Barrack Road · Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 4ST · Capacity 52,305
St James' Park: a stadium in the actual city centre
Very few large stadiums sit inside a city centre. St James' Park does, rising above Newcastle's shops and streets so that you can walk from the ground to the Bigg Market in a few minutes. It is also three hundred miles from Kent, which makes it the furthest away day we run.
From Kent, which is five and a half to seven hours each way. This is not a fixture you attend and drive home from. It is a weekend, and the city is good enough to make that a pleasure rather than a chore.
What a city-centre stadium changes
Almost every other fifty-thousand-seat ground is out of town. This one is not, and it makes the day completely different.
In a few minutes
The ground rises above the city streets. Pubs, food and the station are all a short walk.
Because there is no room
City-centre stadium, city-centre constraints. Nothing to park in near the ground.
Into a city, not a grid
Fifty-two thousand people leaving into a full city centre clear far better than into terraced streets.
Ten minutes' walk
Newcastle Central, which makes rail a genuinely strong option from London.
Kent to Newcastle
The furthest away day on our list. Times include the rest breaks a journey of this length legally requires.
| Pick-up area | Distance | Each way |
|---|---|---|
| Gravesend & Northfleet | 300 miles | 5h 40m – 7h |
| Dartford & Bluewater | 295 miles | 5h 35m – 6h 55m |
| Bromley & Orpington | 290 miles | 5h 30m – 6h 50m |
| Sevenoaks & Tonbridge | 293 miles | 5h 35m – 6h 55m |
| Rochester & Chatham | 310 miles | 5h 50m – 7h 10m |
| Maidstone & Aylesford | 306 miles | 5h 45m – 7h 5m |
| Canterbury & Ashford | 334 miles | 6h 10m – 7h 35m |
How to do it
At this distance the honest answer is not a coach there and back in a day.
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| Two nights | The right answer. Travel up Friday, match Saturday, home Sunday. |
| One night | Workable, and still a great deal of driving across two days. |
| Rail from London | Genuinely competitive. East coast services are fast and the station is ten minutes from the ground. |
| Day return | Nineteen hours door to door. We will do it and we will not recommend it. |
| Coach for a group | Where we add most value, particularly with overnight bags. |
The furthest away day we run
The city centre location is the compensation
Once you have made the journey, everything else about a Newcastle away day is easy. The ground is in the middle of town, the pubs and food are minutes away, the station is a short walk and the crowd disperses into a working city rather than a residential grid. It is one of the most enjoyable away trips in the country, which is why people keep making it despite the distance.
Rail is a serious option here
East coast services from London to Newcastle are fast and frequent, and Newcastle Central is ten minutes from the ground. For two or three people travelling light, it will very likely beat a coach on both time and cost. We would rather say so and handle the Kent-to-London leg and the local runs than sell you six hours in a vehicle each way.
Where the coach wins
Groups with overnight bags, travelling and staying together, arriving together and leaving together. Twenty people on a coach is a materially better weekend than twenty separate rail tickets and a scramble at King's Cross, and the local runs in Newcastle come with it.
Book months ahead
A trip of this length needs vehicle and driver planning around rest rules, which cannot be arranged at short notice. If your group does one long away trip a season, this is the one to plan first.
St James' Park questions
Distance first, then the good news.
How far is Newcastle from Kent?
Around three hundred miles, five and a half to seven hours each way including the rest breaks a journey of this length legally requires. It is the furthest away day we run.
Can we do it in a day?
Technically, at about nineteen hours door to door. We will run it and we will tell you first that almost nobody should book one.
How many nights should we stay?
Two if you can. Up on the Friday, match on the Saturday, home on the Sunday. One night works and still involves a great deal of driving across two days.
Would the train be better?
For two or three people, very likely. East coast services from London are fast and Newcastle Central is ten minutes from the ground. We would rather say so and handle the Kent leg and the local runs.
Is the ground really in the city centre?
Yes, unusually for a stadium that size. It rises above the streets and the pubs, shops and station are all a short walk away.
Is there parking?
Effectively none near the ground, because it is a city-centre site. City parking exists and empties slowly like everywhere.
How does the exit compare with other big grounds?
Better than most. Fifty-two thousand people leaving into a working city centre disperse far more easily than into terraced streets.
Is the fare fixed?
Yes, agreed before travel, whatever the A1 does.
North east venues and guides
The long trips, and the honest advice.