If
you travel by train then it's a good 25 minute walk from the station to the away
turnstiles. It takes even longer from the city centre pubs. A taxi is therefore
obviously an option here. Alternatively you can catch a bus - you want any
number from 1 to 11, all of which stop on Maid Marion Way and also outside the
station.It's much quicker to drive down than to go by train. If you do opt to drive then there's a council operated car park on the Victoria Embankment (near the cricket ground). Alternatively you could park in the streets in West Bridgford, which would be handy for the Stratford Haven (see below).
Pubs
Most of the pubs around the ground are strictly home fans only. The best option for away fans is probably the Stratford Haven. This has loads of hand-pulled beers, gets universally good reviews, and has a mixture of home and away fans. Another possibility is the Meadow Lane Sports Bar. This has been recently refurbished, and the management positively encourage away fans to go there. It supposedly has a decent range of beer and food. Way back in the 80s we used to congregate in a place called the Bentinck Hotel if we went to Forest by train. This is slap bang next door to the station, and it sounds like it hasn't changed a bit over the years. There are reports of away fans getting hassle in pubs near the station, but I'd be surprised if that's the case with the Bentinck as it's not the sort of place that 'boys' would normally bother with. Another pub where you probably won't have any bother, despite it being not far from the station, is Ye Olde Trip To Jerusalem. This is claimed to be the oldest pub in Britain, is partly carved out of the rock that Nottingham Castle is built on, has good beer and food, also has a beer garden, and is, according to the Burnley London Supporters Club pub guide (see link below), "one of the world's great pubs". You can't really ask for more than that! It goes without saying that there's a Wetherspoons (The Company Inn) not far from the station, although this may be one to avoid. Safer Spoons options are the Roebuck Inn and the Joseph Else as these are a canny distance from the station and in the opposite direction to the ground. Another option is the pubs in the Lace Market area. These are all up-market places (Cock and Hoop, Pitcher and Piano, and Living Room are some of them) and probably won't get many/any home fans in, but are less than a ten minute walk from the station, Finally, despite having earlier said that the pubs around the station can be dodgy, there's the Vat and Fiddle, just over 100 yards down Sheriff's Way from the station. This supposedly has a reputation for welcoming "non-yob" football supporters, as well as having a good range of beer. Unfortunately though they don't do food on Saturdays apart from sandwiches (or "cobs" as they're known in this part of the world). In the promotion season we ended up in the Canal House. Although quite close to the station there were no Forest fans in it. They have a good range of beers (both hand-pulled and imported), and there's a canal runs through the pub!
Pub map
Internet Ground Guide
Nottingham pub guide (top class contribution by Burnley supporters in London)