WestBerksPalace

My first visit to the National Stadium on Saturday. Observations. I stayed in Leigh on Saturday night, right next to Leigh Sports Village for the RL Challenge Cup SF, very good, excellent value for £25 and a superb programme for £5, I digress. Then an 18 mile drive to Belle Vue, v easy, 30 minutes, and then parked in a side street about 8/10 minutes walk from the stadium. Left Leigh at 17:35, and was in the stadium less than an hour later. > About the stadium. I sat in the temporary stand between the 3rd and 4th bends, near the top. Great view of the track, which looked in excellent condition, and raced very well. However; The screen on the other side of the track was impossible to see, and the PA was very poor. So, in most races I did not know who all four riders were! Programme £10 !!!! Absolute rip off, and in light of my comments above, for that price, they could have printed 5,000 updated race cards for the final to hand out for free with the team line ups, race line-ups already printed out. Apparently for the race off the night before, there was no PA at all at this end of the stadium! Toilets, again a joke, a small number of portaloos, not enough to service those who wanted to use them during the track grading intervals, I gave up, and held it in until I got home. A few tried having a pee behind the temporary seats and were chased by yellow jacketed stewards like they were about to commit some mortal sin. It's wrong, but if you don't have suitable facilities!! I'd hesitate to commit to watching a big event here again, certainly not in the temporary seats. I suspect the PA was much better along the side, and the screen more visible? Interested on others experience? Easy getting out, and back to the hotel shortly after 10pm, v easy.

Further to my previous post; I have friends travelling down, so if I know early enough there is a possibility of a hand over of the ticket on the day. But as my friends are 20 miles away I'd need to know be early Sat AM to get the ticket to them. I assume they wont buy back tickets at the venue?

I have 1 ticket for sale, I double booked myself and now cannot attend. Sixty Eight pound ticket in an air horn free zone, Block M22. I will take a sensible offer. Please send me a message if interested. Thanks, Shaun.

I wonder if those who have been to the GP in recent years can share their experience. I went to the first 10 Cardiff GPs, until 2010, not since, but have purchased a ticket for this year. The last time I went by train from Reading, getting home, frankly, was a mare. Even though booked on a train that should have got me home in good time. We were kept behind a barrier outside the station for ages, like 1 hr plus, then when we did get on the station platform, the direct service to Reading/London had finished, and we were sent via Bristol, then had to change trains, this service was on a very slow train. This year, there is an 20:25 dirrect service back to Reading/London. Will I be able to walk onto it, if I pre-book my seat on that service? As I say, wanting others to share experience over the last few years. I know about other options, and I have driven 9 of the 10 years. So, just wondering if they have sorted this shambles out now? Many Thanks, Shaun.