Racecourses near London ; advice please .

I’m not from the locality but I’ve been to all three . What I would say to you would be , all 3 are roughly an hour from central London , so by train it’s no problem to get there . All 3 would be ok but the quality of NH racing in Lingfield is pretty awful ,, whereas you would be likely to have pretty decent fare at the other 2.
I’d stay in London the day lingfield is on , but certainly the other two would be worth going to . Newbury is another fantastic track to attend down south, although it’s that bit further out from the city, it’s well worth going to.

Go to Newbury by train; Newbury Racecourse station is adjacent to the track. Car to be avoided, course not easy to exit and town centre traffic is appalling.

Thanks for the information . I have already decided to use public transport . Where I come from the roads are really quiet , and I would hate being stuck nose to tail for half the journey . I realise Newbury holds some fine racing , but that trip will have to wait . I will take into account the potentially poor standard of NH racing at Lingfield , but might go to tick it off as one might say .I've only been to 11 UK courses , but any new ones to me are another step to completion . If I ever get my act together regards that aim . I would imagine that the tracks that I've mentioned will be quiet enough to be able do and see whatever you wish without having to fight through crowds . But are there enclosures I should avoid , or great vantage points I should try to spectate from ?

Sandown and Kempton easy to get to from Waterloo and Lingfield is from Victoria. All 3 tracks have a train station near the track. Sandown (Esher) is a slightly longer walk (10-15 minutes).

lingfield are always 50/50 to be on

On those days all the tracks will be pretty quiet. Sandown premier enclosure is definitely a bit better on busy days but probably no need on a relatively quiet day. No particular vantage points. Sandown is the best for viewing. Superb jumps track.

Try and get yourself to Plumpton sometime.  The best small track in the country

Mrs Simpson seemed to think so, too ... when she made the Duke of Windsor take her there - to a mundane, probably wet, mid-week meeting.

"I don't go to Plumpton," said the soon to be de-throned King.

"Well you are today," - was probably something like her overpowering reply.

tonic is right about plumpton and it also has a station next to the course.

the fear can i have an even pound each national hunt fixture please

northofperth

if lingfield was of or had poor fields it would not be to much of a problem going to huntingdon that day.

as a base teddington or twickenham are best.

Thank you fellow forum members for your help and advice . I have looked at trains for Huntingdon from Kings Cross , and it takes an hour . So I may well end up there if Lingfield is a washout or very small fields . I will look out now for accommodation near Teddington or Twickenham , and how these areas fit in for rail travel etc . The most Southerly placed track I've been to is Cheltenham . So I still have lots of tracks to visit still , but I prefer NH a fair bit more than flat racing .

make sure you wrap up at huntingdon it's cold on a summers day

fakenham a must best small nh course about in the country

n.o.m
I would recommend the wellington hotel at waterloo for a base,
thank me later
regards
Ronnie.

I tend to agree with Ronnie that Waterloo is a better option than twickenham or teddington as a base. Or alternatively clapham junction area as trains direct from clapham junction to all 3 tracks plus some decent bars and restaurants in that area for the evenings. Twickenham/Richmond area is nice but actually less practical for getting to the tracks by train as you'll then need to travel into clapham junction first.

good morning asparagus

i didnt realise clapham had decent bars and restaurants i have only ever passed through on the train what the hotel situation around there ?

Morning Foxy, must admit hotel situation is probably not the best. Not that much choice. One or two at Wandsworth Town (one stop away) which do the job. The Alma, a pub with a boutique hotel attached is actually quite nice or you've got the standard Holiday Inn express. Hotel Rafayel on the river in Battersea is quite nice though further from a station so probably not one if you're just looking for a base for racing. There are also a couple in Imperial Wharf, again one stop from Clapham Junction that are more luxurious (Chelsea Harbour hotel and a Doubletree Hilton). At Clapham junction itself there is only a travelodge that i can think of. There are plenty of places on air bnb if not.
As for Bars and Restaurants I guess it depends what you are looking for but plenty of good restaurants along Northcote Road and Battersea rise which are just a few minutes away and a good range of bars. It depends what you are looking for i guess. It's not Mayfair or Soho but it's lively enough, with good wine bars, good old style pubs and modern bars.

i am to old now for soho

thanks for your help asparagus.

old style pubs suit me.

You're welcome Foxy, Teddington/Richmond/Twickenham probably has a bigger percentage of old style pubs but a few decent ones around Clapham Junction area. London is a bit of a minefield as to where to stay but certainly for going racing South of London Clapham Junction is a very good base.

gone off richmond to be honest,i stayed there for royal ascot one year it was before saturday was a royal day we all watched south africa win the world cup against the all blacks in the pub opposite the station,been a few times since when down for racing or rugby just seem to get lost around there now.

Ally Pally

Should have thought Hampton Court would be a good base. Only a couple of mile from Sandown and Kempton so cheap minicab ride.
No shortage of pubs and restaurants.

Thanks to all the posters , I've read through the information and will take it into account . So far I've booked my seat on a train that arrives at London Euston on the Saturday afternoon . I have also bought a visitor's oyster card . I'm now considering where to book my accommodation . I was originally thinking of staying close to Euston , but also see the merits of positioning myself nearer Waterloo station ( handy for getting to Sandown/Kempton ) , or Victoria Station for Lingfield . My days of being a party animal are firmly in the past , so I don't require to be in a hip and happening location . I will be using public transport to get around , so being close to a tube station would be convenient . Thanks in advance .

There is a free shuttle mini bus service from Esher station to Sandown Park.

Even on race days trains only stop at Plumpton once an hour.

Even on race days trains only stop at Plumpton once an hour.

Around Waterloo is your best bet and for Lingfield you just change at Clapham Junction.

n.o.p
you say you want a hotel near a station and tube, the wellington at waterloo is so close in the bedroom you will find earplugs yes earplugs that is how close you are to the station you can hear the trains.
take it from me its ideal

hope I have helped
have a nice time where ever you stay
regards
Ronnie.

well that sorts it then the wellington it is so the trains can keep you awake.

And if the racing is off you can do a bit of trainspotting.

n.o.p
the pictures on tripadvisor will show you how close the trains run ie very close
but I know where I will be staying in june.
as always I just want to help.
have a good day
regards
Ronnie.

Oldgit - Re the trains to Plumpton - You are correct re only one an hour but they are pretty convenient times as the racing pretty much fits in with the train times - Trains arrive at 12.16 and 1.16 and race start times are 12.40 at the earliest and 2.15 at the latest.  Also only an hour from Victoria too!!

If you want to stay close to Euston then The Royal National Hotel would fit the bill . It is in Russel Square and a five minute walk to The British Museum which could be of interest if racing cancelled

A seat on a London bound train ; check , accommodation nearby to Euston station ; check , visitors oyster card bought and received through post ; check . I'm now wondering if the oyster card can be used for part of the rail journeys to the station that serve Sandown , Kempton and Lingfield . Or is it advisable to just book rail travel for each individual trip ? I would imagine it is just as convenient/economical .
Thanks to all forum members who have posted in reply to my questions . Local knowledge , and previous experiences , are good to refer to when going to new racecourses IMHO .

https://tfl.gov.uk/fares-and-payments/oyster/using-oyster/where-you-can-use-oyster#on-this-page-2


You'll need to check and see what routes the course stations are on. It wasn't valid on the train to Esher when I went but that was a while ago now.

Oyster cards up to Zone 6 are valid to the following stations:-

Sandown - only valid to Surbiton one stop before Esher.
Kempton - only valid to Hampton.
Lingfield - only valid to Upper Warlingham.

At the ticket office ask for a return ticket from Zone 6 to Esher, Kempton Park or Lingfield.

Thanks for the info lovegod , I will look into things in advance of my trip .

hi Nop,roughly what sort of budget do you have for your london hotel stays?

If you were to do as lovegod suggested and use an oyster card to get to the boundary of zone 6 you would have to get off the train to scan the card and probably have to wait for the next train.

Good luck for your visit.I'll probably be going to all of these fixtures,certainly Sandown and Kempton.

Jambo, you are correct.

I was thinking of a Daily Travelcard (paper ticket), costs £17.50 for Zones 1 to 6.

You don't have to touch in and out with that one but still need the extra ticket for travel outside Zone 6 to the racecourse.

You could get a daily return ticket between London and the courses i.e Waterloo to Esher is £7.70, Waterloo to Kempton is £8.50 and Victoria to Lingfield is £14.90 but they won't cover any other travel.

Why would you want to stay in Central London anyway when you're paying Central London hotel prices?

Personally I tend to use the area around Stamford Bridge as a base, even in the summer when Chelsea aren't playing. Easy to get to both Sandown and Kempton from there with a tube down to Wimbledon and then a train from there to the courses. About 15 minutes to Esher and 30 minutes or so to Kempton. Also easy to get to Victoria from Fulham Broadway to get a train to Lingfield. Hotels usually pretty reasonable around there unless Chelsea are at home and it's an international break that weekend.

Hello all , I've booked a hotel near Euston , I've also received a visitor oyster card through post and picked up my rail tickets for trip to London . I was wondering how the oyster card and a rail ticket for the part of the journey outside London would work . So thanks for the clarity on the subject Jambo . I will probably get off peak return tickets for travelling between the main stations and the courses . A heads up for anyone going to either Sandown on the Sunday ( 12th Nov' ) or Huntingdon on the 14th . Rewards for racing have deal on tickets , if you happen to be a member . For example ; Sandown grandstand entry for £5.00 .

Blackbarn:
Yes the trains from Victoria fit in quite well. But I live in Eastbourne and they don't fit well from that direction. Usually get there way before the first race and I often left before the last to save a wait going home.
On Sundays they are two hourly and the course arranged for an extra stop for race times IF there is not Engineering works and a replacement bus service that day.
The worst one was a Sunday with a replacement bus from Eastbourne to Lewes and the bloody train to London had broken down on the platform. A day when I had the first three winners but I phoned my bets to Hills. They did not appear on my statement and when I contacted them they said that I had hung up without confirming it when they called it back. After much discussion they paid up.

Be very careful to make sure that you have a ticket to Esher as they have inspectors catching out passengers including pensioners whose tickets/Freedom Cards ran out at Surbiton. Its a good little earner for SW trains.

Am I correct in thinking that Mr D Thompson , and his infamous bucket shtick , will be pleasingly absent from the aforementioned courses ? I would imagine so , but thought it a good idea to ask .

NOP, in all my years of going to Sandown I have never seen Mr Thompson, long may that continue.

NOP,Is it Racing UK that you're thinking of for discounted tickets?As best I can ascertain the code 'JCRUK2017'takes Sandown Premier down to £18.60 with Kempton General Admission at £10.

All 3 courses give an over-60s discount.£5 at Sandown and Kempton and £7 at Lingfield.

It's going to be proper jump racing weather,9-10 degrees over the 3 days but I guess that you're used to that,if your username is accurate.

Good luck.

Try this link for free tickets at Sandown on 12 November.

https://jcrtickets.thejockeyclub.co.uk/online/seatSelect.asp

JCR have had free ticket offers throughout the year, I've been to Warwick a few times this year with these free offers and going again next Friday.

And a similar link for Huntingdon on 14 November:-

https://jcrtickets.thejockeyclub.co.uk/online/seatSelect.asp

Try this link it shows all the courses available.

https://jcrtickets.thejockeyclub.co.uk/online/default.asp?doWork::WScontent::loadArticle=Load&BOparam::WScontent::loadArticle::article_id=BB534BAB-A9D2-477F-BD89-CE2FD970E0A9

NOP,I've found your £5 Sandown offer on the Rewards for Racing site.I have an account but wasn't aware that they did ticket offers.

I'm an Annual Member at Sandown so would recommend that you pay the tenner for Premier entry.I still believe that my above mentioned discounts at Kempton and Lingfield(paying on the gate if you're over 60)are the cheapest options.

Am I correct in thinking that Mr D Thompson , and his infamous bucket shtick , will be pleasingly absent from the aforementioned courses ? I would imagine so , but thought it a good idea to ask

You'll be safe at Kempton & Sandown.  He occasionally turns up at Lingfield, but he's usually there to "tip" winners to sponsors guests in a marquee.

Thanks to all posters for information . I received a ticket for premier enclosure by post yesterday . I bought it for £10.00  plus £2.00 for postage . It was through Rewards for Racing's offer . There was an offer for Huntingdon too , but I didn't buy that one . It involved vouchers for food etc .
Regards the weather , I'm battle hardened to inclement conditions . But I would hope it's not going to be too wet .

Sandown is the easiest to get too...train from Waterloo is about 3 stops and 20 minutes.

You arrive on the far side of the track and walk across...if you’re lazy then get a taxi.

If you're lazy,or partially disabled get the courtesy mini-bus.There's one every 5-10 minutes.

It's a 15 minute walk by road to the track. 12 minutes if you walk across the course which lets you get a idea of the track and fences.As it's your first visit to Sandown you should try that.

How went it NOP ?????

I attended Sandown and Kempton . When I saw the cards for Lingfield and Huntingdon on the Tuesday , I decided to give them a miss . I enjoyed both courses , but was a bit miffed that there were 2 matches , and a 3 runner event at Kempton . I found travelling around London , and getting by rail to the aforementioned courses very convenient/easy . I was blessed with dry weather , and managed to make a small profit on the betting front . Although I thought that Sandown was superior to Kempton ( more facilities , racegoer friendly layout and all round character and atmosphere was better in my opinion ) . I feel it would be a disgrace if Kempton Park was to be closed down , and sold for building houses on . My next trip to a racetrack is probably to Musselburgh . I'm not up to date with their news , but rumours of a looming wrangle over fixtures will be sorted out . This track has improved immensely since I first visited in the mid/late 80's .

good morning northofperth

its a shame about the field sizes and you yourself are one of many who dont want small field sizes in fact it stopped you going racing on one of your planned days this is something the bha need to sort out.i like both sandown and kempton and do not think sandown needs improving its fine as it is ,its changed little over the last 40 years and people like the place so selling kempton to improve sandown is a no no for me.as said by many the king george is kemptons race and that should always be the case.regarding musselburgh thinks seem sorted out now and your right it is a hugely improved racecourse but the cost of a days racing there is the same as the cost for a two day badge at the fairyhouse winter festival where you will get 8 races on the saturday and 7 on the sunday including a grade 3 and 3 grade ones,the cost of going racing in the uk will chase potential racegoers away in time as will the small fields and 6 race cards.

Nothing wrong with the field sizes at Lingfield last Tuesday.Davy Russell rode a winner.  It was a great days racing. Much better atmosphere than Kempton.

fair point mr conbustable 7 races as well at lingfield,although only 6 races at huntingdon they did finish with a 15 runner and a 14 runner.