Wimbledon 2013

luppy

Hi there, hoping to go to Wimbledon 2013.....just as far as Murray mount. Would like advice as how to get tickets etc. also some recommendations for hotels in London would be appreciated!! Hope to spend a day in Wimbledon and then 2/3 days touring London! Thanks

baby and crumble

I've been to Wimbledon a few times, and have acquired a few tips that might help you out.

You'll need to get grounds passes to sit on the Hill- in the first week these are around £17 and it's first come, first served. You can't buy them in advance so you have to queue. These tickets will also admit you to all the courts except the show courts. If you go in the first week you can see some cracking matches and pretty big names on the outside courts playing their first few rounds. You can also check out the practice courts, which can be good for seeing players who don't have matches the day you go.

To get grounds passes I've always arrived at the grounds around 7.30am. Most people get the tube to Wimbledon and walk up- there's loads of signs bringing you to the right place. You queue in a field, and you can't miss it. It's very strict re: queues. You'll get a queue card which gaurantees you your place in line so people can't skip you. That's not a ticket though, so don't go wandering off. They have toilets and stuff for when you're in the queue.

Once you start moving (around 9ish) you move fast- be ready for airport style screening. Don't bring anything sharp etc. There are guidelines on the Wimbledon site about what you can and can't bring. Make sure you read them. The first year I went I brought a messenger style bag and my arm was dragged off me by the end of the day- get a backpack if you can.

If you're not bothered about getting a full day, you might get lucky with returns tickets at some of the gates, but don't count on it.

In my experience, bring either an umbrella you can fold up small or a rain poncho. It's seriously miserable sitting waiting for play to start again if you're soaked. There's lots of places to get food in the grounds, but bring some sambos if you want because it can be pricey enough. Bring a water bottle, there are fountains you can fill up on around the grounds, if it's hot you don't want to be constantly buying expensive soft drinks. Bring plenty of sunscreen, because if you're outside and it's nice it's easy to loose track of time and get burned (trust me!)

Bring a camera, fully charged. There's free wifi in the grounds if I remember correctly (I could be mixing that up with the US Open) so you can get online and stuff. If you have a smartphone get the app so you can see what matches are going on across the grounds- you might spot one you'd prefer more on elsewhere, especially as if the weather is good and matches are speedy, things get moved around- doubles matches in particular.

I can't think of much else, tbh. I always stay with family when I go over so I can't help much with accomodation.

Wimbledon is AWESOME though. Really great fun.

luppy

Thanks for that!! So helpful. Himself just has to book flights etc!!:D

ProudDUB

If you are taking the train/Tube, don't get off at Wimbledon. That's the station that most people use. It can get packed with everyone arriving at the same time, and you can have a long wait to get on one of the shuttle buses that take you to ground itself. Stay on until the Southfields station. It is nearer to the ground itself, and less than a mile walk to it.

Pack rain and sun gear. There is precious little shelter in the grounds if the weather is very sunny or very wet. I got a terrible scald the year that I was there. Sort out the ponchos before you go, as you'll get hosed on the price if you buy them there.

If you don't have show court tickets, your best bet to see the big names is on the outside courts in the first week. Check the schedule of matches on each court that is posted the day before. Pick the matches that you want to attend. Plan to be there at least 30-45 mins before it starts, when the previous match is still under way. A lot of people clear will out after each game, and you can get a really good spot close to the court when they do.

coylemj

Agree with most of baby and crumble's advice except for two things....

1. The 'security' entering the grounds is very lax and nothing like an airport, they just look in your bag and I don't recall any scanners or the like.

2. The tube station for the Wimbledon tennis is Southfields, not Wimbledon. The platforms are painted in green with white lines similar to a tennis court. Just follow the crowds up from the tube station.

In the second week, most matches involving the big players are on the show courts so it probably isn't worth queuing to get in unless you're going to be content to sit on the hill and watch the big screen. The minor courts in the second week are used for boys and girls matches and the 'legends' doubles where you can see stars of yesterday playing for fun.

If you're really early and at the head of the queue to get in, the stewards come out early with a limited number of wrist tags for centre and no. 1 court and offer them to the people at the head of the queue. If you elect to take the tag, you can pay for entry to that court when you get to the entrance gate, otherwise you just buy a ground ticket and watch what you can in the minor courts or sit on the hill and watch the big screen.

The advice about the sun is worth following and note that the tennis complex is in a hollow and the centre court and court No. 1 buildings are reasonably high so there is a lot of trapped air and it can get very hot. The show courts are well ventilated and almost all of the spectators are shielded from the sun by the high roof so that advice only applies to the minor courts where all of the spectators are exposed to the elements, including sun and rain!

I wouldn't worry about Wi-Fi or the smartphone app, there are lots of signs inside the grounds showing which matches are on and on which court. Matches can run on late or finish early so matches scheduled for the minor courts can get reassigned. There's lots of food concessions and it's not madly expensive if you stay away from the full service restaurants.

baby and crumble

Yeah good call about the tube, tbh because I stay with family we do this weird bus journey so I'm not the best judge for that!

I remember security being pretty tight, my bag was x-rayed and everything...

coylemj

baby and crumble wrote: »

I remember security being pretty tight, my bag was x-rayed and everything...

I wasn't there last year so maybe they've tightened up, it was a joke in previous years, you opened the zip or catch on your bag and they looked in, purely a token glance (by extremely disinterested young staff) but there could have been anything at the bottom of the bag and they wouldn't have noticed.

coylemj

coylemj wrote: »

If you're really early and at the head of the queue to get in, the stewards come out early with a limited number of wrist tags for centre and no. 1 court and offer them to the people at the head of the queue. If you elect to take the tag, you can pay for entry to that court when you get to the entrance gate, otherwise you just buy a ground ticket and watch what you can in the minor courts or sit on the hill and watch the big screen.

Here's the latest on what's on offer on the day for people at the head of the queue.....

A limited number of tickets for Centre, No.1, No.2 Courts and Grounds Admission can be purchased on the day at the turnstiles. These tickets cannot be booked in advance of the days which they are used and can be purchased only via The Queue.

And 'several hundred' Centre Court and Court No. 3 tickets are for sale the day before on Ticketmaster.

More about 'The Queue'... http://www.wimbledon.com/en_GB/tickets/201205091336565749973.html

luppy

Thanks for all the advice!! Will take it all on bord!! Any recommendations on accommodation.....going to tour London as well!'

coylemj

luppy wrote: »

Thanks for all the advice!! Will take it all on bord!! Any recommendations on accommodation.....going to tour London as well!'

Given the range of accommodation on offer in London, it might help if you gave a steer as to what you're budgeting to pay per night in a hotel. Tripadviser is a good place to look, the volume of reviews for a city like London is usually such that hotels can't stuff their entries with fake reviews but they're usually easy to spot anyway - any use of words like 'amazing' or 'faultless' or praise for unspecific service ('the people on reception couldn't have been more helpful') is an obvious plant.

If you get a hotel close to Earls Court, Gloucester Road or South Kensington tube stations, you can get there direct from Heathrow and you'll get able to go direct to Southfields for the tennis as those three stations are on both the Piccadilly and District lines. You'll also be able to get the tube direct to the West End (Piccadilly Line to Leicester Sq.) if you decide to book a show.

One more thing on the first week and queuing - a family member who goes very frequently informs me that the queue is usually longer on days when there are a lot of mens' matches. That would apply to later in the first week and early in the second. There are equal number of mens' and womens' matches in the first couple of days but if a backlog starts to build because of bad weather or long matches, there will be more mens' matches in the backlog than womens' because mens' matches take longer, being best of five instead of three sets.

exiledelbows

As another tip when you're there. Don't bother going to the resale ticket booths for the showcourts but instead just hang out around the exit next to Centre Court in the early evening and ask anyone leaving (if you know they've come out of centre) for their ticket before they reach the exit and the resale staff asking them the same question. I got into one of the Doubles Finals last year doing this, and friends got into an evening Murray match.