There's nothing like a good Scottish football away day (not even the resurrection of a blog long thought to be dormant? Ed). A ludicrously early start to a Saturday, a few cans on the train or bus, piling into a pub in a random outpost that may or may not be en route to the stadium you plan on attending. A brief interlude where you attend some sort of sporting contest usually (but not always) follows, before the journey home. But what makes a good away day? We all have our favourites, but how do we quantify what makes for a good away day? And once we quantify these, can we then rank them?
For the purposes of these articles, we'll focus on 3 key aspects to an away day:
Transportation
How easy is it to get there by public transport? We'll primarily focus on rail connectivity, seeing this category through the viewpoint of someone travelling the best way to an away day- with a few cans on the train (factoring in bus connections where necessary)
The away end itself
What are the facilities like for visiting supporters once one gets to the stadium?
Pubs nearby
Both in terms of quality and quantity, what are the options for the discerning visiting supporter who wishes to whet their whistle with a light ale prior to the game?
Will point out at this stage that I've yet to personally tick off Cove Rangers, Peterhead, East Fife, Forfar Athletic, Albion Rovers and Stranraer, so they'll be left out of these rankings at this stage- with Queens Park and Clyde currently groundsharing with Stenhousemuir and Hamilton Accies respectively, that leaves us with 34 trips to rank by the above criteria (although we may drop in an occasional mention for away days that have now departed the SPFL). Also, while we will make mention of certain pubs, this isn't intended to be an exhaustive, detailed list of every single hostelry within staggering distance of a stadium. So, without further adieu, let's get started!
And at the risk of making this list massively unpopular with elements of the Scottish football cognoscenti, at 34th (and therefore officially The Worst Away Day In Scottish Football)..
34th: Celtic
A truly dreadful experience for the away fan for several reasons, however we'll primarily focus on the criteria above rather that the fact you'll almost certainly get pumped. Transport links are subpar (it's really too far to walk from either of Glasgow's main hubs, and even the nearest suburban links are still a fair walk away), the away end is notoriously ill-equipped with its infamous pillars impeding your view and the pubs within the stadium's immediate radius... best avoided
33rd: Rangers
Pretty much all that puts Rangers "ahead" of Celtic here is the proximity to the Subway network, and the slightly better equipped away end. The overall experience for an away fan is just as unpleasant as at Parkhead. Hopefully that covers me against any accusations of bias, a coverage that I suspect I'm about to need...
32nd: Inverness Caledonian Thistle
Location-wise, a horrible place to watch football. Not exactly the easiest to get to from the city centre- a 20-25 minute walk (during which you'll have to cross the main A9. No, really) or a taxi are your only real options. The city centre is also your only shout for a pre-match alcoholic beverage (while there are plenty of perfectly cromulent options, none truly feel like authentic football pubs), and the "temporary" (erected in 2005) away end is poorly equipped, with all the refreshment facilities exposed some way along the unused west side of the stadium
31st: Dundee
As various LadBible type social media accounts like to periodically remind us, Dens Park sits on the very same street as Tannadice (SPOILER ALERT: expect to see Dundee United not very much further up this list). Location-wise, it's far from ideal- the hike (and given the gradient involved it really is a hike) from the city centre isn't fun, and when one eventually gets there the main stand (where smaller away supports are crammed into) is in a frankly shocking state of disrepair (larger away supports will generally get the more modern, better equipped stand behind one of the goals). The city centre does have some more appealing watering holes, with a smattering of them tucked into the surrounding streets- away fans would be best advised heading to "United" pubs when visiting Dens
30th: FC Edinburgh
I've a season ticket here, and even I can't bring myself to move Meadowbank Stadium further up this list. What Meadowbank does have is proximity to the city centre (the stadium sits on a main bus corridor- there's no shortage of buses that stop outside, and can be walked in 30-40 minutes from Waverley Station/Princes Street) and a healthy smattering of pubs nearby (the Bellfield brewery taproom is ideal for the sort of perfectly cromulent session IPAs that are a staple of a good away day), neither of which were really available at the previously rented Ainslie Park. What brings Meadowbank down in these rankings (and down by quite a bit) is the view of the game spectators are afforded from within the stadium. If you're part of a smaller away following, you'll likely be able to nab a seat in the 499 (no, really) seater stand. If so, it's worth adopting a maxim of mine that I've carried over from attending Fringe comedy show- avoid the front row at all costs (the stand is only 3 rows deep, and the rear 2 are the only ones that grant anything like an acceptable view of the game). The burger van is very decent, though
29th: Livingston
This one "achieves" the notable feat of being in a town with 2 railway stations, while managing to be nowhere near either one of them. Livingston North is the handier of the 2 in that it's served more frequently, however it's almost certainly still a "jump in a taxi" job. Keep that taxi number handy, as there's every chance you'll need it to help you find and get to and from a matchday pub worthy of the name, as the stadium footprint itself has nothing to offer on that front (the nearby shopping centre has a couple of chain restaurants that'll offer you something that attempts to offer a passable impersonation of a beer). The stadium itself is passable enough, if nothing to write home about
28th: Airdrie
Another newish stadium on the outskirts of town that serves a purpose without being anything special. A slightly easier one to reach from both Airdrie and Drumgelloch stations (although probably best give yourself half an hour for the walk to/from both), although with an extremely sparse landscape in terms of appealing-looking pubs (fans of Orange lodges will find their, ahem, "tastes" very well catered to, though)
We'll run through the next stanza in a few days
"Did something similar 2 years ago....magical....MAGICAL!!
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