It's up to Essex on Tuesday (15th August)

Our first Bostik League away game is up at Harlow Town & we hope as many of you as possible make the trip

One Hamlet fan who won't mind the journey is Malcolm Meredith, who actually lives in the town!

But for the rest of us it's a trip through the rush hour traffic, to their ground which is:
Barrows Farm Stadium, Elizabeth Way. The all-important postcode for your SatNav gadget is: CM19 5BL

The nearest station for Harlow Town Football Club is Harlow Town, which is a bit of a schlep to the ground, about one and a half miles, which should take you thirty minutes each way. The best route seems to be heading up Station Approach, then third exit at roundabout into Elizabeth Way (westbound); and the ground is on right at next roundabout. As far as we know there is no bus service to the ground, though if anyone knows better we're happy to stand corrected, just email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. & we will add it on here.

There's a multitude of trains to Harlow Town station from Liverpool Street, the journey taking between 30 & 36 minutes, according the National Rail website, with the last one realistically making it for kick off being the 18:39, which pulls into Harlow Town station at 19:09. If you don't fancy the walk to the stadium then I am sure if you wait a little while then there are sure to be some other Hamlet fans who you can cajole into sharing a local taxi with.

After the match you are, realistically, only going to make the 22:00 [arriving at Liverpool Street at 22:31] if you can cadge a lift, or pre-book a taxi; if walking you'll probably make the next one, which is the 22:09 [arriving 22:45]. IGNORE the 22:26, as this is a VERY SLOW service, taking 52 minutes. The 22:32 takes just half an hour.

There are even two services back to London after midnight, if you are staying local for a beer or two, so no matter what train you get you won't be stuck at the station for too long.

Also, please note, that some services stop at Tottenham Hale, connects to the Victoria Line on the Underground, if coming from the Brixton or Vauxhall area.

Beer wise, to be honest I don't know the area, and having spoken to some of our 'beer expert' fans, there doesn't seem to be anything micro-brewery wise in the town. The Bar at the ground is just inside the ground, turn right as you come through the turnstiles and it's on your right, before the main stand.

The only pub of note, for me to mention, is the local Wetherspoons, which is the
'William Aylmer' & this seems to be in the town centre, about a mile and a half away from the ground as well. you should be able to share taxis though, if you choose, as several Hamlet fans drank in there last season.

Otherwise there the old favourite of a Wetherspoons fallback, namely drinking at Liverpool Street station in the 'Hamilton Hall'.

The ground itself has cover on the far side, open at both ends, with the seats, which are an excellent vantage point, if you like to sit down, on the main side. Here are some old pictures of the ground, taken several years ago now, I don't think it has changed since then.

Culture wise the town of Harlow itself is much maligned, as indeed is vast swathes of the county of Essex! Life is all about opinions, and in some cases it's justified, often it's not.
Now, personally, I can't really vouch for Harlow, as I've not explored the place, but a little bit of internet research will find something to do, if you're off work, or finishing early, or retired.

Yes, it is a commuter town, yes it is a new town, but if you like your outdoor sculptures this is the place for you to have a wander. For in 2009 Harlow Council voted to celebrate Harlow's collection of sculpture by branding Harlow as "Harlow Sculpture Town – The World's First Sculpture Town'. I don't know if that epithet is fitting or not, but I doubt if there are many towns of a similar stature that can claim such a varied wealth of art in the open.

If you enjoy your art the town also boasts the Gibberd Gallery, which is open all day on Tuesday from 9.00am until 4.45pm; & it's based a few streets from the local Wetherspoons we mentioned.

So even if a place doesn't have the greatest of reputations there's always somewhere to see and go, if you've got the time there's no excuse not to make an afternoon of it, before cheering on The Hamlet in the evening!