I had a fantastic week at the Cheltenham Festival and I got a lot right during the week but there are parts of it I would do differently if I went again.
1. Do Your Research
It's not just about picking winners. I asked a few people who had been there before and also joined
www.fatjockey.com and put up a post asking advice. There are different types of tickets - the Best Mate and Tattersalls tickets are cheaper but give you limited access. I went for the Club Enclosure which are more expensive but you can get to all the main stands, pre-parade ring, the parade ring, shopping village, Guinness Village etc. Go on to
https://www.thejockeyclub.co.uk/cheltenham/plan-your-day/enclosures/m I'd recommend paying the extra for the Club as you want to be able to experience as many elements of a day at the races as possible. Also if you want to avoid what looked like huge queues in the various bars, you could pay the extra for the Final Flight Bar where it appears to be a lot more civilised. The toilets down in the Shopping Village were amazingly very clean for the four days as well. Also you'll probably need to book accommodation, flights etc around Christmas.
2. Get There Early
I travelled over from Belfast on the Tuesday morning doing my shortlist for each race on the plane, rented a car from Birmingham Airport and drove for about an hour and half. Initially, I planned to leave the car at my accommodation in Gloucester and take public transport but it was pouring down so I changed my plan and decided to take the car into Cheltenham without knowing exactly where I was going to park. I drove around for a while and was going to drive up to Prestbury Park and pay for the quite expensive parking there but it seems you have to go through the centre of Cheltenham to get to the course and the traffic was crazy. I turned around and discovered there were buses going from Cheltenham Spa and I was told by a steward that I could park along the adjoining road for free. This worked out well but then the bus had to get through the centre of town where I had been previously and had to turn around. This time there was no option to turn back as 1.30pm was fast approaching and it was total gridlock. Eventually I had to get off the bus and walk/run the last mile making it in for about 1.20 which left me very little time to finalise my bets for the day and find my way to somewhere I could watch the race and film the Cheltenham roar. The bus from Cheltenham Spa was £5.50 return per day. It was fine every day after that but the info I got from the steward seems to have been incorrect because I got a ticket on the Thursday (which I'm currently disputing), having parked there without incident on Tuesday and Wednesday. There is free parking in council car parks from 1pm on each day but check their website for details. I parked in Rodney Road Car Park in town centre on the Friday and it was about a half an hour walk to the course. Fly over the day before if you can and start heading for the course from wherever you're staying at about 10.30 each day.
3. What To Do When You Get In
Usually when I go the races it's Parade Ring/Track all day and it was pretty much the same here. There was always room at the barrier and on the terrace at the far side of the parade ring which was right behind the ITV Racing cameras at their makeshift, al fresco studio. I didn't realise there was a pre parade ring behind here until about the Thursday. I obviously didn't have to do that much exploring the first two days! If you want to get food get there early and get something beforehand because you can queue for up to half an hour for food between races and a couple times I had to abandon queuing or I would have missed the next race. I'd advise having a big breakfast before you go racing and you'll not need anything until your evening meal. The Shopping Village is worth a wander around and can kill half an hour between races. There was music on in the Guinness Village when I walked past it on Gold Cup day, that was the only time I was near it. There was more music down in the hospitality area down from the Shopping Village and there was a DJ there also. My favourite was the jazz/swing four piece who set up outside the Trainers and Owners in mid afternoon each day. Watching the races from the stands each day was fairly straightforward. There was always room across from the winning line or down at the final fence but Gold Cup day was a different story, you couldn't get anywhere near the stands just before a race but the Head On View stand was always an option on Gold Cup Day, possibly because it had no roof and it was drizzling. There is a marked difference between the numbers on every other day and the last day. There's maybe an extra 10,000 there for the finale but it feels like a lot more. If you want a place in stands, get there early and prepare not to move.
All in all, it was a very, very enjoyable week. I've been to quite a few musical festivals down the years and it reminded me a bit of being at one of those albeit with a lot more older people and less women. I didn't see any trouble at it and there was a notable Police presence. On the Wednesday, there were a lot of armed Police. To sum up it was top quality racing with thrilling finishes and endless drama watched by tens of thousands of fans there to have a good time.
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