Eaton Road · Hove · East Sussex BN3 3AN · Capacity approx 5,000
Hove: the county ground by the sea
Sussex play a few streets back from the seafront at Hove, on a small ground surrounded by Victorian terraces with the Channel just visible beyond. It is the prettiest county ground in England and the only one where sea mist rolling in off the water genuinely stops play.
From the ground to Hove seafront. Which is why almost nobody who books transport to Hove books it only for the cricket: a county day here and an afternoon by the sea are effectively the same outing.
The sea is part of the day
At every other cricket ground the weather means rain. Here it means something else as well.
A genuine stoppage
Fret rolling in off the Channel can take the light without a cloud in the sky. It is a Hove speciality.
Five minutes' walk
Hove lawns, the beach huts and the promenade, all within a few minutes of the gate.
Fifteen minutes east
With everything Brighton has. A great many groups build both into the day.
Not a joke
Guard your food. Everyone who has been will tell you the same thing.
Kent to the Sussex coast
Across country rather than through London, the same run as our Amex Stadium journeys.
| Pick-up area | Distance | Journey |
|---|---|---|
| Tunbridge Wells & Southborough | 36 miles | 60–85 min |
| Sevenoaks & Tonbridge | 42 miles | 70–95 min |
| Maidstone & Aylesford | 49 miles | 80–105 min |
| Bromley & Orpington | 49 miles | 80–105 min |
| Ashford & Tenterden | 59 miles | 90–115 min |
| Dartford & Bluewater | 59 miles | 90–115 min |
| Gravesend & Northfleet | 63 miles | 95–120 min |
| Canterbury & Whitstable | 80 miles | 115–145 min |
Cricket and the coast
The obvious way to build the day, and the one most of our Hove bookings take.
| Element | How it works |
|---|---|
| Arrive for the start of play | Around 10:30 for an 11:00 start |
| Watch the morning session | Until lunch at about 13:00 |
| Walk to the front | Five minutes, and the lawns and beach huts are right there |
| Back for the afternoon | Or stay out, if the cricket is going badly |
| Brighton afterwards | Fifteen minutes east, and we can build the stop in at no extra cost |
A day at Hove
Nobody comes here only for the cricket
And that is the sensible way to treat it. The ground is five minutes from the seafront and fifteen from Brighton, the cricket runs from eleven to six with a proper lunch interval, and there is nothing stopping a group wandering out for an hour and coming back. Tell us what you want the day to look like and we will price the whole thing as one arrangement rather than a drop and a collection.
Sea mist is a real thing
Every cricket ground loses time to rain. Hove also loses it to fret rolling in off the Channel, which can take the light on an otherwise clear afternoon and is genuinely unpredictable. Combined with ordinary English weather it means we agree cancellation and open-return terms when you book, because the odds of the day going exactly to plan are lower here than elsewhere.
A small ground and an easy exit
Around five thousand at capacity, on residential Eaton Road with Victorian terraces on all sides. There is no crush and no closure ring, and we collect a few minutes' walk away on a road that moves. Parking a car here, by contrast, is the usual seaside-town exercise and not worth attempting.
The drive is the pleasant kind
Across Sussex rather than through London, which is the same route as our Amex Stadium journeys and one of the better drives we do. An hour from Tunbridge Wells, an hour and a half from most of west Kent. Rail from Kent to the Sussex coast is slow and usually goes via London, so this is one of the few places where the road is clearly the better option.
Hove cricket questions
The seaside county ground.
How close is the ground to the sea?
About five minutes' walk to Hove seafront, with the lawns and beach huts right there. Brighton is fifteen minutes east.
Does sea mist really stop play?
Yes. Fret rolling in off the Channel can take the light on an otherwise clear afternoon, and it is a Hove speciality. It is one reason we agree open-return and cancellation terms up front here.
How far is Hove from Kent?
Around thirty-five to eighty miles, roughly an hour from Tunbridge Wells and an hour and a half to two and a half from the rest of the county.
Can we build in the seafront or Brighton?
Yes, and most groups do. Tell us what you want the day to look like and we will price it as one arrangement rather than a drop and a collection.
How big is the ground?
Around five thousand, on residential Eaton Road with terraces on all sides. There is no crush and the exit is a few minutes' walk to a road that moves.
Why not take the train?
Because Kent to the Sussex coast by rail is slow and usually routes via London. The drive across Sussex is much better, which is unusual.
Is there parking near the ground?
Ordinary seaside-town residential parking, which is to say not really. Being dropped avoids the exercise entirely.
Is the fare fixed?
Yes, agreed at booking, with the rain and mist arrangements set out in advance.
Sussex venues and guides
The coast and the Downs.