Kingsholm Road · Gloucester GL1 3AX · Capacity 16,115
Kingsholm: the Shed, and a long way west
Gloucester play in front of the Shed, a covered terrace running the length of one touchline that is the most famous stand in English club rugby and comfortably the loudest. It sits in a residential part of Gloucester, a hundred and fifty miles west of Kent.
A covered terrace holding a few thousand people, close enough to the pitch to be heard by everyone on it. Visiting players talk about it, visiting supporters remember it, and it is the reason a good many people make this journey.
Kent to Gloucester is a proper journey
West rather than north, which is a direction most of our away-day work does not go.
And finally the M5
Round London, west past Reading and Swindon, then north up the M5. Straightforward but long.
Around three hours
Comfortably a day return for an afternoon kick-off, and a long evening for a Friday night fixture.
Residential Gloucester
Terraced streets around the ground, with matchday controls.
A Gloucester tradition
Many fixtures are Friday evening, which changes the journey home considerably.
Kent to Gloucestershire
West on the M4 then north on the M5. No city driving until the last mile.
| Pick-up area | Distance | Each way | Home by, 15:00 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bromley & Orpington | 142 miles | 2h 45m – 3h 25m | 20:30 |
| Sevenoaks & Tonbridge | 145 miles | 2h 50m – 3h 30m | 20:35 |
| Dartford & Bluewater | 148 miles | 2h 55m – 3h 35m | 20:40 |
| Gravesend & Northfleet | 153 miles | 3h – 3h 40m | 20:45 |
| Maidstone & Aylesford | 158 miles | 3h 5m – 3h 45m | 20:50 |
| Rochester & Chatham | 163 miles | 3h 10m – 3h 50m | 20:55 |
| Canterbury & Ashford | 187 miles | 3h 35m – 4h 20m | 21:25 |
Friday night fixtures
Gloucester play a good many Friday evening matches, and from Kent that is a different exercise entirely.
| Element | What it means |
|---|---|
| Leave Kent mid-afternoon | To clear the M25 before it seizes up. |
| Kick-off around 19:45 | With the Shed in full voice under floodlights. |
| Final whistle around 21:30 | And the bars busy long afterwards. |
| Home around 01:00 to 01:30 | If you leave promptly, which rugby crowds rarely do. |
| Or stay over | Gloucester and Cheltenham both have accommodation, and Friday rates are reasonable. |
A Gloucester away day
The Shed is the reason to go
There are bigger grounds and there are more comfortable ones, and there is nothing in English club rugby that sounds like the Shed in full voice. It runs the length of one touchline, it is covered, and it is close enough to the pitch that the players hear every word. If your group has not been, it is worth the three hours to find out what the noise is about.
Friday nights need thinking about
A good share of Gloucester's fixtures are Friday evening, which means leaving Kent mid-afternoon to clear the M25 and getting home somewhere around one in the morning. That is manageable if the group is prepared for it. It is also the point at which staying over in Gloucester or Cheltenham starts to look sensible, particularly given how long rugby crowds stay in the bars.
Residential streets, so we hold back
Kingsholm sits in a terraced part of Gloucester with matchday parking controls, and there is no space near the turnstiles. We hold on wider roads towards the ring road, which is around ten minutes' walk and gets you onto the M5 without negotiating the streets around the ground.
Pair it with Cheltenham
The two are ten miles apart, which occasionally makes for a good combined trip if a race meeting and a fixture line up. Tell us if that is your plan and we will price the whole thing as one arrangement rather than two.
Kingsholm questions
The journey west, and the Friday nights.
How far is Gloucester from Kent?
Around a hundred and forty to a hundred and ninety miles, roughly three to four and a half hours each way on the M25, M4 and M5.
Can we do it as a day return?
For an afternoon kick-off, comfortably. Three o'clock means home by around half eight. Friday evening fixtures put you back closer to one in the morning.
What is the Shed?
A covered terrace running the length of one touchline, holding a few thousand people and the most famous stand in English club rugby. It is the main reason visiting supporters make this trip.
Are Friday night fixtures common?
Yes, a good share of Gloucester's home matches. From Kent that means leaving mid-afternoon and getting home in the small hours, or staying over.
Where do you collect afterwards?
On wider roads towards the ring road, around ten minutes' walk. The streets around the ground are terraced with matchday controls.
Should we stay over?
For a Friday night fixture it is worth considering. Gloucester and Cheltenham both have accommodation and Friday rates are usually reasonable.
Can we combine it with Cheltenham?
Yes, they are ten miles apart. If a race meeting and a fixture line up we will price the whole trip as one arrangement.
Is the fare fixed?
Yes, agreed before travel and unaffected by motorway delays or how long you stay afterwards.
Western rugby and guides
The M4 and M5 corridor.