The Northern Croquet Academy is at York Croquet Club, which is based at Scarcroft Green, Scarcroft Road, York. This gives access to three very good lawns and two small practice lawns. Map below.
Location: we are on Scarcroft Road, York YO24 1DD. The lawns are part of Scarcroft Green, which is the open area between number 64 (YO24 1DD) and number 62 (YO23 1NF). Approaching from The Mount, go some 30 yards past the six semi-detached houses: in the railed off area on the left, look for the break in the hedge and go through the gate. Approaching from the Bishopthorpe Road end, the gate is some 200 yards beyond number 64. We meet in the Clubhouse, which is the green and white Portakabin a few yards to the right of the gate, behind the brick store.
By car: use the satnav code YO24 1DD. Parking and Park and Ride details below.
By train: we are ten minutes’ walk from York Station which has excellent direct InterCity connections south to Peterborough, Stevenage and London; south-west to Sheffield, Derby, Birmingham, Bristol and the West Country and to Oxford, Reading and Southampton; west to Leeds, Manchester and Liverpool; and north to Newcastle, Edinburgh and beyond. There are also good local rail services to Harrogate, Knaresborough and Scarborough. Turn right out of the station's main entrance, and, keeping the city walls on your left, walk to the traffic lights. Turn right down Blossom Street. Continue past the cinema and over the junction with Holgate Road/East Mount Road. At the next set of lights, turn left down Scarcroft Road. The Club is on the left after the six semi-detached houses.
Parking: There is a small area of unrestricted parking outside the ground on Scarcroft Road, opposite the six semi-detached houses, and another small area nearby under the Scarcroft Green avenue. The rest of Scarcroft Road offers two-hour parking only. If full, proceed up Scarcroft Hill YO24 1DE opposite the ground, which offers unrestricted weekend-only parking, as does the spur off it, Wentworth Road YO24 1DG. Failing that, emerge onto Albemarle Road, satnav code YO23 1EN, which offers some unrestricted parking throughout the week about five minutes’ walk from the ground. The Nunnery Lane long stay car park, satnav code YO23 1AA, is some 7-8 minutes walk from the ground but expensive (£13); a cheaper alternative on weekends and during school holidays (£7) is to park in the grounds of All Saints School – look opposite the Nunnery Lane car park for a gate in the long brick wall. Reach the grounds from either the Nunnery Lane car park or the All Saints car park by walking along Scarcroft Lane (YO23 1AD), which is a pedestrian way leading directly to the lawns.
Park and Ride: as an alternative to finding local parking, use one of the York Park and Rides, which stop five minutes’ walk from the ground. From the south and west, use Askham Bar (A64) Park and Ride any day of the week; from the north, use the Poppleton Bar (A59) Park and Ride Monday to Saturday, Askham Bar (A64) for Sunday courses. In each case alight at the Blossom Street stop. Start by crossing the road outside the Everyman Odeon Cinema and walk back out of town. Go straight over the junction with Holgate Road/East Mount Road. At the next set of lights, turn left down Scarcroft Road. The grounds are on the left after the six semi-detached houses: look for the gate in the hedge. Askham Bar weekday and Saturday services run from 6 am to 8 pm; Sunday services run from 9.30 am, getting you to the Club by around 9.55 am, and finish at 6 pm. Poppleton Bar timings work well for Monday to Saturday, but on Sunday use Askham Bar instead.