The new season and the perils of planning ahead

[Eagle4Caley]

So I got a bit excited at the weekend, and booked my first trip up from London. Morton away in October was 1st preference, but a couple of family birthdays around the date put the block on that...so Queens Park away I thought, in November, at their redeveloped stadium next to Hampden. Flights & Hotel booked, and then casually surfing the 'net I discover that not only have Queens Park have had to play their League Cup games away from their ground as it's not ready, but it might not be ready until December, potentially giving me a trip to Stenhousemuir rather than Mount Florida!  Fortunately the train journey is only 25mins and the Airport bus stops outside Queen Street station, so perhaps not too much faff, but getting the best deal to come up to watch Inverness does come with risk. And I am assuming of course the match isn't moved for TV to a Friday night [surely not!]

Still I am getting to see Scotland!

 

[tm4tj]

Oh well, that's a bonus in itself 

[+Gringo]

It is a pain to plan for the long distance supporter. Mate of mine is Partick fan and we'd have liked to have attended their home games v Caley. The first initial fixture was for 20th August. This has been moved to the 19th for TV and the second fixture is 24th Dec. So, no chance again this season. Last season was the same for the Queens away games. All moved from a Sat fixture.

 

[Eagle4Caley]

4 hours ago, Gringo said:

It is a pain to plan for the long distance supporter. Mate of mine is Partick fan and we'd have liked to have attended their home games v Caley. The first initial fixture was for 20th August. This has been moved to the 19th for TV and the second fixture is 24th Dec. So, no chance again this season. Last season was the same for the Queens away games. All moved from a Sat fixture.

 

Yes being in the Championship makes life a bit tougher with the prospect of games moving to a Friday [so  one might need to book the Friday off work] whereas in the Premiership it was a bit easier to plan for a possible TV move to the Sunday as an overnight stay was likely anyway, and a late flight home on a Sunday more likely to be available. 

I'd love to do a match in Dundee, but logistically quite difficult. 

[Yngwie]

12 hours ago, Eagle4Caley said:

I'd love to do a match in Dundee, but logistically quite difficult. 

Yes, the need for a time machine to take you back about 50 years makes it more challenging than most other away days!

[RiG]

22 hours ago, Eagle4Caley said:

Yes being in the Championship makes life a bit tougher with the prospect of games moving to a Friday [so  one might need to book the Friday off work] whereas in the Premiership it was a bit easier to plan for a possible TV move to the Sunday as an overnight stay was likely anyway, and a late flight home on a Sunday more likely to be available. 

I'd love to do a match in Dundee, but logistically quite difficult. 

Could you fly to Edinburgh? If so then you could:

1) Get a tram to Edinburgh Gateway station and then get a train from there to Dundee;
2) Get a bus or tram to Haymarket and get a train from there to Dundee: or
3) Get a bus or tram to Edinburgh city centre and get a train or bus to Dundee.

[Eagle4Caley]

31 minutes ago, RiG said:

Could you fly to Edinburgh? If so then you could:

1) Get a tram to Edinburgh Gateway station and then get a train from there to Dundee;
2) Get a bus or tram to Haymarket and get a train from there to Dundee: or
3) Get a bus or tram to Edinburgh city centre and get a train or bus to Dundee.

I can definitely fly up to Edinburgh, it's been my gateway for trips to see us against Dunfermline, Falkirk and Livingston...looking at this September's game, Easyjet have some reasonable options on Saturday although I might be pushing it to get the last flight home on the Saturday given the hour & half train trip from Dundee [although I can see one that is just over an hour] and then transfer across to the Airport, so it probably means an overnight stay somewhere and the Sunday flights get more expensive. However Dundee seem quite popular already as a fixture for BBC Sport to show on a Friday night, & the fixture against us could be very enticing...so that means factoring that into the equation. It's all do-able, but it becomes a 3 day trip to plan. [Maybe the one in late Feb on that basis]

Edited July 15, 2022 by Eagle4Caley

[RiG]

1 hour ago, Eagle4Caley said:

I can definitely fly up to Edinburgh, it's been my gateway for trips to see us against Dunfermline, Falkirk and Livingston...looking at this September's game, Easyjet have some reasonable options on Saturday although I might be pushing it to get the last flight home on the Saturday given the hour & half train trip from Dundee [although I can see one that is just over an hour] and then transfer across to the Airport, so it probably means an overnight stay somewhere and the Sunday flights get more expensive. However Dundee seem quite popular already as a fixture for BBC Sport to show on a Friday night, & the fixture against us could be very enticing...so that means factoring that into the equation. It's all do-able, but it becomes a 3 day trip to plan. [Maybe the one in late Feb on that basis]

Yeah I expect Dundee to be this season Killie in terms of TV appeal. I'd imagine a good chunk of their away games will be on Friday nights.

[Scotty]

I guess its easier the further you are away !!

Other than those trips where we had to come at short notice, or on specific dates for some reason, it would definitely be true to say I keep one eye on the fixture list when planning a trip.  

We like to travel midweek-midweek where possible as the costs are generally quite a bit cheaper and the planes are less full. However, there have been a few occasions where we have missed games because they were moved to after our planned leaving date, or we have had to scramble because they were moved forward. More than once I have done the routine of flying overnight intending to sleep but getting none, arriving in Glasgow or Edinburgh at 6 or 7am, driving up the road absolutely knackered (usually have a nap and then a triple espresso at Stirling services), then heading over to the stadium for a night game! Brutal but fun

  

 

[+snorbens_caleyman]

On 7/14/2022 at 10:03 AM, Eagle4Caley said:

I'd love to do a match in Dundee, but logistically quite difficult. 

Loganair fly between London City and Dundee, but I have no idea of the schedule or prices.

[The Mantis]

Following ICT means we’re all long distance supporters.

[Eagle4Caley]

On 8/4/2022 at 1:11 PM, TheMantis said:

Following ICT means we’re all long distance supporters.

Especially when the home fixtures were at Aberdeen...I can't imagine what a pain that was!

[Caleyjag]

16 hours ago, Eagle4Caley said:

Especially when the home fixtures were at Aberdeen...I can't imagine what a pain that was!

Living in Aberdeen it was ideal!