So you have decided to follow your team to South London? We have compiled a guide for all away fans to make their visit to Charlton and London, that little bit easier!
Travelling by Train
Charlton Station is based a few minutes from the ground and very close to the entrance for away fans. It is served by trains from London Charing Cross and London Cannon Street. Both go through London Bridge. The service from Canon Street takes roughly 20 minutes and goes through Deptford and Greenwich. The Charing Cross service takes around 30 minutes and goes via Lewisham and Blackheath.
If you are following a Northern team the chances are you will be arriving into London Kings Cross or London Euston. The best way to get to Charlton is probably getting the Northern Line southbound to London Bridge. However make sure you check that there are no planned engineering works on that weekend. Also be sure to get the London Bridge line as the line splits into two at Euston. However, it is not a disaster if you get the wrong line as it still goes to London Charing X and it is still possible to go directly to SE7.
Driving to Charlton
If you leave the M25 at Junction 2 follow the signs for the A2 towards London. The A2 becomes the A102 (M) aim to take the A206 towards Woolwich and you will come to the ground on your right. Make sure that you do not cross over the Thames or reach Blackheath as this will mean that you have gone too far.
Where to Park
There is very little street parking in the vicinity of the ground. The local council operates a local residents parking scheme. This means there is not much parking at all in the close area of the ground or Charlton railway station. There is some parking around the industrial estates in the area. Some local businesses such as PC World charge £5 to park in their large car parks; however, ensure you park in the designated areas, as the “general shoppers” areas have clamping enforces. As you would expect they fill pretty quickly.
It is always an idea to park near a smaller railway station on the Charlton line such as Westcombe Park or Maze Hill and complete the last part of the journey by Bus or Train.
Getting a Beer
It is likely that you may wish to avoid the crowd and have a drink in London. It could be that you have arrived early into London and wish to have a drink in the city centre. Or you want somewhere to wait for your train:
Kings Cross/St Pancras/Euston –
The Flying Scotsman - 4 Caledonian Road, London, N1 9DU
This is a popular haunt for many visiting fans leaving/entering London. It is a fairly large pub which also has dancers/strippers. Being in Central London prices of drinks are quite high. It is very close to the station and make sure you have plenty of single £ coins !
The Duke of York - Platform 8, Kings Cross Station, London, N1 9AP
This was formerly a Coopers bar. Being in a mainline railway station the prices are fairly high. I seem to recall it costing around £3 for a pint of lager. It does have Sky TV which makes it handy if you want to watch an evening kick off game before getting a train home.
O’Neils - 73-77, Euston Rd, London, NW1 2QS
This is your typical chain pub and does exactly what you expect it to do. It does do fairly reasonably priced meals and also relatively cheap drinks. It is about half a mile to Euston and around a quarter of a mile to Kings Cross/St Pancras
The Britannia - The Concourse, Euston Station, London, NW1 2RS
Again another expensive station pub. Ideal location for waiting for a train. Also various eating establishments such as Burger King nearby. It does not have sky TV.
London Charing Cross/London Bridge/ London Canon Street
The Bodicea - Charing Cross Station, London, WC2N 5HS
A pricey establishment located next door to Burger King and directly adjacent to the platforms. A bottle of beer is around £3 in here and a pint is around £2.80. It does have a good jukebox. It is very small and tends to get busy
The Princess of Wales - 27 Villiers St, London, WC2N 6ND
If you leave the station via the side exit next to the Bodicea you will come out on the busy Villiers Street. The Princess of Wales is situated slightly down the hill from the exit. Reasonably priced and also has Sky Television
Leicester Square – If you follow the signs from Charing Cross you will arrive here. There are various popular chains such as Yates’/Lloyds/Walkabout and a Wetherspoons to suggest a few pubs.
Away Fan Pubs in Charlton
There are two main pubs and a social club that away fans tend to use when arriving at Charlton. The only completely "away" designated boozer is The Antigallican. This tends to get very full, as the police tend to insist on away fans staying inside the pub. If you leave the station the pub is just to your left down at the hill by the crossroads. The pub has two bars and also offers a bed and breakfast service. It does also have Sky TV and a big screen.
The away fans also sometimes use the Rose of Denmark. This pub is around 0.2 miles from the station. Walk left out of the station and go to the junction where the Antigallican is. Do another left and walk down Woolwich Road, where you will pass a BP garage on your left as you approach the Rose of Denmark which is situated on the same side of the road. It is slightly cheaper than the Antigallican and has a good mix of home and away fans. It also has outside seating. There are parking facilities at the rear and it has Sky TV.
To read a full review on the pubs around The Valley, please click here to view our "Pub Guide".
Getting a bite to eat
There are various options to eat around SE7. Firstly there is The Valley Café. This is situated opposite Floyd Road. It does tend to get very busy the closer you get to kick off. It is ideal for a sandwich to take away. There is also two Kebab shops on the opposite side of the road. Near the station there are also various newsagents that are handy to get snacks and newspapers for a read on the train home. There are a lot more restaurants in Blackheath and Greenwich that are one stop either side of Charlton.
Blackheath – If you find yourself arriving into London early Blackheath offers an alternative place to have a drink and something to eat. Blackheath is around 2-3 miles from Charlton and has 3 main pubs within the village. They are a good location as they are a few minutes walk from the station. Blackheath is just one stop the train to Charlton. However, there are not as many services as it is situated on the Charing X line so it is best to check what times the trains are.
As you exit the station on your right is The Railway. It serves various real ales and has the benefit of being directly next to the station. Drinks are reasonably priced and there are a large variety of beers such as Spitfire and Broadside. I believe this establishment also offers food. It is opposite the Blackheath fish and chip shop so this is useful if you want something light to eat on your way to SE7.
Come out of the station and turn left and you will start to walk up the village. If you walk up Tranquil Vale you will see O’Neills on the right hand side of the road. They do a large array of drinks included bottled magners and also have a large food venue. However, it does turn over 21’s on a Saturday night.
Opposite O’Neills and slightly up the hill is The Crown. The pub has a large amount of outdoor seating. It is slightly pricey but does have live football on a variety of screens. It has a very good welcoming atmosphere but can get quite busy inside in the winter.
Greenwich – There are various ways to get into Greenwich. It has its own tube station on the North side next to the Millenium Dome. As well as a train station served by both Charing X and Cannon Street. If coming from East London there are two Docklands Light Railway stations. Greenwich DLR station is directly next to the BR station. The Cutty Sark station is more in the town centre and is directly next to Wetherspoons.
The Gate Clock is a large JD Wetherspoons establishment that has two floors. Drinks are very cheaply priced and also a cheap food menu. The pub does tend to get busy at night but during the daytime could provide an ideal location to stop before a game. There are also a large amount of smaller pubs around the town centre that can be easily accessed on foot. It is then easy to get a bus/cab/train into Charlton. However, the traffic can get very bad around one hour/half an hour to kick off.
Where will I sit?
Away fans are allocated the Jimmy Seed Stand. Teams with large followings, such as Newcastle/Liverpool/Pompey/Man Utd, will usually take the whole 3.200 allocation. Smaller allocations are given and can be around 1,000/2,000. The view is relatively good and there is only one pillar in a gangway in the whole of the stand. The roof is very low and can make for a very good atmosphere.
Where will I sit?
So your game is during midweek? There are various options for places to stay. There is always the option of Central London, but the hotels can be very expensive. There is the Pickwick Bed and Breakfast situated on the Woolwich Road. This establishment is very close to the ground.
There is a Novotel situated within Greenwich. The chain hotel offers a typical service and is a large place. It is a prime location adjacent to the DLR and Railway station. There is also a Holiday Inn situated in the more modern part of Greenwich off Bugsby Way. It has a licensed bar and lounge area. There is also internet access. If you are also looking for a budget hotel nearby there is also an Ibis which offers a similar service.
Where's the tap?
The most notable cashpoint locations are on the Kent side of Charlton station, the BP garage near the Rose Of Denmark pub (along Woolwich Road) and also one on the side of the Charlton Superstore (can be very busy!).
The Matchday Programme
The Valley Review is priced at £3.00 and has won many accolades and awards in the past.
Need more information?
If you require further assistance, please feel free to register in our forums and post a general questions to all of us Charlton fans - we will all be keen to assist!
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