• HELP US - Become a Patron - Fat Jockey is a horse racing community focused on all the big races in the UK and Ireland. We don't charge users but if you have found the site useful then any support towards the running costs is appreciated ... a small donation each month would be a huge contribution. Become a Patron!

Cheltenham routine

This is my first year going for more than one day, so all recommendations greatly appreciated. I didn't go at all last year.

Going up on Monday night. MIL lives in Cheltenham so staying at their gaff. She's away so suspect her partner and I will raise a few glasses of red. Tuesday, world is my oyster. Tuesday night the wife gets up and then we're both going on Wednesday and home that night.

The issue is everyone is loading my diary up on Thurs and Friday at work. Anyone know a pub near Holborn that will be showing the racing? Looks like I'll have a meeting taking me dangerously close to the Gold Cup!
 
robith said:
This is my first year going for more than one day, so all recommendations greatly appreciated. I didn't go at all last year.

Going up on Monday night. MIL lives in Cheltenham so staying at their gaff. She's away so suspect her partner and I will raise a few glasses of red. Tuesday, world is my oyster. Tuesday night the wife gets up and then we're both going on Wednesday and home that night.

The issue is everyone is loading my diary up on Thurs and Friday at work. Anyone know a pub near Holborn that will be showing the racing? Looks like I'll have a meeting taking me dangerously close to the Gold Cup!
Click to expand...

Don't drink too much on Monday night!!
 
robith said:
This is my first year going for more than one day, so all recommendations greatly appreciated. I didn't go at all last year.

Going up on Monday night. MIL lives in Cheltenham so staying at their gaff. She's away so suspect her partner and I will raise a few glasses of red. Tuesday, world is my oyster. Tuesday night the wife gets up and then we're both going on Wednesday and home that night.

The issue is everyone is loading my diary up on Thurs and Friday at work. Anyone know a pub near Holborn that will be showing the racing? Looks like I'll have a meeting taking me dangerously close to the Gold Cup!
Click to expand...

Philomena's Bar - Great Queen Street will have it on for sure
 
Its getting pretty close now and I'm already dreading the Cheltenham Car park mania after racing, does anyone have specific locations/postcodes of car parks nearby which aren't likely to be full at around 11am?
 
darlojim said:
Its getting pretty close now and I'm already dreading the Cheltenham Car park mania after racing, does anyone have specific locations/postcodes of car parks nearby which aren't likely to be full at around 11am?
Click to expand...

Come in from the North/West and along New Barn lane (through prestbury), stacks of driveways for £10 available....
 
We usually stop for a pint in the centaur after racing and it’s never so bad by time we get out, saves sitting in the car
 
FaugheenTheMachine said:
We usually stop for a pint in the centaur after racing and it’s never so bad by time we get out, saves sitting in the car
Click to expand...

Hmmm tempted to do the same, heard stories of people sitting 2 hours in the car park which isn't great when I'm travelling 3 hours back up north!
 
We went for the first time last year and was out of the car park in 20 minutes. Did we just get lucky?
 
Garrison Savannah said:
We went for the first time last year and was out of the car park in 20 minutes. Did we just get lucky?
Click to expand...

No, longest we’ve ever had to wait was on the Tuesday when Annie Power fell at the last and that was an hour. Other than that 20 minutes sounds about right
 
Heading down on the Wednesday for the first time.

Have tickets for the club enclosure, seats in the guiness grandstand and tickets for the final flight.

Do the seats in the grandstand make a difference in terms of viewing?

Also how’s the queue in the final flight?
 
The viewing is pretty good anywhere you go at Cheltenham. They have 3 big screens across the course so you will never miss the action.
Queues in the bars got a lot better last year as they restricted people to only 4 drinks each which stopped being behind people ordering 20 pints at a time.
Enjoy your day and hope you get a few winners!
 
The only problem with the Guinness Grandstand (unless they’ve changed the rules) is they don’t allow you to take drink up to your seat
 
FaugheenTheMachine said:
The only problem with the Guinness Grandstand (unless they’ve changed the rules) is they don’t allow you to take drink up to your seat
Click to expand...

It’s more the view I’m concerned about, was told the Grandstand over looks the final fence and finishing line?
 
Voy Por Ustedes said:
It’s more the view I’m concerned about, was told the Grandstand over looks the final fence and finishing line?
Click to expand...

It's opposite the final fence, which logically means that it can't also overlook the finishing line (sorry...!). A lot can (and does) change between that fence and the line.
 
squiggsy68 said:
It's opposite the final fence, which logically means that it can't also overlook the finishing line (sorry...!). A lot can (and does) change between that fence and the line.
Click to expand...

Thanks for that mate.

Happy with it over looking the final fence, normally we watch it in the pub & part of the attraction of going down was to see as much of the action live as possible rather than watching on the big screen.

Transport wise we are getting the train from Birmingham, does the course run buses to and from the station during the festival?

Is the station walking distance to the course?

Also how is final flight bar for a drink? Mobbed?

Lot of questions but the buzz is well and truly kicking in!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom