Darlington FC away - Saturday 5th September

[Spiv]

Darlington Away Coach – Saturday 5th September

Away coach travel for the trip to Darlington is now on sale.

The coach will leave The Walks at 8:30am and tickets are £25.

Tickets can be booked online here:

https://kingslynnfc.ticketco.events/uk/en/e/supporters_coach_travel_vs_darlington

Or, if you would rather pay cash, Adam Ware will be in the Blue & Gold Bar from 12:30pm on Monday before the home game against Scarborough selling coach tickets.

It would be good to see this one get the numbers needed nice and early, especially after the Hebburn coach unfortunately didn't get enough bookings to run.

£25 isn't bad at all for a trip of that distance, and it saves the long drive there and back.

So if you're thinking of going to Darlington, please book as soon as you can rather than leaving it until the last minute.

Departure: The Walks – 8:30am
Price: £25
Date: Saturday 5th September

Online booking:
https://kingslynnfc.ticketco.events/uk/en/e/supporters_coach_travel_vs_darlington

[Spiv]

Just giving this a bump after yesterday's win.

I saw yesterday that we were apparently only 5 bookings short of the number needed for the Darlington coach to run, and I know of at least another couple who should be booking today.

So hopefully we're getting very close now.

£25, leaving The Walks at 8:30am — if you're thinking of going, this might be the time to get your ticket booked and help get the coach confirmed.

https://kingslynnfc.ticketco.events/uk/en/e/supporters_coach_travel_vs_darlington

[Spiv]

Darlington Away – Saturday 5th September

The good news for this one is that the supporters coach is definitely running.

There are still spaces available, with the deadline for booking being Friday 4th September.

The coach leaves The Walks at 8:30am and costs £25.

https://kingslynnfc.ticketco.events/uk/en/e/supporters_coach_travel_vs_darlington

I would expect the usual stop of around 45 minutes somewhere en route — Wetherby Services seems the most likely given the route.

Darlington play at:

Blackwell Meadows
Grange Road
Darlington
DL1 5NR

Kick-off is 3pm. ([1])

The following places to eat/drink and travel information have been generated by AI as usual (and where it found the information).

TL;DR plan

* Coach: leaves The Walks at 8:30am, £25, and is confirmed as running.
* Likely comfort stop: Wetherby Services.
* Tickets: £17 standing / £19 seated for adults. ([2])
* At the ground: there is a clubhouse serving food and drink before, during and after the match, plus two catering outlets. ([3])
* Parking for drivers: £5 at Blackwell Meadows, available to pre-book or first come, first served if spaces remain. ([4])
* Town centre option: Darlington town centre is around a 20–25 minute walk from Blackwell Meadows. ([4])
* If we arrive later than hoped: probably just stay at the ground — the clubhouse makes this a fairly easy away in that respect.

Tickets

Darlington's admission prices for 2026/27 are:

Standing

* Adult – £17
* Concession – £13
* Under 18 – £7
* Under 12 – FREE. ([2])

Seating

* Adult – £19
* Concession – £15
* Under 18 – £9. ([2])

Tickets for our game are already available online:

https://tickets.darlingtonfc.co.uk/

Darlington say that at most non-segregated matches everyone enters through the normal home turnstiles. If a match is segregated, away fans enter through the turnstiles at the open end of the ground. ([3])

If you have not bought in advance, tickets can also normally be bought at the turnstiles. ([3])

At the ground – probably the easiest coach option

This may actually be one of those away games where there is no great need to head off looking for a pub.

Darlington have a clubhouse at Blackwell Meadows which is open before, during and after the match, serving both drinks and food. They normally have live football showing on the TVs before kick-off as well. ([3])

There are also two separate catering outlets inside the ground. ([3])

Recent improvements to the food offering have included things such as:

* Pies
* Burgers
* Hot dogs
* Chips
* Chicken wraps
* Loaded fries
* Nachos
* Jacket potatoes
* Pizza. ([5])

So if the coach gets there around lunchtime, clubhouse → food → football is probably the easiest plan.

Heading into Darlington for a pub

If we arrive with enough time and anyone fancies going into town, Darlington's own guide says the town centre is around a 20–25 minute walk from Blackwell Meadows. ([4])

They actually advise anyone drinking in town to be finishing their pints by about 2pm to allow enough time to walk back and get through the turnstiles. ([4])

A taxi may therefore make more sense if there are a few of you.

The Quakerhouse

A proper beer option in the centre at 2–3 Mechanics' Yard.

It opens from 11am on Saturdays and has a very good reputation for real ale. ([6])

Probably my pick if the priority is a decent pint rather than lunch.

The William Stead

Wetherspoons on Crown Street, opening from 8am on Saturdays. ([7])

Not the most adventurous suggestion, but if a few people want cheap food and a pint before heading to Blackwell Meadows, it does the job.

The Pennyweight

Another central pub, opening from 11:30am on Saturdays. ([8])

Food, drinks and fairly straightforward if you want somewhere in the town centre before the game.

Woollen Mill

At Feethams, opening from 10am on Saturdays.

Does food as well as drinks, so another option if anyone wants lunch in Darlington before heading out to the ground. ([9])

Very close to the ground – Blackwell Grange Hotel

The Blackwell Grange Hotel is directly opposite the general Blackwell Meadows area on Grange Road.

Its bar and lounge serves food from 12:30pm until 9pm, including light meals and more substantial dishes. ([10])

That could actually be handy if we arrive early enough and somebody wants something a little more civilised than football-ground food.

Do not, however, use the hotel grounds for football parking — Darlington specifically ask supporters not to park in the entrance or on the grass verges at Blackwell Grange. ([11])

For drivers

Parking at Blackwell Meadows costs £5 per car.

It can be bought in advance through Darlington's ticketing site, or spaces are available first come, first served on matchday if the car park hasn't sold out. ([4])

Given that it is only £5, pre-booking looks the sensible option if driving.

Darlington have also issued a very recent warning about parking around the ground after complaints from residents.

In particular, they are asking supporters not to:

* Block driveways.
* Park illegally.
* Restrict access for emergency vehicles.
* Park on grass verges.
* Use the Blackwell Grange Hotel grounds as overflow parking. ([12])

There are town centre car parks around a 20–25 minute walk away if the ground is full. ([4])

Directions for drivers

From the south, Darlington's instructions are:

* Leave the A1(M) at Junction 57.
* Follow the A66(M) towards Darlington.
* At the end of the motorway take the first exit onto the A66.
* At the next roundabout take the second exit, A167 towards Darlington.
* Blackwell Meadows is around 400 yards on the right. ([4])

Coach plan

Assuming the journey goes roughly to plan:

1. Leave The Walks at 8:30am.
2. Likely stop around Wetherby Services for approximately 45 minutes.
3. Arrive at Blackwell Meadows around lunchtime/early afternoon.
4. Either use the clubhouse and food outlets at the ground or, if there is plenty of time, head into Darlington.
5. Kick-off 3pm.
6. Back on the coach after the game for the considerably easier journey home than driving it yourself.

Best options at a glance

* Simplest coach plan: clubhouse and food at Blackwell Meadows.
* Best town-centre pint: The Quakerhouse.
* Cheap food + pint: The William Stead.
* Food near the ground: Blackwell Grange Hotel or the ground itself.
* Adult standing ticket: £17.
* Adult seated ticket: £19.
* Driver parking: £5.
* Coach: £25, departing The Walks at 8:30am.

And after getting the numbers over the line, hopefully we can now fill a few more of those remaining coach seats before Friday.

[1]: https://darlingtonfc.co.uk/fixtures "Darlington FC – Fixtures"
[2]: https://darlingtonfc.co.uk/news/26-27-admission-prices "Darlington FC – 2026/27 Admission Prices"
[3]: https://darlingtonfc.co.uk/about/your-guide-to-matchdays-at-blackwell-meadows "Darlington FC – Matchday Guide"
[4]: https://darlingtonfc.co.uk/about/how-do-i-get-to-blackwell-meadows "Darlington FC – Directions and Parking"
[5]: https://darlingtonfc.co.uk/news/fresh-food-choices-for-the-new-season "Darlington FC – Matchday Food"
[6]: https://www.google.com/search?q=The+Quakerhouse+Darlington "The Quakerhouse – Darlington"
[7]: https://www.jdwetherspoon.com/pubs/all-pubs/england/county-durham/the-william-stead-darlington/ "The William Stead – Darlington"
[8]: https://www.google.com/search?q=The+Pennyweight+Darlington "The Pennyweight – Darlington"
[9]: https://www.google.com/search?q=Woollen+Mill+Darlington "Woollen Mill – Darlington"
[10]: https://www.blackwellgrangehotel.com/bar-and-lounge.html "Blackwell Grange Hotel – Bar and Lounge"
[11]: https://darlingtonfc.co.uk/news/using-the-blackwell-meadows-car-park "Darlington FC – Using the Blackwell Meadows Car Park"
[12]: https://darlingtonfc.co.uk/news/matchday-parking-near-blackwell-meadows "Darlington FC – Matchday Parking Advice"