All cricket lovers enjoy visiting the cricket grounds or stadiums of their favorite teams. Only following the games through apps like Stumped App isn’t enough to get the real experience of what the sport is all about. There are tons of these to visit all over the world. The UK alone is home to around 18 cricket grounds. Taking a tour of them could take the time of a complete vacation. Following is a cricket stadium guide to visit all over the UK during your vacation. Taking some of these and tracing a route can be turned into a great road trip. Here’s a list of the best cricket grounds and stadiums in the UK.
Also, I have listed the best stadiums in Europe, you can read them here.
UK Cricket Grounds Guide
1. County Ground
You will find this one in Derbyshire, a county in the northern part of the country. Some of the best things to do in the area are hiking, enjoying the local museums and checking out historical sites. The stadium was built in 1863 and can hold almost 10 thousand people. As most of the cricket grounds are, this one is home to a club, called the Derbyshire County Cricket Club.
2. Riverside Ground
This stadium is located in Chaster-le-Street, County Durham. This is one of the most historic streets in the country, it goes all the way back to the Roman days. The cricket ground was founded relatively recently. It opener in 1995 and can hold up to 24 thousand visitors.
The area is a rural one that offers great opportunities for nature lovers and adventurers.
3. County Ground
This one is found in Chelmsford, a city that dates back to medieval times. This means that there are plenty of historic sites to visit. On top of that this place is the birthplace of radio. The cricket grounds were built in 1967 so it can’t fit too many people. It maxes out at 6.5 thousand fans. It is also home to Essex Eagles.
4. Sophia Gardens
The Sophia Gardens Cricket Stadium can be found in Cardiff, one of the best places to go and learn as much as you can of Welsh culture. The summer festivals are the best time to come to the city. This stadium is one of the newest in this list. It opened only a couple of years ago, in 2015 and has 16 thousand people capacity.
5. Rose Bowl
Rose Bowl is located in Southampton, another extremely historically important city. It saw the Romans and the Saxons and everything they did. Plus, there are still some archaeological remains that they left behind. The stadium was built in 2001 and hosts up to 20 thousand fanatics.
Visiting the many theaters is another one of the activities to do n Southhampton.
6. St Lawrence in Canterbury
The St Lawrence Ground is the oldest in this list. It was founded in 1847 and is located in a unique area. It was brutally bombed during world war II and it still managed to keep many if not most of its most important historical sites.
The cricket stadium is one of those historical places since it was built almost 300 years ago with a capacity for only 7 thousand people.
7. Old Trafford
You can find this one in the beautiful Lancashire, a place that was essential in how the industrial revolution went. The cricket grounds were built in 1857 and also counts as one of its historical landmarks. However, for how old it is, it can hold an amazingly large amount of visitors with up to 50 thousand seats available when needed.
8. Grace Road
It is home to the Leicestershire County Cricket Club and was built back in 1878. You can find this one on Leicester, a city that was founded by the Romans in 50CE. The main area to go to is the one called Old Town. A lot of the old buildings have been restored for everyone to enjoy.
The best thing about all of these is that they are all spread in the different regions of the UK, making it the perfect excuse for a long road trip around the country that will help you get to know as much of it as you can.
These are of course only eight of the almost twenty that the UK has to offer.
What would you add to this Cricket Stadium Guide? Let us know all about it.
