towards Harrogate.

You will pass a Sainsburys and then after the lights, with the Woodlands pub on one corner, the entrance to the ground will be a bit further down on the right.

The traffic can get very congested on the A660, so make sure you allow plenty of time for your journey.

Parking

There is no parking available at the ground and please be aware that there are residents-only parking schemes in most of the residential roads near the ground.

Kingswood Surgery, on Wetherby Road (HG2 7SA), or Cedar Court Hotel, on Park Parade (HG1 5AH), offer match-day parking at £5 per car.

Please note that if you park at the Cedar Court Hotel, which is a five-minute walk from the ground, you will need to enter your vehicle and card details on the iPads in reception.

Otherwise, you will need to find street parking further away from the ground.

An alternate is to park in a town centre car park around one mile away.

If you are thinking of parking in Sainsbury’s, please double check any signage there to make sure you do not fall foul of their parking restrictions.

By Train

The train journey from Portsmouth to Harrogate will take around six hours.

From London Kings Cross you can catch a train to either York or Leeds, from where it is possible to catch an onward train to Harrogate.

Trains from York run once an hour and the journey takes about 30 minutes.

From Leeds, they run every 30 minutes and that journey will also take about 30 minutes.

Please note that after the match it will not be possible to get back to London or Portsmouth by train until the following morning.

Train details can be found at nationalrail.co.uk.

Harrogate Railway station is located just over a mile from the ground – about a 15-20 minute walk.

Exit the station on the east side (the side for trains towards Leeds), go up a slight incline and turn right on to the main road.

Cross this road at the pelican crossing and continue south.

Turn left at the roundabout into Station Avenue.

Continue straight up this road, crossing over at some point, until you come to a grassed area.

Cross the A6040 at the pelican crossing and then turn left, passing public toilets on your right.

Take the diagonal footpath across the park, which is called ‘The Stray or Two Hundred Acre’.

Turn right along Wetherby Road and the ground is the left after about 400 yards, passing the hospital on the left.

Take care as it is a busy road.

Alternately, you could catch the Harrogate Bus (number 7) or the Connexions Bus (number X70) from Stand 9 at the Harrogate Bus Station in the town centre.

Both these buses pass the ground along Wetherby Road.

From the station, turn right out of the main entrance and the bus station is a short walk down on the right.

The bus journey to the ground is no more than 10 minutes.

On the Harrogate Bus (number 7), if you show your match ticket to the driver you should be entitled to a reduced bus ticket price.

Eating and Drinking

If you are arriving by train, then just off Platform 1 is the Harrogate Tap, with up to 11 real ales on offer.

There are plenty of other pubs and places to eat near the Railway Station and in the town centre, including a Wetherspoons The Winter Gardens (Unit 4 Royal Baths, Parliament Street, HG1 2RR).

The nearest pub to the ground is The Woodlands (110 Wetherby Road, HG2 7AB).

A short distance from the ground, heading away from the town, The Woodlands serves real ale and food, and is family friendly.

About a 10-minute walk from the ground, along Wetherby Road towards the town, is The Empress (10 Church Square, HG1 4SP).

It has a pool table and two sports screens and serves food.

In the ground, provided by a local company, you will find a selection of burgers, pies and beef stew.