Ian Cartwright's away guide to Barnet

The countdown is on, the big kick-off to the new season is just over a fortnight away - but Charlton still have three friendly fixtures before their date with AFC Bournemouth, starting with Barnet at Underhill on Saturday (3pm).

This match was arranged as part of the deal which brought Dean Sinclair to The Valley, although as events have transpired, we have actually since faced the Bees on more occasions than the midfielder, through no fault of his own, turned out for the Addicks before his release at the end of June.

Tickets for the friendly clash are available in the Main Stand (along the side of the pitch) and the South Stand (behind the goal), priced £12 adults and £5 concessions, although there are a few terraced recesses behind the goal (between the turnstiles and the main stand and in between the two stands) for the absolute traditionalists.

These two stands were in action for the Bees' friendly against Watford, Charlton's final friendly opponents this pre-season, on Wednesday, which saw Barnet change their mind quite drastically about the use of vuvuzelas at Underhill, manager Mark Stimson seemingly suitably unimpressed.

Naturally, I have to maintain a neutral opinion about these things and moreover am unable to promote any form of product placement on behalf of companies not in partnership with Charlton. But, had this U-turn not occurred, I would have recommended that a well-known piece of equipment that allows one to listen to music while on the move may have been a worthwhile accessory for anyone venturing to Underhill who wanted to chuck the remote at the TV during the World Cup when these things were at their loudest.

On the other hand, there are those who like them, so no doubt this will not be the last time this season I will be advising whether or not they are a permissible accessory.

Anyway, seats are available along the side of the ground and behind the goal at the opposite end to the turnstiles. The stadium is a bit piecemeal, as one would expect given the Bees first tasted League action in 1992 in a nice, quiet 7-4 defeat to Crewe Alexandra which I happened to attend.

The east terrace where I stood that day will be closed, but the main stand is still very much alive and kicking and now has an accomplice in the form of the family stand to its right. Somewhat surprisingly, the older of the two has a less impeded view than its neighbour, the latter having a couple of poles which slightly impair the view.

When the south stand first acquired that moniker, instead of its former terrace status, it was of the infamous golf stand variety better known at Gillingham, Brighton & Hove Albion and so on.

However, a modern and functional structure is now present, housing over 1,000 fans. If there was one slight criticism, it would be that the roof does not extend as far as it should and the sides are open to the elements, but having seen the weather forecast, that shouldn't be much of an issue - taking some sunblock may be more advisable. The view is great, although you will have to pass the front of the main stand to get to it.

You also pass by what seems to be an office block, but within this is the Pavilion Sports Bar which welcomes all fans and is large, spacious, does a bite to eat and is not dissimilar to the one at Bedford Town, although I doubt that they will permit you to take beer outside as was the case in midweek (I bet you wish you had come after all!). It also has satellite TV and long opening hours, thus enabling you to watch friendlies from around the Globe featuring tired Premiership players clamouring for a winter break.

Immediately outside the ground is the Old Red Lion pub, which is more traditional and does a mean selection of real ale - this also once featured a legendary appearance for the supporters' club quiz team by the chairman of Swedish Addicks, who fared better than some of his English counterparts - but I digress...

The A1000 runs just outside the ground and there are quite a few nice pubs at the top of Barnet Hill past High Barnet underground station, plus a nice triangular crawl near New Barnet railway station. Of those going the other way towards New Barnet, the large Queens Arms is the best of the bunch and most football-friendly.

Getting there throws up a few options. As the ground is in the London A-Z, fans will no doubt have their own preferred choice of route so I won't suggest any particular one.

Street parking immediately around the ground is not readily available and there are often cones and wardens around - there is a reasonably sized car park at High Barnet underground station.

Which brings me to the other dilemma! All of Barnet is in Travelcard Zone 5, High Barnet tube station being five minutes' walk from the ground. The only problem is it means 45 minutes on the Underground from London Bridge to the end of the line on a potentially very hot day, although no doubt people will find a way of breaking the journey.

The Jubilee Line is closed all weekend as well. New Barnet station is served by trains from Kings Cross every half an hour with a journey time of 20 minutes - again, however, there are engineering works taking place on the line formerly known as the Thameslink between London Bridge and St Pancras, so the tube will be required for at least part of the way.

It's about a 20-minute walk from New Barnet to the ground, although buses 84, 107 and 384 run from the station to Underhill on a frequent basis.