Southampton (A)

The train is the way to get here in the unlikely event that it's a Saturday and if there's no engineering work affecting services. The best fare deal you'll get is:
- GNER Standard Advance to Kings Cross
- One Day Travelcard (Zones 1-6, not and not Zones 1-2 which is all you need to get to Waterloo)
- Cheap Day Return from the end of Zone 6 to Fratton
If there are more than two of you travelling then you can save a few more quid by getting a Group Save ticket between the end of Zone 6 and Fratton.

The fastest way from Kings Cross to Waterloo is to get the Victoria line, then change at Oxford Circus. It might not look the fastest on the map, but it is. Trust me.

If going by car, the route is M1, A43, M40 (briefly), A34, and M3. Don't listen to anyone that tries to tell you there's a better way. Street parking on the north of the city centre is non-existent - it's all residents only. One option is to use the NCP parking off Park Lane, behind the Southampton Park hotel (map). When we parked there for the Cup game we were stuck for ages on London Road and on the A33. It was all due t o a set of lights on a cross-roads half-way up the A33. It's therefore probably worth trying to find away around this bottleneck. On the map it looks like yuo can go up Hill Lane (past where the Dell used to be) then cut across on the A35.

If anyone wants to stay overnight then the Novotel (info, map) is a good bet. It's next door to the station and pretty central.

Unlike most new grounds, St Mary's is within walking distance of the city centre. That means there's plenty of pub options even though most of them aren't particularly close. Click here for an excellent map showing the ground and loads of pubs, courtesy of www.saintsforever.com. We tend to end up in the Giddy Bridge which (surprise, surprise) is a Wetherspoons and is right at the top of the pub map.

Useful sites
www.saintsforever.com
Internet Ground Guide