festival ! help needed .

Very regular bus service from the station to the course and back. Always busy and queues after racing for the return journey. Racecourse well signposted for road traffic but car parks at the course - £10 I think - are very busy and a nightmare to exit. If driving, I'd be tempted to go into Cheltenham town centre, park there and walk to the course - about 30 minutes. You'll get away far quicker afterwards unless you are prepared to miss the last race.

Never done the train but people I know who do say the journey back is horrendous - standing room with loud drunk idiots for 90 mins is how it's been described to me.
Unless you stay in town until the majority have gone, I'm sure the later trains must be better.

Parking is fine if you drive, there are a host of farmers fields in New Barn Lane which is a 5 min walk to the course and costs a fiver, it means you have to go steady on the beers of course but it's a much more civilised way of doing it.
I always watch the last race from the Best mate enclosure and dart out as soon as they go over the line, I'm in the car and halfway back to Stow before the traffic starts getting bad...

We're driving down this year, is it worth getting official Cheltenham parking or is anywhere else better? Remember seeing Cheltenham FC offering parking one year?

thanks bluebird top info, i think we will be driving after hearing about the trains ,i will get there early and hopefully park in one of the fields .

Foyles - do get there early.
Come in from Prestbury, at the double mini roundabout go down New Barn Lane, it's the road that takes you straight to the course, as you get up the hill and just before the houses start on the left there's a farmers field for a fiver, best place to park.

In fact if you're driving from London it's actually worth coming off the main drag and going through the villages around Stow, Bourton etc, all the pubs do a cracking breakfast, it gives you a couple of hours to park up and read the bible, and you're only a 20-30 min drive to the course, coming down the B4632 (through Winchcombe) you'll miss so much of the town traffic.
Aim to get to the car park for 11am and it'll be a breeze.
Good luck !

It's posts like this that build the anticipation.
I aint been down for about 5yrs now and I always liked to get there no later than 11.30. Get in and get a good pitch. I usually parked in one of the farmers field for a fiver then just a 5min walk to the course. It does get busy leaving but the boys in blue and marshals soon get everyone out and on the road. I believe they make it all one way, or they did the last time I was down.

Foyles....If you decide on the A40 from Oxford do not take the AA signs when you get to burford,go straight on towards cheltenham, much quicker if you get there by 10-30 on raceday.As mentioned getting out can be nightmare,horse9 best advice,as for parking always paid for on course,for a tenner its peace of mind and secure,and to see some quite hilarious rupert the bear outfits.

Enjoy