The Walks Stadium – King’s Lynn Town

For most matches, fans are not segregated at the Walks Stadium. In the event that they are then away fans are housed on the Mick Wright Terrace at one end, as well as part of the North Terrace. In addition, a limited number of seats are normally made available to visiting supporters in the Grandstand for those who need to sit. The Mick Wright Terrace is an open one and is only a few steps high. Around a third of the North Terrace is also given to away fans and at least it is covered and allows visitors to make themselves heard. This terrace is shared with home supporters, with the obligatory gap in-between, further helping the atmosphere. Usually, beside the Grandstand there is a BBQ area selling burgers and hot dogs. Oddly at this level entrance to the ground is by ticket only, meaning that you need to purchase a ticket beforehand or from the Ticket Office at the ground. Normally this is not a problem, but for more popular games, the queues coming up to kick off can be quite lengthy. You can avoid this by buying tickets in advance online, including tickets for the away section. Usually, an enjoyable day out. Look out for the King’s Lynn mascot which is an odd-looking bird called Lionel.

The Walks Stadium is a classic looking football ground, which is of a good size for this level. Dating back to 1879 it is one of the oldest grounds in the country. On one side is the Grandstand. Although it only runs for around 2/3rds of the length of the pitch, straddling the halfway line, it is of a good size and looks quite imposing. This covered stand has a single tier of 1,200 seats, which are raised above pitch level, meaning that you have to climb a small set of stairs to enter it. Originally opened in 1956, the stand contains the club facilities, such as the dressing rooms, press area clubhouse bar, cafe and club shop. It is set back a bit from the side of the pitch, as there is a spectator standing area in front, as well as the team dugouts. It has windshields to either side as well as s couple of supporting pillars at the front.

Opposite is a small covered terrace that runs for the entire length of the pitch. Although it has a number of supporting pillars running along the front and along the middle, it does normally house the more vocal elements of the local support. It is around 12 steps high. Both ends are open to the elements and are small terraces. The larger of these is at the West end of the stadium. Called the Tennyson Road End, it has a few elevated steps of the terrace, the highest of which is quite broad. For some reason, this terrace is set back from the pitch and converges at an angle in the middle. I wonder if at some point the ground had a surrounding track that has since been removed? The ground has a set of four tall modern floodlights, two of which are on each side. Unusually they are not at each corner, but along the side of the pitch, one on each side of the Grandstand and two opposite in front of the North Terrace.

There is a club bar inside the ground, that is located in the undercroft of the Grandstand, which welcomes away supporters. However, if fans are segregated, then only those visiting supporters who are seated in the Grandstand can access the bar. There are two small pubs located around five minutes walk away from the Walks Stadium, the Live and Let live on Windsor Road and Lord Napier on Guanock Terrace. I found the Live and Let Live to be particularly welcoming and it also offers real ale and some real ciders. However, the Lord Napier does have the added benefit of showing Sky Sports. If arriving by train then in the town centre there is a Wetherspoons outlet called the Globe Hotel on King Street.

If you have a bit more time on your hands, then overlooking the Great Ouse River, is the Crown & Mitre pub in Ferry Street, which offers national and regional real ales as well as food.

At the roundabout junction of the A17 and A47, take the turn off towards West Lynn (where you can see a Shell Garage and a McDonalds outlet). Then take the right-hand turn towards South Lynn/East Coast Business Park. Then after around one mile, you will reach a roundabout, where you take the second exit onto Vancouver Avenue (signposted Gaywood/Lynnswood). Continue straight on this road as it becomes Tennyson Road and you will reach the ground on your left. There is no car parking available at the ground for visiting supporters, however, there is plenty of street parking available in the local area.

King’s Lynn Railway Station is a 5-10 minute walk away from the ground. It is served by trains from London Kings Cross. On exiting the station turn left and where you see a church in front of you (and where the roads bends around to the right), take the pathway around to the left and walk through the park. You will soon see the ground over on your right.

Booking train tickets in advance will normally save you money! Find train times, prices and book tickets with Trainline. Click on the banner below to see how much you can save on the price of your tickets:

Seating
Adults £17
Concessions £15
Under 18’s and Students £11
Under 16’s £2

Terrace
Adults: £15
Concessions £13
Under 18’s and Students £9
Under 16’s £2

Official Matchday Programme £2

Record Attendance
12,937 v Exeter City
FA Cup First Round, 24th November 1951

Average Attendance
2018-2019: 712 (Southern Premier Central League)

If you require hotel accommodation in the King’s Lynn area then first try a hotel booking service provided by Booking.com. They offer all types of accommodation to suit all tastes and pockets from; Budget Hotels, Traditional Bed & Breakfast establishments to Five Star Hotels and Serviced Apartments. Plus their booking system is straightforward and easy to use. Just input the dates below that you wish to stay and then select from the map the hotel of interest to get more information. The map is centered to the football ground. However, you can drag the map around or click on +/- to reveal more hotels in the Town Centre or further afield.

Official website: www.kltown.co.uk

Unofficial Website: Blue & Gold Trust

If there is anything that needs to be updated or if you have something to add to the Guide to the Walks King’s Lynn Town then please email me at: [email protected].

Special thanks to Owen Pavey for supplying the photos of the Walks Stadium King’s Lynn Town.