Four Nations Tournament 24-26 May 2019 Aberdeen - Transport Information
Please be aware that, on the morning of Saturday 25 May, various roads in the city centre, including the whole of Union Street, will be closed for the Grampian Pride event. Bus services will be diverted and you can expect delays caused by severe congestion, so allow extra time for travelling. The no. 15 First Bus service to and from Countesswells will be diverted via Guild Street between approximately 10:00 and 13:00. Guild Street is parallel to Union Street to the South and can be reached from Union Street down Bridge Street or Market Street, or through the Trinity Centre. If you are travelling to or from the Airport, the stops on Guild Street are very close to the 727 stop outside the bus station.
Public Transport
Plan your journey by public transport using Traveline Scotland online or via the Traveline Scotland mobile app (link works only from a smartphone) for iOS and Android.
Two bus operators provide services in Aberdeen: First Bus Aberdeen and Stagecoach. Most Stagecoach services are limited stop within the city and tickets are not interchangeable between operators. Both operators accept contactless payments, cash (exact fare only) or smartphone tickets via a mobile app. Ask for a First All Day ticket (£4.00 mobile or £4.20 on the bus) or a Stagecoach Aberdeen Zone 1 DayRider (£3.80, including journeys to and from the Airport). The DayRider may be worth while if you are staying at the Airport or arriving/departing by air and playing at Aberdeen Sports Village on the same day.
Aberdeen Bus Station where most Stagecoach services start is adjacent to the train station but to catch First Aberdeen buses you will need to walk to Union Street via Bridge Street, Market Street or through the Trinity Centre.
From Aberdeen Airport, take Stagecoach bus no. 727 (frequent service) to the city centre on Union Street (single fare £3.50) from the stop to the right as you exit the terminal building. If you are playing at Aberdeen Sports Village the same day, it is worth buying a DayRider ticket - if you are going direct to the Sports Village, stay on the bus to the bus station and change to a Buchan service.
To reach Countesswells from the city centre, take a no. 15 First Aberdeen bus (destination Airyhall) from a stop on Union Street to Countesswells Terrace stop on Countesswells Avenue, then walk back down to Countesswells Road, turn right and walk about 200m West to the entrance to the sports fields. The service runs every half hour but the times are different on Saturdays and Sunday. The last bus back on Friday 24 May is at 19:53. If you miss that, you can take Stagecoach service 15A at 20:38.
For travel to Aberdeen Sports Village from the city centre, take First Bus no. 1. 1A,1B, 2 or 40 from Union Street to the Linksfield Road stop and walk down Linksfield Road approximately 100m to the entrance. If you have a Stagecoach DayRider ticket, take a Stagecoach no. 54, 54A, 60, 61, 63, 67, 68, 290, 291, X54, X60, X67 or X68 to the same stop from the bus station or Adelphi stop G1 near the East end of Union Street (not the express X services). Return from the University Road stop (turn left on to King Street from Linksfield Road).
Going to Rubislaw from the city centre, take First Bus no. 11 or Stagecoach no. X17 to Opposite Bayview Road on Queens Road. If you are arriving the same day by train or from the Airport on the 727 bus, take the X17 from the bus station. Return from the Bayview Road stop (turn right on to Queens' Road from Bayview Road South).
To reach the Beach Ballroom from the city centre, walk down Beach Boulevard or take the same no. 15 service in the opposite direction (Beach Retail Park).
To return to the city centre after the tournament dinner, either walk up Beach Boulevard or take a taxi.
Taxis
The largest taxi operators in the city are:
Rainbow City Taxis - book by telephone on 01224 878787 or use uBook, their free booking app for iOS and Android.
ComCab Aberdeen - book by telephone on 01224 353535, by email to bookings@comcab-aberdeen.co.uk or use the free ComCab app for iOS, Android or Windows. ComCab has the franchise for taxis at the airport - there is a taxi rank to the left as you exit the terminal building.
By Car
Free parking is available at all four venues with certain restrictions at the pitches:
Countesswells
Parking within the sports fields may be restricted on Friday 24 May until around 15:30 because of parents arriving to pick up their children. You should be able to park free of charge on Countesswells Road near the sports field entrance if you can't find a space within the grounds.
Aberdeen Sports Village
There are four free car parks at Aberdeen Sports Village - see http://www.aberdeensportsvillage.com/contact-us-lower/how-to-find-us. Car Park 1, on Linksfield Road, is nearest to the entrance to the main sports centre, the only way in to the changing rooms and pitch. There is a major swimming event at the Aquatics centre on Sunday 24 May, and the car parks are normally quite full on that day anyway. On street parking is free but you may have to try a few streets to find a space.
Rubislaw
The car park, which is adjacent to the pitch, will be locked after the second match on Friday 24 May so please move your car after leaving the pitch/changing rooms. The changing rooms are down hill from the pitch.
Beach Ballroom
There is free, on street parking on Links Road and Beach Esplanade (to the North of the Beach Ballroom) and there is a free car park at the Beach Leisure Centre. Please bear in mind that the alcohol limit for driving in Scotland is lower than that in the rest of the UK - it is the same as in the Republic of Ireland and most of the rest of the EU.
