QPR's ever lengthening quest for an away win takes them to Arsenal this weekend. Here's the usual travel hints and tips for those with tickets.
Ground Name: Ashburton Grove
Capacity: 60,432 (all seated)
Address: Highbury House, 75 Drayton Park, London , N5 1BU
Main Telephone No: 020 7619 5003
Ticket Office: 020 7619 5000
Not difficult, but a bit of a ball ache. Essentially you just follow the A1 towards the middle of London until you see Holloway Tube Station, then take the next left into Hornsey Road and you’re there. That’s about six miles from the point where the M1 and the A1 meet out near Staples Corner but this isn’t six miles of motorway by any stretch of the imagination. New Year’s Eve should be ok for traffic, but at any other time of the day and night this drive is a grind.
Click map to visit Google and zoom in/out or tour round.
Almost non-existent. Certainly no room for car parks when they built this thing and extensive residents permit schemes in operation in the surrounding streets as part of its planning permission. If you’re arriving by car then chances are you’re coming in from our of town – if so then park up on the outskirts and utilise the excellent public transport links to the Emirates. New Barnet and Oakleigh Park stations are a short drive off the A1 and offer a half hourly service into Finsbury Park with a journey time of about ten minutes. Cockfosters at the end of the Piccadilly Line is a short hop down the A111 from Junction 24 of the M25, Potters Bar on the Finsbury Park overground line is a short drive the other way from the same turning, as is Hadley Wood.
The nearest tube station to the Arsenal ground is Holloway Road on the Piccadilly Line, but they close it on matchdays because they worry about it getting too crowded. Genius. The stops either side of it ( Caledonian Road and Arsenal) are both within walking distance. Arsenal is closer - from the station turn right, follow Drayton Park Road around to the left and then use one of the large metal footbridges to cross the overground line below to the stadium – that line incidentally is the First Capital Connect service into Moorgate but does not run or stop at Drayton Park station next to the stadium on evenings, weekends or public holidays.
The Piccadilly Line, along with the Victoria Line, also runs to Finsbury Park Station which is no more than a ten minute walk away from the ground which is well signposted. You can also reach Finsbury Park via First Capital Connect services from Kings Cross, or further north on the Welwyn Garden City-Stevenage-Hatfield-Hertford-Cuffley-Barnet-Alexandra Palace services. Visiting fans repeatedly recommend the overground from Finsbury Park back into town afterwards with Holloway Road, Arsenal and Finsbury Park tube stations all likely to be closed due to overcrowding after the game although last year even Finsbury Park was a bit of a nightmare.
The following tube and train closures are in place this weekend:
- Circle Line completely closed.
- Bakerloo Line closed between Paddington and Elephant and Castle.
- Hammersmith and City Line closed between Liverpool Street and Barking.
- District Line closed between Mansion House and Whitechapel.
- Metropolitan Line trains starting and terminating at Moorgate.
- No Piccadilly Line between Uxbridge and Acton Town with rail replacement bus services in operation.
- No Overground service from Richmond to Willesden Junction.
The Drayton Arms between Drayton Park overground and Arsenal underground stations is the traditional haunt for away fans from further afield, but as ever with London games QPR fans will probably have their own plans all over the city and head in late. Pubs on and around the Euston Road look particularly attractive for this game with tube services to the ground from Kings Cross and Euston. The Twelve Pins near Finsbury Park is recommended by the guide as a decent mixed boozer with Sky Sports.
As usual for a London fixture, no coach travel being run by either the club or the LSA for this match.
QPR were given just over 3,000 tickets for this game and they all sold out in double quick time. This includes the disabled allocation.
Links >>> Detailed fans' guide >>> Arsenal Official Website
Tweet @loftforwords