Nikki Latham
10 Days Of Speedway Pleasure & Pain - Travelling To Sittingbourne
Apart from my love of speedway, I love visiting new places, but I also have to be fully aware of my health limitations and even what I could do 2 years ago, I can't do now.
I think I can say that I know many of the speedway towns and cities far too well. In particular at Sittingbourne, I walk into one of the pubs and they recognise me now. Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing, I will leave you to decide what made me memorable, I mention why they are so fab later on.
My trip is a mammoth on to Sittingbourne, however its not much shorter to Plymouth, but I can give a couple of tips on the accommodation, I have been in three of the hotels, all big chains, and I have been recommended another one to try another time. As you expect the Saturday night is more expensive than the Sunday, but if you compare it to other cities and to say it's in Kent, I think it's quite reasonable. But Sunday is usually very cheap at Travelodge and Premier Inn.
It would be wrong to review the Premier Inn at Bobbing, as I haven't been there for three years, but if you are just visiting for the speedway, and you are driving it's a great location. If like myself public transport is the way, then I have got to say I am torn, only because Travelodge wanted to charge me twice the price of Holiday Inn. Travelodge is convenient as its opposite the station, but parking would be an issue for drivers, the Holiday Inn is a £5 taxi fare from the taxi rank (hackney cab), and has parking too.
On my last visit, I split between the two, Holiday Inn & Travelodge, the Holiday Inn was spotlessly clean, and the entrance from the car park is far more impressive than the side one that is more useful as a pedestrian, that the doors don't work. The bus that passes on the main road goes every 30 mins (334 Maidstone to Sheerness), which does pass the train station, but stops at teatime and also runs on a Sunday (2 hourly service) and crazily enough, it actually goes through Iwade village, so if you don't mind a 30 minute walk (if you choose this, make sure you are well seen, as there are no pavements!), you can get to the track. I think the pub in the village that is near the bus stop is called The Woolpack.
