Another iconic ground to visit, the 30,311 capacity Portman Road (Sat Nav – IP1 2DA) and is a journey of just over 100 miles if going via Cambridge on the A14 and should take you just over 2 hours with a good tail wind.
We will be sitting in the upper tier of the Cobbold Stand on one side of the pitch sharing the stand with home fans, there is a capacity of just shy of 1,900 for away fans. The views are ok but the further back you sit or stand there are pillars that can obstruct your view and owing to a steep sloping roof, aerial balls will disappear for a brief time. Being an old stand the legroom is very cramped, I am afraid the stadium is showing its age, but life in League 1 is doing little to fill the coffers to make the needed improvements to the ground.
The main pub for away fans looks to be the Riverside (Station) Hotel which as the name suggests is right by the river and is located near the railway station and is just a 5-minute walk to the ground.
There are also plenty of bars to be found on the waterfront area that has been redeveloped, its visible from the train station and is just a quick 10-minute walk to Portman Park, otherwise alcohol is on sale inside the ground but not at half time.
Being in a town centre area there is little parking at the stadium, and even less free street parking, but there are three Pay & Display carparks nearby who charge £4 for 4 hours.
Those chancing their luck on the train will find they are only a few hundred yards from the stadium when arriving at Ipswich Railway Station, the station is served by trains from Peterborough and London Liverpool Street.
