Brief Directions by Road:

M25 to junction 27 and up the M11 north to its junction 8 (Stansted Airport). Take the A120 east (Colchester) for approx 16 miles until you reach the Galley Corner roundabout – it has one of those unmentionable Scottish sounding hamburger thingys to your right! Turn left into Cressing Road where you will find the ground on the left after ¾ of a mile, entry via Clockhouse Way.

Car Parking:

There is a small car park at the ground which fills up very early and sometimes is open only to officials and VIPs. Local street parking is unrestricted.

Directions by Train:

Braintree station is situated just under a mile away from the ground. It is served by trains from London Liverpool Street. It is a fairly complicated 20 minute walk to the ground from the station (around the houses) so a cab is made for sharing don’t you think?

Eating and Drinking Locally:

Very little on offer close to the ground I am afraid.  The nearest pub is the Orange Tree in Cressing Road a three minute walk away. The Mulberry Tree (which also a Premier Inn alongside if you fancy an overnighter) can be found at the aforementioned Galley Roundabout although it is a twenty minute walk to the ground from here.

If arriving by train then you may care to visit a Wetherspoons outlet called the Picture Palace on Fairfield Road, which is only a five minute walk away from the station. This converted former cinema, is listed in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide.

The Angel Inn 33 Notley Rd, Braintree CM7 1HA is suggested by my spies as a decent pub and is also fairly close to the station.

My Reckless Recommendation, although really only for those travelling by road as it is in a local village, is The Essex Cricketers Notley Green, Great Notley, Braintree CM77 7US.  I’ve eaten a Sunday Lunch there and my cousin David is a regular diner/drinker – it is very very nice and has a first class range of local ales plus excellent wholesome grub on offer. Sausages and Cheesy Mash with caramelised onion gravy and seasonal vegetables sounds fantastic with a Shepherd Neame beer for company doesn’t it?

Social Club:

The social club does allow away fans unless ground segregation is in force.

Admission Prices:

Adults £17, OAPs £11, U16s £6, U11s £4.

Previous Meetings and Memories:

Our last visit was August Bank Holiday 2013 and a 3-0 win, courtesy of Mark Byrne, Jake Hyde and Keanu Marsh Brown put us top of the table – 4 weeks later however we were 12th!

Overnight Stay Factor:

Err………nope.