I did the full Wimbledon experience for less than £60

Telegraph

5 days ago

The majesty of the All England Club hits you the first time you walk through its gates. The money is obvious earlier. Anyone with a vague understanding of the London housing market will realise this urban-bucolic corner of the capital does not come cheap.
That much is clear the moment you leave Southfields tube station and immediately spot the tell-tale Gail's across the road. Many of those ambling down Church Road on Monday morning wore drop-waist linen dresses and crisp polo shirts which did not appear to come from Primark. It is all part of the spell cast by a visit to Wimbledon.
You see an area at its best, spruced up to within an inch of its life. You absorb the refined buzz of thousands of people, most with world-beating skincare routines, making their pilgrimage to tennis Mecca. All are out for one of their fanciest days of the year and the cheerful mood is potent. But is it worth it? Hard to say, in the era of defeated acceptance of £8 pints.
It is certainly possible to spend big here. Paying four figures for hospitality is the safest way to guarantee attendance if you do not fancy your chances in the ticket ballot. Should you succeed in that, the best seats on Centre Court will cost you £105 for day one, rising across the fortnight to £315 for the men's and women's finals.
You could certainly make a case for these prices at the beginning of the tournament, on duration alone. Comparably good seats over Putney Bridge at Fulham's Craven Cottage can cost £160 for big games, for which you get 90 minutes of thrilling possession-centric Premier League football. At Wimbledon it is conceivably nine-and-a-half hours of entertainment on the two biggest courts, from the start of play at 1.30pm to the curfew of 11pm, albeit not when one of the three matches is Aryna Sabalenka versus the woman ranked 194th in the world.
Is there further value to be had in SW19? I spent the day trying to find it.
Tickets
Only one viable option here and unfortunately it is going to involve an early start to join a significant queue. Some time before 6am is usually sufficient to obtain a grounds pass ticket, which cannot be bought by any other means. This gives you access to unreserved seats everywhere, except Centre Court, No 1 Court and Court No2.
Also, and unusually for similar stratified sporting venues, you have free movement around the site. Gawp at the burly eastern European chap storming back to the changing rooms after his humbling first-round defeat; slow roast yourself upon Henman Hill; take a commemorative selfie with the Court 18 plaque which marks John Isner and Nicolas Mahut's very long match. Or the Fred Perry statue, if feeling basic. All of this will cost you just £30.
Sport
Admittedly that did not buy you a glimpse of Emma Raducanu, Jacob Fearnley or Katie Boulter on Monday, all of whom were assigned Centre Court or No 1 Court matches. It was still easy to pull off a Brit-hopping challenge, with Oliver Crawford on Court 16 and Oliver Tarvet on Court 4, then a disappointing Oliver drought.
Never fear, Cameron Norrie was along soon enough on Court 18, Harriet Dart was third up on 17 and Henry Searle closed out the day on Court 4. Those seeking star names on Monday could watch Holger Rune, Naomi Osaka or Zheng Qinwen, the sixth-ranked player in the world, with a grounds pass ticket. It is an extraordinary day of high-calibre sport for the price.
Food
Your picnic strategy is key here. Wimbledon forbids coolboxes and hampers but you are allowed to bring whatever you fancy in soft-sided containers. Realistically if you are sticking around for the full day's play you will require another meal. I ask at one of the information stands where to find food on a budget. I receive the reply 'that's a rough question at Wimbledon'.
The Walled Garden area next to No 1 Court offers shawarmas and sandwiches which are not priced appallingly, but £5.20 for a stingy portion of fries or pot of edamame beans seems cheeky. Upstairs from there is the Larder where sandwiches start at £4.50 and a sausage roll is available for £5.10. No more than you would pay if short of options in a train station.
Heartbreaking news for strawberries and cream fans, though. After a credible 15 year freeze at £2.50 the price has gone up to £2.70 this year. Dawdling near a stand selling them to gauge fury, I encounter a grand total of zero complaints.
Drink
The picnic amnesty also permits alcohol, either two 500ml beers or one 750ml bottle of wine. Could go for a punchy 20 per cent ABV Pedro Ximénez sherry if you really want to make the most of your personal allowance? A bold move given the weather, but sure to be rewarded. Plausibly could be sipped at intervals across several hours, which would save you the indignity of paying £8.85 for a pint of Stella Artois.
I briefly think I have found a hack which reduces this price to £7.50 at the Larder bar but on closer inspection that will only get you a 330ml bottle. For a more sensible hydration strategy there is the option of a reusable Evian bottle with free refills all day for £5, although the plastic bottle may not play well with environment fans.
Merchandise
Look past the Ralph Lauren vintage tennis print shirt (£229) and the full-zip white jacket which is perfect for your next Roger Federer party (£125) there is the odd affordable option in the shops. I begin a hunt for the cheapest items available, because even budget-conscious fans deserve a souvenir.
A promising start with the licensed racket dampeners, £7.99 for two. A keyring attached to a small Slazenger ball is yours for £7. Then I spot some pots of pens, tantalisingly unpriced. A kind assistant tells me the biros are £3 and a black marker pen is £2.50. We have a winner! And a ruined backpack when it inevitably leaks.
'Free fun'
If you have the foresight to bring your own water bottle there are several fountains around the site providing free refills. If you are willing to give an affiliated airline your email address you can win a prize draw for a holiday to Dubai, or more likely some branded tat. If you wish to play a tiring-looking target-hitting tennis game with a sponge ball on a big screen then racket-makers Babolat have got your back.
The museum, the world's largest about tennis, near gate four, is also worth a visit. Especially because it is usually £32 for adults but free for anyone visiting during the Championship. Extra-especially because it is air conditioned.
Verdict
With the caveat that you will not be roaring drunk, you will be queueing in a park for several hours, and you might be leaving peckish there is a route to a day at Wimbledon for under £60:
£30 grounds ticket
£10 homemade picnic
£10 bottle of wine
£4.95 sandwich
£2.50 commemorative marker pen
Total: £57.45
In the early days of the Championship, given the high level of play hosted on outside courts, that is a steal compared to most top-level sport. It is to the All England Club's credit that this remains possible. Yes, you might feel ripped off if you come to SW19 under-prepared and thirsty. But few comparable events offer such an accessible route to a bucket list day out.