FOREST AWAY: Bournemouth, Saturday 25th January – Fan Guide
As I suspect quite a lot of you have noticed, I’ve had a busy old week touring the podcasts and the social media circuits talking about my little project. A book I actually wrote and someone actually agreed to publish… Trailblazers: The Groundbreaking History of Nottingham Forest is the title and I’ll admit I’m rather proud of it. So I’m sure you’ll forgive me for utilising this week’s away guide for another mention.
It’s taken me the best part of five years to go from the original idea to the impending publication date of next Monday, and the vast majority of that was losing myself in old newspapers, the archives of libraries across Nottinghamshire and London, and interviewing the likes of Frank Clark, Stuart Pearce and Paul Hart.
Despite the time it took to pull all of these stories together and the painstaking research that required, I can honestly say I loved it. All of it. I realise this won’t necessarily apply to everyone but there was something thrilling finding something new and significant about our football club.
Like me, you may have heard these little bits of our history talked about over the years. I’ve been describing it as a bit of an unknown part of our heritage; these tales about how we influenced and inspired, and how Forest have their footprints on so many milestones in the game. I’d originally considered there might be enough for a series of articles on our pioneering traditions but eventually I realised this was a far bigger (and far more important) story than I had ever thought.
In knitting these threads together, I was astounded frequently at our endeavours. These groundbreaking feats are a silver thread that has weaved through our 160 years of existence, frequently combining with our most glorious and famous moments, but regularly just as a backdrop and a culture to the football club. The innovative brilliance of fascinating characters along with staunch principles and historic defiance have been passed down through the generations and put the Garibaldi Reds at the forefront of football.
Trailblazers will introduce you to individuals you have never heard of but who have been key members of NFFC’s remarkable history; and it will share wonderful moments featuring much loved and respected figures. From the green expanse of the Forest Recreation Ground to the grass of Wembley; to the heat of South America and through the turmoil of war, the book will guide you through the magical heritage of Nottingham Forest and demonstrate how they have often changed the game and led the way as football pioneers.
I quickly came to adore this story and my hope is that you will too. I really think it’s a story that all Forest fans need to hear; and it’s why I dedicated so many, many hours to bring this story to life. This isn’t a typical history book that works through the years in order, it chases the narrative across twenty chapters of Forest’s extraordinary exploits and it will, I’m pretty sure, leave you feeling very proud.
I’m honoured to be donating all of my personal proceeds from the book to the Forza Garibaldi fund so sales will directly support our group in our future activities. It is available to pre-order now online and from Monday will be available in various stores too.
A quick search online will bring up plenty of options but I have included a link to Amazon here:
I will also be hosting a special launch event at the Playwright pub on Shakespeare Street, a venue previously known as the Clinton Arms where the Reds were formed in 1865, on Monday evening from 6:30pm. All are welcome to attend (although the pub won’t admit U18s after 7pm) and there will be copies of the book available which I’m happy to sign for you.
Thanks for reading.
GENERAL INFORMATION – BOURNEMOUTH
Last Visit: Pretty much a year ago on 3rd February 2024 – the game finished 1-1.
Famous Visit: A late comeback in 2014 as Forest, led by Stuart Pearce, scored two late goals to win 2-1.
It’s a regular occurrence for long queues to build up at the away turnstiles before kick-off. The couple of visits so far, in fairness, have been improvements on the considerable delays for the game in the promotion season but it’s something to be aware of.
Forest fans will once again be housed at one end of the Vitality East Stand.
TRAVEL
RAIL: Sadly, it’s starting to feel a little futile to try and provide basic information around train travel. A standard return, even discounted using the SplitSave option by breaking the journey into separate return fares, is coming in over £200 on the initial search on Trainline.com.
The cheapest fare I’ve been able to find from Nottingham is to go via Birmingham and that comes in just under £130 and involves several hours on trains before the day is through. I’m sure there will be better deals out there but I didn’t spot them; going via London is likely a quicker route and not hugely more expensive so that is another one to look into.
Bournemouth Station is at least a couple of miles from the Vitality and so allow plenty of time to make it to and from the stadium.
There is also Pokesdown Station much closer to the ground, which may serve as an option too.
ROAD: The most direct route from Nottingham appears to be M1 / A43 at Northampton / M3 / M27 / A31 / A338.
In terms of parking, I’d recommend arriving early if you can and searching in the little strip between the A338 and the Vitality. Last season there was some parking being advertised (I think it may have been a school) right by the ground, but there are some shouts on the surrounding streets too.
One option is to come off the A338 at the junction before the ground near the Royal Bournemouth Hospital; the benefit of this being it will offer a quick getaway afterwards and avoids the bit of chaos to join the dual carriageway closer to the ground.
The below is a direct extract from the Dorset Police briefing which gives more detail on the final leg of the journey to the Vitality Stadium (this info was provided a couple of seasons back, but we will assume much of this still stands albeit price info is likely outdated):
From the A31, take the A338 to Bournemouth at the Ashley Heath roundabout
Carry on straight over the flyover
Take the next slip road off to the left (signposted ‘Football Ground’) to Kings Park
At the mini roundabout go straight across into Kings Park itself
And for the less adventurous of you, whack BH7 7AF into your sat nav.
There is also parking available on match days in the multistorey Sovereign Centre Car Park (BH1 4SX) on Christchurch Road. This car park is available all day and every day but be advised that this is the main car park for the high street so can get busy with everyday local cars. Parking fees are £2 or £2.50 depending on how long you stay. This car park is a 10-minute walk from the stadium via Ashley Road and across Kings Park.
Most of the residential roads around the stadium have parking restrictions, which supporters are advised to adhere to as local traffic wardens do actively patrol on match days.
The briefing also notes Harewood College as a usually reliable parking spot for £2 per car but does suggest this may only be available on Saturday’s.
PUBS
The usual designated away pubs are around a 15-minute walk south of the ground in Boscombe. I gather Baxter’s Bar has now shut down but across the road is Mello Mello which usually attracts a sizeable number of Forest fans but isn’t very big.
Another option which I believe now welcomes away fans is The Bell, close to Pokesdown Station, and a short way down the road from Mello Mello.
There are a few other options close by too, although these will be mixed with home supporters. The best place is Chaplin’s, a quirky little place with a really good outside area (weather permitting) and there is a big Harvester type place called the Neptune right on the sea front too.
Bournemouth itself has plenty of options but is a fair old way from the ground, so unless you are arriving by train you probably won’t want to head that far.
***
Although the forecast storms will have hopefully subsided by Saturday, take care while travelling. Let’s pray that the combination of high winds and a Bournemouth injury list doesn’t lead to us having another wasted journey.
See you there.
You Reds
Matt