Information for visiting supporters - Travel

Information for visiting fans and Edinburgh fans going away

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Information for visiting supporters - Travel

Postby Chris on Thu Jul 19, 2012 10:06 pm

I have posted a couple of versions of this on the board over the years, but they’ve got lost in updates and thread culling exercises. This time, I’ve been prompted by “Ummmm” from Connacht to re-write it and this time I’ve saved it on my own PC first!

Caveat Emptor: these are based on my local knowledge and are accurate as far as I know at the time of posting. If I’m wrong about anything, or there's anything you can add, please add a reply below.

If you use these guides and feel that you can add something similar on your equivalent forum, please do, and post a link on this forum so we can find it! Thanks…

Get in: Road
If you’re coming by road, you’ll hit the Edinburgh Ring Road on the way in, pretty much any way you come. If you’re planning on driving directly to Murrayfield, then the key is to get to the Gogar Roundabout on the west side of Edinburgh, then head in on the A8 through Corstorphine towards Murrayfield. Once you’re past the zoo, keep an eye out for the stadium ahead of you on the right. Parking at the ground is reserved for season ticket holders; the best approach is to aim for a side street off the other side of Corstorphine Road and walk from there: the Murrayfield area is pretty respectable so your car will (probably) be intact on your return. The other option is to use the Ingleston Park and Ride and bus 12/X12 – free parking, for bus details see below

Get in: Train
Edinburgh has two main stations: Waverley and Haymarket. If you’re coming up the east coast main line, Waverley will be the terminus if your train is heading to Edinburgh; if you’re coming from pretty much anywhere in Scotland apart from East Lothian, or up the west coast main line then you’ll probably get to Haymarket first – or if you’re on an east coast train that goes on to Aberdeen or Inverness it’s the first stop after Waverley. Note that this station is due to be redeveloped and upgraded over the next few years, so may be a little chaotic.

To get to the ground from Haymarket, you have a number of choices:
1. Walk – it’s about 15 to 20 minutes to the ground. For the East Stand turnstiles (for the majority of Edinburgh games), once you’ve gone under the old railway bridge, bear left at the Roseburn Bar, walk another 200m and you’ll reach the turnstiles. If you have tickets to collect from the ticket centre, then it’s on your right just before the turnstiles
2. Taxi – black cabs from outside the station. Bear in mind that tram works have been in place for the last 5 years, and expected for another 2 or 3, so disruption is inevitable. There will be a tax rank somewhere – if in doubt, ask in the station
3. Bus. See “Get to Murrayfield: Bus” below

To get to the ground from Waverley, you also have a number of choices:
1. Walk – it’s about 40 minutes to the ground. Follow Princes Street west, then carry on to Haymarket. Thereafter, as for Haymarket above
2. Taxi – black cabs from inside the station. As well as tram works, Waverley is being done up, so disruption is inevitable. The taxi rank is being threatened with eviction on security grounds – if this happens, follow the signs up to street level
3. Bus. See “Get to Murrayfield: Bus” below

Get in: Air
If you land at Edinburgh Airport (see http://www.edinburghairport.com/ for details of flights in – too numerous and variable to detail here), then you currently have two choices: taxis from the rank outside the station, or the bus.

Get to Murrayfield: Bus
Edinburgh has two main bus operators: Lothian Regional Transport (“LRT”) (http://www.lothianbuses.com/)and First Group (http://www.firstgroup.com/ukbus/scotland_east/). Lothian are the “city” operator, concentrating on services inside the ring road and city boundary with a few going further; the majority of First Group routes are from outside Edinburgh into the Centre. The main bus Station is not used by Lothian, but by First and other longer distance operators (National Express ,Megabus, Stagecoach etc. from Fife, The Borders and beyond). Because of this, I’m going to concentrate on LRT. Their buses are generally maroon, and fixed fares, currently £1.40 adult, 70p child – exact change only. A “DAYticket” is £3.50 and £2.00 respectively, and can be bought from the driver on your first journey and is valid for the rest of the day, but not on night buses or airport buses.

Buses to/from Murrayfield from the centre of Edinburgh: 12/X12, 26, 31 all go along Corstorphine Road; alight at the Murrayfield Hotel and use the North turnstiles; 22, 30 go along the Western Approach road; you will be able to see the stadium on the right; get off at the first stop after the end of the Western Approach Road and go back under the railway bridge to the East turnstiles

Airport buses (service 100) http://www.flybybus.com/ also operated by LRT runs from the Airport to Waverley Bridge (subject to tramworks); singles cost £3.50 adult, £2.00 child, open returns are £6.00 adult, £3.00 child, and stop at Murrayfield on Corstorphine Road. The driver will announce the stop over the Tannoy.

Where to stay
I lack opinions here, as a resident. However, there are a number of guest houses and hotels close to Murrayfield. There’s an Apex hotel about 10 minutes walk from the ground, a Premier Travel Inn at Haymarket, and all the usual suspects from the Hilton and Sheraton downwards in the centre of the city. If you’re coming up for a pre-season friendly, bear in mind that this will coincide with the Festival (the whole of August up to the Bank Holiday for the Fringe; the official Festival carries on for another week, ending with the fireworks on the Sunday night after the Bank Holiday), and accommodation will be scarce and expensive, and probably booked out well in advance.
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Re: Information for visiting supporters - Travel

Postby Sonicboom on Fri Jul 20, 2012 1:16 am

Been a while since I lived in Edinburgh so this may be out of date but you used to be able to use daysaver tickets on the airport bus provided you didn't go further than the PC world roundabout in Costorphine. They are much faster buses to use then the normal ones but don't stop at every bus stop.
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Re: Information for visiting supporters - Travel

Postby Chris on Sat Jul 21, 2012 9:12 am

Sonicboom, I had a dig on the LRT website, and it's no longer possible to use Day tickets on the Airport bus. A good thought, though, and I wish I'd known at the time!:

Travel Restrictions
RIDACARDS are valid on AIRLINK and all Lothian Buses except Service 98 and Tours. RIDACARDS give a £1.50 discount on the NIGHTBUSES Night Ticket fare when shown to the Night Buses driver.

Daytime SINGLEtickets, DAYtickets and CITYSINGLEtickets are valid on all buses except AIRLINK, NIGHTBUSES, Service 98 and Tours.


(RIDACARDS are season tickets/bus passes; Night bus service numbers are prefixed "N" and run in the early hours; SINGLEtickets are just that, and CITYSINGLEtickets are bought in a book from LRT shops - books of 20 with no discount on the price, just the convenience of not having to find change. I hadn't mentioned them as they're not going to be any use to visiting fans.)
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Re: Information for visiting supporters - Travel

Postby biffer on Mon Dec 08, 2014 4:31 pm

We haven't added

TRAMS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
we've got trams now, and they go to Murrayfield! Stops at Princes Street, West End, St Andrews Square and Haymarket if you're coming from the town side, or from the Airport, Ingliston Park and Ride or Edinburgh Park Station if you're coming from out of town.

If you get a day pass for the bus it covers the trams, and vice versa. The day passes don't go to the airport though, same as the buses. However, Ridacards now cover all the way out to the airport and the nightbuses. There are also family day tickets for the bus and tram which I think are £7.50 and cover two adults and two kids.

http://lothianbuses.com/plan-a-journey/ ... nd-tickets

Please use them, they cost us £100 million per mile.
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