- Introduction
- About Edgbaston Cricket Ground: the essentials
- How to get to Edgbaston Cricket Ground by train?
- What to do at Edgbaston Cricket Ground?
- Travel tips for visiting Edgbaston Cricket Ground
- Conclusion
- Explore more stadium guides
Introduction
Edgbaston Cricket Ground is the home of Warwickshire County Cricket Club and its T20 team, the Birmingham Bears. Built in 1882, it has hosted numerous Test matches in its long history, including T20 Internationals and One-Day Internationals. In fact, Edgbaston has hosted more T20 finals than any other cricket ground.
Due to the variety of matches played at Edgbaston Cricket Ground, fans will likely travel from all over England to reach the stadium. If that’s the case, catching the train to Edgbaston makes sense. Getting the train is much faster and more convenient than driving or taking the bus.
This article will take a closer look at Edgbaston Cricket Ground, as well as provide some neat and helpful tips for getting to the stadium and saving money when travelling to the cricket ground.
About Edgbaston Cricket Ground: the essentials
Edgbaston Cricket Ground is thought to be one of England’s best cricket grounds, with many connoisseurs of the sport considering it second only to Lord’s Cricket Ground in London.
The ground is steeped in cricketing history, having hosted multiple ICC matches, including those in 1975, 1979, 1983, 1999, 2017, and 2019. In 1973, the stadium hosted the first Women’s World Cup Final, while in 1997 it presented the first competitive day-night cricket match in the UK. In 2017, it entered the history books again by hosting the first day-night Test match between England and the West Indies. In 2026, Edgbaston will also hold the Women’s World Cup again.
The atmosphere at Edgbaston is well-known to be some of the best in the world, even rivalling the atmosphere of much bigger stadiums in places like India. With its historical setting and electric ambience, Edgbaston Cricket Ground is a stadium like no other.
How to get to Edgbaston Cricket Ground by train?
The nearest station to Edgbaston Cricket Ground is Birmingham New Street. From there, you’ll have to make your own way to the Edgbaston or, alternatively, Warwickshire County Cricket has a deal in place with UK coach operator National Express to run a shuttle service from Birmingham New Street to Edgbaston Cricket Ground.
Birmingham New Street is a central train station on the UK rail network, linking major destinations such as London, Manchester, Liverpool, and Glasgow. As well, many major train operators depart from this station, including Transport for Wales, CrossCountry, West Midlands Railway, Avanti West Coast, and London Northwestern Railway. Here are some popular routes to the station:
1: Manchester Piccadilly to Birmingham New Street
On average, it takes around one hour and thirty minutes to get from Manchester Piccadilly to Birmingham New Street with CrossCountry.
2: London Euston to Birmingham New Street
Getting from London Euston to Birmingham New Street takes around two hours and twenty minutes with West Midlands Railway or one hour and seventeen minutes with Avanti West Coast.
3: Liverpool Lime Street to Birmingham New Street
The journey from Liverpool Lime Street to Birmingham New Street is around one hour and thirty-six minutes with West Midlands Trains.
4: Northampton to Birmingham New Street
Travelling from Northampton to Birmingham New Street takes approximately one hour and four minutes with West Midlands Trains.
What to do at Edgbaston Cricket Ground?
While Edgbaston Cricket Ground has suspended its stadium tour for the foreseeable future, there are still plenty of things to do near the cricket ground.
Cannon Hill Park, for example, features historic gardens with plants from across the British Isles and the world, and better still, the park is only four minutes from the cricket ground—a perfect place for a picnic. Similarly, Calthorpe Park is only up the road from the stadium and is a great place to relax on a balmy summer night after the cricket is over.
Travel tips for visiting Edgbaston Cricket Ground
One of the best pieces of advice for catching the train to any stadium, cricket ground, or concert venue is to plan ahead. It doesn’t take long, but it can pay off massively. Not only can it save you money, but it can also save you time, help you avoid massive crowds, as well as help you avoid any major disruptions that might negatively impact your journey.
So, one of the best things you can do is to book your train tickets early. Not only will this save you money on tickets before their prices increase, but it’ll also mean you’ll need to plan your route rather than scrambling together a plan at the last minute. It will also make you consider things like travelling off-peak, which can help you avoid crowds and also get cheaper train tickets as you will travel when trains are less in demand.
Obviously, adding a Railcard to your tickets is worthwhile as it can grant a significant discount on your train fare. Sometimes, the savings you can make on your first journey can pay for the ticket itself!
Conclusion
This guide offers valuable insights for organising your trip to Edgbaston Cricket Ground, ensuring a seamless and pleasant journey. By highlighting the importance of early planning and optimising your travel route, it helps you sidestep common travel challenges and improve your overall experience. Whether you're heading to an exciting cricket match or another event, having a solid travel plan lets you concentrate on the day's excitement. These strategies help reduce travel stress and enhance your enjoyment, making your visit to Edgbaston Cricket Ground a memorable one.