National rail strike disruption hits football and other big events

The first national rail strike in 20 years has been confirmed for May 25. The 25th is a bank holiday which means there will be less commuters than usual but more families coming back from a long weekend.

Will the rail strike affect you? If you are travelling over the bank holiday weekend we recommend adding the Liftshare app to your phone (iOS or Android) as a handy backup. Better still; plan ahead by looking for a driver now or offering a lift to reduce your petrol costs.

Tip: It is a good idea to arrange a car share to avoid the rail strike disruption and we recommend finding a driver sooner rather than later. Don’t leave it to the day before.

Which events might get caught up in the travel chaos? Here’s a sample of some of the big events for the bank holiday weekend which you might now need to car share to or back from.

Sports

May 23rd

FIA Main Event
The 1st round of the televised FIA European Drag Racing Championships is held on the Saturday. The track is at Airfield Road in Podington, Wellinborough and drivers should note the venue warns that Sat Navs are unreliable, advising you to come off the A6 at Wymington as you cannot get to the race via Souldrop or Milton Ernest.

Sky Bet League 2 Final
Southend United and Wycombe Wanderers play at Wembley, with a kick off at 5:30. Researching how to get to the Football League finals? There are car share offers available on the day.

May 24th

Summer Bash 2015
The Rugby League’s Summer Bash is hosted at Bloomfield Road, Blackpool and will feature the first ever final of the League 1 Cup. Teams like the Bradford Bulls and Halifax play on Saturday and others like Doncaster and the Batley Bulldogs play on Sunday. How do you get to rugby’s Summer Bash? You can set up a Liftshare alert or accept one of the lift offers already in the system.

NatWest T20 Blast
Gloucestershire play Essex Eagles at The County Ground in Bristol on the 24th. Don’t want to go watch the cricket alone? Check out these Liftshare members offering a lift to Bristol on the day of the match.

Cheddar Gorge Challenge 2015
The second Cheddar Gorge Challenge of the year is held on the 24th. Those taking part can enter the 300m, 5km and 10km races with the Half Marathon and Marathon being held at a later date. They have just over 500 car parking spaces at Cliff Street Pay & Display car park. Going for the challenge? Why not offer a lift and split petrol costs.

Sky Bet League 1 Final
Preston North End and Swindon Town come to the national stadium for the league 1 final. Kick off is at 5:30. Want to make sure you’re not trapped in a busy rail station before the game? Get a car share set up for the day.

May 25th

1st Test Day 5: England v New Zealand
What are your plans for getting to Lord’s Cricket Ground in London for the game? If those plans include a clever way to get to the match then pop over to Liftshare and review the options.

Extreme Stunt Show: Air Battle
The Extreme Stunt Show: Air Battle leaves the Cwmbran Circus Field on the 23rd of May to come to the Merthyr Tydfil Cyfarthfa Park for the 24th and 25th. It is a chance to watch some big air and car-crushing horsepower. Enjoy the show without rail chaos and Liftshare on the 25th.

Sky Bet Championship Final
Typical! The Championship final is on the day of the strike. We know the venue is Wembley with a 3pm kick-off but who will we see in the stadium? The Middlesbrough v Brentford match at the Riverside Stadium and the Norwich City v Ipswich Town at Carrow Road are being played this weekend. Once you know if your team has made the finals, we’d encourage you to organise a car share as soon as possible as this one could get busy!

Music and Festivals

May 23rd

Dot to Dot Bristol
Dot to Dot Festival featuring the likes of Saint Raymond, Hudson Taylor and The Wytches. Dot to Dot runs in various venues across Bristol on the 23rd. Why not cut the cost of festival going and ride share around the city?

Common People
Common People will star Fatboy Slim, De la Soul, DJ Yoda, George the Poet, Craig Charles and many others in a two-day event ending on the 24th of May. The event is hosted at Southampton Common in the very heart of Southampton proper and you can research getting home and avoiding the strike at Liftshare.com.

The Proclaimers
Performing in the Perth Concert Hall, The Proclaimers may well have fans coming up for the full bank holiday and hoping to travel back by train on the Monday. If you’re now going to have to take the car then why not fill those empty seats and cut the cost of travel by offering a lift.

May 24th

Dot to Dot Nottingham
Dot to Dot Festival stars Saint Raymond, Rae Morris, Hudson Taylor and others when it comes to Nottingham. If you’re worried about how you get back from Dot to Dot the day after, which will be during the strike, then car sharing is something to consider.

Coal Chamber
Coal Chamber will be in Glasgow on Sunday the 24th at the 02 ABC. It may now not be possible to get home, easily, via the trains the day after. There are Liftshares available on the 24th or you can offer one yourself.

Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney is performing at The o2 in London on the 23rd and 24th. The concert starts at 18:30 and you many now struggle with trains returning home on the Monday after. It’s never too late to get into ride sharing, and you can chat with people before accepting any passenger so why not offer a lift for the show and help a fellow fan out?

May 25th

Take That
From May 22nd to May 30th, Take That will be performing at the Manchester Arena. This means the national rail strike will occur almost in the very middle of their stay in the city. Just how can you get to Manchester and the Arena during the strike? Easy! Just pick one of these Liftshare options.

Hozier
Hozier is only in Manchester for one day. He’ll be at the Albert Hall on the day of the strike, with a concert starting at 19:00. Trains home may be a challenge and some railway workers will not be doing overtime on the Tuesday after. Remember, you can car share to Manchester during the strike while avoiding Take That fans also heading to the city.

Foo Fighters
The Foos come to the Stadium of Light on the 25th. If you’re off to see Dave Grohl and the gang then you may need to consider car sharing to and from Sunderland. Don’t like the rail strike get in the way of your Foo dues and create a lift alert today.

Events

May 23rd

Superhero Spirit Challenge
The Superhero Spirit Challenge is on in Glasgow at the Braehead Arena on the 23rd. If you had planned on making a city break in Scotland’s largest city you may now want to consider a car share as a way to get home. You can offer a ride here.

BrewFest Spring
What better way to start a bank holiday weekend than with a popular drink festival! BrewFest runs from the 23rd to the 25th of May from the scenic Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich. Don’t let the rail strike ruin your beer? Set up a car share for the weekend’s fun.

VE Day Anniversary Air Show
A tribute to those who struggled through the Second World War for the generations to come the VE Day Anniversary Air Show runs from the 23rd to the 24th at IWM Duxford near(ish) to Cambridge. It’s a chance to see Sally B, a B-17 Flying Fortress, Skytrains, Mustangs, a Warhark, Catalina and a Beech 18. Don’t let strike action stop folk from getting to the Imperial War Museum and offer a lift today.

May 24th

Clarkson, Hammond & May
Miss TopGear already? You might have been planning on watching Clarkson, Hammond & May Live at the Odyssey Arena, Belfast on either the 23rd or May 24th. You still can but getting home by train the following day might have you caught up in the strike.

May 25th

Illuminasia
Coming to Blackpool and the Winter Gardens to see Illuminasia on the bank holiday Monday? Wondering how to get to the city while the strike is on? There are drivers offering lifts already and if you want to take the car you can offer one too.

Moscow State Circus
The Moscow State Circus’ last show in Halifax’s Savile Park is on bank holiday Monday. You can avoid being caught for hours in a station by car sharing to Halifax on the 25th.

Diesel Gala and Real Ale Festival
With trains from the 1930s and the Black Python Real Ale bar open all weekend the festival at the Didcot Railway Centre is bound to attract plenty of folks. The festival runs the duration of the bank holiday weekend from the 23rd to the 25th. It might just be that a weekend of trains does not cumulate in a train trip home.

The Bupa London 10,000
Starting at 10.00am sharp BUPA’s fun run is not one to be late to. The race starts at St James’s Park and uses Green Park as a venue to gather in first but just watch out for the high pollen count if you suffer from hay fever. Don’t like the strike get in the way; offer a Liftshare today so everyone can make it.

Great Erdrejan Fayre 2015
Getting to the Lorien Trust’s events at Locko Park in Derby can be a challenge at the best of times – especially if you’re carrying a polearm and a shield. As it happens the Great Erdrejan Fayre is on the very day of the rail strike this year. You can car share to the Park but if you are carrying anything unusual it would be best to let the driver know in advance.

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