Dunfermline ticket, travel. hotel and pub guide

Dunfermline
East End Park
Fife
Pre-season friendly
Saturday, July 17, kick off 15:00

Preview
The Scottish season starts slightly earlier than the English one.

Dunfermline playtheir first game in the Co-operative Insurance Cup first round against Arbroath on Saturday, July 31 – the same day United will be playing St Johnstone in a friendly up the M90.

So this match will give their First Division side a chance to dust off after a brief summer break in time for competitive action.

For United, it will be a chance for youth team and reserve squad players to have a run out.

Don't expect many big names as the first team play Celtic in Toronto the day before, and even that team will be missing plenty of players involved in the final stages of the World Cup.

United last played Dunfermline in August 2007 for Scott Thomson's testimonial. It ended 4-0 to the reds. Chris Eagles and Ryan Giggs scored one each and Wayne Rooney scored two.

Tickets
East End Park used to have an artificial surface a la CSKA Moscow but it was replaced with grass in 2005.

The stadium holds 12,509 fans. All four stands are covered. Away fans will be put in the north end of the Main Stand.

Reds will be in the East Stand behind the goal, which holds 3,073.

Tickets for the away end are on sale now priced £12 adults, £6 concessions. That is £4 and £2 cheaper respectively than the match three years ago.

Get them from 01383 745 909 on weekdays from 09:00 to 14:00 or from 01383 626 737 on weekdays except Monday from 09:00 until 12:30 and on Saturdays from 09:30 to 17:30.

You can also pay £55 for the complimentary bar package which includes a pre-match two-course meal, a match programme, a seat in the Main Stand, half time refreshments and a free bar from 12:30.
Or you can pay £25 for all of the above except for the free bar. Full ticket details here.

As of July 13, Dunfermline had sold 1,200 tickets and 300 hospitality packages, with 250 of those thought to be from reds. The club are expected a crowd of 3,000 plus.

Travel

Car - £60
It's a 249-mile journey which will take just short of four hours each way, depending on the traffic.

The basic route is the M6, M74, A8 and A90. Use the postcode KY12 7RB for the stadium in your satnav.

The stadium is only a two-minute drive and a ten-minute walk into town but if you want to park near the town-centre pubs, use the postcode KY12 7NU.

Parking – free
There is a car park behind the North Stand for cars and coaches. It costs £3 per car but coaches are free.

If that's full, park for free on one of the residential roads opposite the stadium, like Garvock Terrace and Lambert Drive (KY12 7UP). There is plenty of space.

Train - £42
Dunfermline has two stations: Dunfermline Town and Dunfermline Queen Margaret.

All the trains you can catch go to both, but it's easier to get off at Dunfermline Town (pictured).

If you buy in advance from National Rail, you can get there and back for £42. If you buy on the day you're looking at £60.

On the way there are five options. On the way back, there are two.

Outward
Option 1 (journey time 4:34)
Leave Victoria: 06:45
Arrive Wigan Wallgate: 07:21
Leave Wigan North Western 07:37
Arrive Edinburgh 10:22
Leave: 10:48
Arrive Dunfermline Town 11:19
One-way price in advance: £22

Option 2 (journey time 4:05)
Leave Piccadilly 07:45
Arrive Haymarket 11:04
Leave: 11:23
Arrive Dunfermline Town: 11:50
One-way price in advance: £21

Option 3 (journey time 4:04)
Leave Piccadilly 07:45
Arrive Preston: 09:30
Leave: 09:53
Arrive Haymarket 12:16
Leave: 12:23
Arrive Dunfermline Town: 12:50
One-way price in advance: £28.50

Option 4 (journey time 4:52)
Leave Piccadilly: 08:57
Arrive York: 10:23
Leave: 10:34
Arrive Edinburgh: 13:01
Leave: 13:18
Arrive Dunfermline Town: 13:49
One-way price in advance: £88.30

Option 5 (journey time 4:04)
Leave Piccadilly: 10:16
Arrive Edinburgh: 13:39
Leave: 13:49
Arrive Dunfermline Town 14:20
One-way price in advance: £24.50

Walking between the two Wigan stations takes about one minute. Leave Wallgate, turn right and you will see North Western to your left after a few yards.

When you leave the train, you'll exit onto a dual carriageway called St Margaret's Drive.

Turn right and keep walking until you see a bus stop on the other side of the road.

At this point you can either follow the steps by the bus stop onto West Drive and into the town centre – a five minute walk – or keep following St Margaret's Drive to get to the ground.

When you reach the roundabout, turn right onto Appin Crescent and the ground is up ahead on the left after a few more minutes of walking. Be warned though, there are no pubs along the way.

It would cost about £4 in a taxi from the train station. Call A1 Taxis on 01383 415 151 or Abbery Taxies on 01383 735 555.

Homeward

Option 1 (journey time 3:56)
Leave Dunfermline Town: 17:31
Arrive Haymarket 18:00
Leave: 18:16
Arrive Piccadilly: 21:27
One-way price in advance: £21

Option 2 (journey time 4:28)
Leave Dunfermline Town: 18:06
Arrive Edinburgh: 18:41
Leave: 18:52
Arrive Wigan North Western: 21:31
Leave Wigan Wallgate 21:55
Arrive Victoria 22:34
One-way price in advance: £22

Fans coach – £23
The Reds Away coach to this game has been cancelled due to a lack of interest.

We will let you know of any other coaches going to this game if there are any.

Apologies to those who enquired about bookings.

Bus
Megabus does not run services from Manchester to Dunfermline.

If you really wanted to, you could get a return between Manchester and Edinburgh for £8 and then get the train onwards, but it would mean staying in Scotland on Friday and Saturday night and travelling at stupid times of night and morning.

National Express does not run any services between Manchester and Dunfermline on the day though, again you could go to Edinburgh and then get the train, but there are very few coaches and the ones that do run go at stupid times and cost way too much to make it worthwhile.

Plane and train combo (£41.69 one way, £99.38 return)
The nearest airport is Edinburgh Airport, which is only 26 minutes away by road and 55 minutes by bus to Edinburgh and train to Dunfermline.

You can fly from Manchester for relatively cheap on matchday, though you will have to wait until the following morning to fly back.

Saturday
Leave Manchester Airport: 07:45
Arrive Edinburgh: 08:50
Price: £33.99
Airline: flybe

From outside the airport, get the Airlink 100 bus to Edinburgh Train Station.

It costs £3.50 single and £6 return, runs every 10 minutes and takes 25 minutes.

That should get you to the station at 09:30.

From there, reaching Dunfermline Town takes 31 minutes and direct trains leave at 09:17, 10:48 and 11:19. It costs £4.20 for a single. (You cannot buy a return ticket as you are travelling back the next day, so it would be two singles i.e. £8.40 return).

So all being well, you should make it to Perth by 11:23 – more three-and-a-half hours before kick off.

Sunday
Direct trains leave Dunfermline Town at 11:39, 13:39 and 15:42. Then you can catch the Airlink 100 bus from outside the station.

Leave Edinburgh Airport: 18:50
Arrive Manchester Airport: 19:55
Price: £50.99
Airline: flybe

Getting to the ground from the town centre

The stadium is a mile to the north east of the town centre. From the High Street, walk from the Viceroy past Marks and Spencer and keep going until you reach the roundabout.

Go straight on onto Appin Crescent and the ground is on that road on the left side of the road. It's a 10-minute walk in all.

It would cost about £4 in a taxi. Call A1 Taxis on 01383 415 151 or Abbery Taxies on 01383 735 555.