The long way round

Anyone doing Pompey on August 25 and Zenit on August 29 should take some inspiration from a fearsome group of reds doing both on the cheap without a break in between.

Here's how they're doing it:

Monday August 25
Megabus from Manchester to Portsmouth. £5.
Train from Portsmouth to London. £10 approx. A possible jib.
Stay in London on Monday night in a hostel.

Tuesday August 26
Train from London to Stanstead on Tuesday night. A possible jib, though there are barriers at the main London stations.

Wednesday August 27
Plane to Wednesday to Begamo, near Milan, £40 return
Train from Bergamo to Nice via Milan £30 return approx.
Stay in Nice for three nights in a hostel.

Friday August 29
Train from Nice to Monte Carlo
Return after the game

Saturday August 30
Train from Nice to Bergamo via Milan.

Sunday August 31
Plane from Bergamo to Stanstead.
Train from Stanstead to London.
Megabus from London to Manchester.

Total cost: £250 approx.

Some of the prices, including the flights, have gone up since they booked, but it's still a very decent way of doing it.

Last chance for Posh

Peterborough

Friendly
Monday August 4
19:45

Tickets

More than 10,000 tickets have already been sold for United's trip to London Road on Monday night. Supporters have until 5pm today to buy a ticket as none are available on the night.

Tickets cost £15 terracing or £20 seating for adults, £12 for students, pensioners and the disabled and £5 for under 16s.

Fans will be unsegregated, but reds will be on the Moyes End Terrace and in the Main Stand section A

Call: 0844 847 1934 or go here (you have to register before buying online). All tickets bought at this stage must be collected on the night of the match.

Here's a map of the ground.

Getting there

Driving is by far the best bet. According to Green Flag, it will cost you £29.26 to get there and back.

If you're looking to go by train, travel after 10am else you'll get ripped off with ticket prices.

There are trains at 20 minutes past the hour from Piccadilly, but the majority change at Leeds, York or Nuneaton.

It's not cheap though. Adult return tickets cost £59.20.

The best direct one for those early drinkers is this:
Leave Manchester: 10.38
Arrive Peterborough: 13:35

There are a couple of ways of getting back to Manchester after the game. The match will end at 21:30, which means you've got 24 minutes to get back to the station to get home at a decent hour.

It's a 20-minute walk from the ground to Peterborough Train Station and probably £8 or so in a taxi there, so you should be alright.

Plan A:
Leave Peterborough: 21:54
Arrive Nuneaton: 23:08
Leave Nuneaton: 23:33
Arrive Manchester Piccadilly: 01:10

Plan B:
Leave Peterborough: 22:47
Arrive York: 00:41
Leave York: 02:00
Arrive Manchester Piccadilly: 03:59

Pubs

The word on Red Issue is there are plenty of boozers to choose from.

Mrs Robbo said: "Charters is a pub on a barge moored on the River Nene about five minutes walk from the ground - real ale pub with a Thai restaurant upstairs - nice outside drinking area (if the weather's okay).

"The Cherry Tree in Oundle Road is also five minutes away, The Peacock in London Road and the Palmerston Arms are about 10 minutes away.

"If you're coming by train it's worth visiting the Brewery Tap across the dual carriageway from the station and about 15 minutes from the ground - no colours allowed in the Brewery Tap though."

Hello and welcome

With the start of the season just a couple of weeks away, I thought I'd start this blog to help reds get to as many away games as possible.

It's getting harder and dearer to get tickets, but thanks to the wonderful world of the t'interweb, there's always a decent travel deal knocking about.

So if you've any questions, comments, or if you spot a bargain that should be shared with fellow United fans, drop me a line at redsaway@hotmail.co.uk

Thanks for reading.