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2004 - What have you got planned
Re GNR - agree with Nigel that the logistics are horrible, particularly if you have to get away sharpish.
Perhaps the best approach, work-permitting, is to take the Monday off, and stop over in the region on Sunday. At the end of the race, we found a pub, had a good lunch and a drink or two and waited for the traffic to thin out enough to get us back to Gateshead, where I watched the ManU - Arsenal game over another pint or two. Then a quiet, relaxing evening and an early night. Set off for home the next day after the rush hour had died down.
If you really have to get back the same evening, then try either parking your car a mile or so outside South Shields so that you don't get snarled up (though this means having an accomplice, or doing this early in the morning then getting the Metro back to Newcastle for the start), or just have a few beers in South Shields before getting the train back to Newcastle/Sheffield. It has to be better than joining Nigel's 2 hour queue for the train.
Another option completely is to try to find accommodation in or near South Shields, and then you won't have to worry about transport at all apart from getting the metro to Newcastle for the start which is probably no problem. Stop over Sunday night and you'll be OK. If you can stomach camping, there are very cheap campsites in the town centre for about £5 a night.
All in all, can be a bit of a nightmare to be honest.
El Gordo
Great things are done when men and mountains meet.
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