"Of course I want a plug for my book, you didn't think I was doing this for nothing?!!"
Carlisle is a long way and no one should feel any guilt if they didn't go, while those that did can feel a sense of achievement for actually completing the ordeal. Sometimes the conditions and finances are right, sometimes they are not.
For me living locally all I had to do was turn up and be chauffeured to the ground at a very reasonable cost far outweighed the prospect of other much more expensive methods of travel by rail, road or air, with the worry of missed connections to contend with.
Now coach travel won't appeal to everybody, indeed many would not consider it, but for me it all depends on how the coaches are organised and run. My first experience was in the early 1960s with Eastern National coaches, a bus company which merely was using football as a way of making money, they did the job in a regimented way, but they weren't wonderful. Then the Supporters Club 'Youth Section' took over, with youngsters running the coach for youngsters, with passion and pride and these coach trips were brilliant. The troubled times of the 60s bought a halt to these trips when the YS took the blame for footballs problems.
They were replaced by trips arranged by older more responsible people, and they were dire, coach travel became a dirty word, and you would rather not travel at all if it meant going by coach. The Shrimpers Trust in recent years have done an excellent job in dispelling this attitude, they cater for the masses in an efficient manner, and run coaches now to all games, including mass exodus's to the big games. Also now the Shrimpers on Line (SoL) also run coaches and it was with them that I travelled to Carlisle.
It's a personal choice who you go with, the Trust have limited pickups, but aim to get you to and from the game as quickly as possible, SoL on the other hand are quite happy to pick up wherever and as a result this can mean a slow start and late drop off if your at the start of the line, as I said before a personal choice, but this is compensated by them having an attitude of a "bunch of mates travelling together"
I was picked up at Rayleigh Weir at 5.50 a.m. and we soon made good time as we headed northwards, the banter on the coach was extremely lively, SoL's philosophy is what's the point in travelling hundreds of miles if you don't talk to the others around you. We had been travelling for several hours when someone asked innocently "is the game on today?" I hadn't even considered this despite the fact we had been passing sodden fields for ages. Luckily it was confirmed the game was on, although personally I don't think I would have cared, we were all having a really good time. We looked a head and saw a police car pulling over a car, which had an inflatable sex doll in the back! Well we were 'Up North.'
We arrived in the flooded Carlisle Park at about 1.00, and we then embarked on what could be a future Olympic event; 'The Coach to Pub Dash', which I was quite proud that I came equal first. The pub was actually the Carlisle Rugby club bar, which was extremely acceptable, good selection of beers, plentiful pleasant bar staff, friendly locals and before long a coach full of shrimpers were unwinding after their seven hour coach journey. Seven hours? It had flown by.
The match is reported elsewhere, (well here actually,
www.thelittlegazette.com/news/loadnews.asp?cid=TMNW&id=406004), but after the match a leisurely meander back to the coach and start the effortless journey home, unlike the rail and air travellers who had no time to waste. We headed southwards with the England match on the radio, videos although they tended to interfere with the banter, a pleasant stop, and indoors by? Well, one a.m. but who's counting.
I can't believe it was 14 hours on the coach in all, it certainly didn't seem it, I came home with a sense of belonging, anyone be it their first time on one of these trips would be made welcome and included and eager for the next trip.
Trust me if you haven't been on a coach in recent years, they have changed considerably, for the better.
If this has inspired you to give the coach a try you can get more information on SoL coach travel to all away games buy clicking onto;
www.theshrimpers-online.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6&Itemid=8
For the Shrimpers Trust away travel news go to;
www.shrimperstrust.co.uk/default.asp?page_id=173
Meanwhile, DoDtS's fine read, 'My Life As A Shrimper'', is still on sale, full info below:
"You will buy my book, look into my eyes, you will buy my book"
For how to buy a copy go to the Review page here;
www.thelittlegazette.com/news/loadsngl.asp?cid=ED83
Read further extracts by following this link;
www.shrimperzone.com/vb/showthread.php?t=43049
DoDtS's own away travel section on Shrimperzone can be found here;
www.shrimperzone.com/vb/forumdisplay.php?f=24
TLG's Day Return information to all away games;
www.thelittlegazette.com/news/loadsngl.asp?cid=EDW4
While if you just want to find out what pubs to drink at when you get there go to The Pub Crawl;
www.thelittlegazette.com/news/loadsngl.asp?cid=EDW8