What meeting(s) is/are the best to attend ?

Thanks for the contributions , I recommend a day at Kelso . It is the one Scottish track that remains focused on racing , other than all the sideshow and nonsense . It is also good value admission wise for some decent quality racing . And when I've been there I have not experienced uncomfortable overcrowding . Which will no doubt be in evidence at Perth's big Gold Cup meeting on Sunday .Where they have the gall to charge £20 to enter the middle of the course ( no stand , access to parade ring/winner's enclosure or adequate  shelter ) , and to add insult to injury there are no Racegoers Club discounted entry . I was at Kelso's Morebattle hurdle raceday and got entry to the Club Stand for £15 ( with my Racegoers voucher ) . I also got entry to Sandown Park for £12 ( including £2 postage ) when Might Bite won in November '17 . That was through a deal with Rewards for Racing . I like value and hate overcrowding . But who doesn't ?

Agree With Beneath the Waves (Newton Abbot) great fun n decent atmosphere, we like a drink down here especially our cider but unlike Goodwood which many recommend on here you wont get ya head kicked in.   Different stock this side of the country.

Always make sure you take a brief detour to the Cider Bar on the walk back to Newton Abbot station.

https://www.devonlive.com/whats-on/food-drink/newton-abbots-cider-bar-best-549285

Once you're back at Exeter St Davids, there's the train to Salisbury to look forward to the next day: a wonderful journey through Devon, Dorset and Somerset, passing through Honiton, Sherborne, etc.

screaming - people don't "enjoy" train journeys any more. They're cocooned in their own world with (leaky) earphones. There can't be many advantages in being deaf as I know you've said you are but not hearing the tinny sounds escaping from them must be one!!

Doesn't work like that, unfortunately. As you lose your hearing, your brain compensates for the missing sounds with tinnitus. I may not hear the sounds from headphones (or speech or just about anything at all now), but I do have a ceaseless and unstoppable mixture of gushing, whistling and rumbling instead.

It's not the worst thing in the world: most of the time I can ignore it, in much the same way that people with hearing ignore background noise, unless they consciously focus on annoying sounds, such as other people's headphones.

One peculiarity is that I've also developed musical ear over the last decade: there is always a strange, ethereal, choral version of some song or other in amongst the white noise of tinnitus. It can't be stopped: there has to be some track playing which I can recall from the time I was still able to hear music. At the moment it's Tree, by Sebadoh, but I can consciously change the track at will - there just has to be some 'song' playing though. It's presumably another way the brain compensates for the sounds it no longer receives in reality.

northofperth - I'm from Aberdeen originally but worked down south for long periods which greatly helped me to visit all the British tracks. Of the ones you haven't been to, here are my thoughts

York - best Flat track in country bar none, try to go to a mid-week meeting if possible

Cartmel and Chester - because they're so different from the others

Market Rasen - bit more difficult to get to but beautifully looked after racecourse and some decent racing in summer months

Goodwood - top racing and top views when the sea haar/thunderstorms aren't around!! roll up and back all the mark johnston horses in 7f+ races to pay for the trip!

Warwick - I like the feel of racecourses which are in town centres and this one has lots of quirky stands/bars and some decent racing

and I know you've been to Aintree but probably my fav day of the year is Thursday of the National meeting, much easier to get to, much better organised, much less crowded and three Grade 1 races, Cheltenham going downhill as a pleasurable racing experience unfortunately

gordon when did you last go to warwick ?

was there in early 2016 and again in mid-2017 - those were the first two visits in maybe 20 years, very pleased they concentrated on jumps (nottingham and wolverhampton which both used to have decent jumps races went the other way sadly) and like the rabbit warren arrangements of the bars/restaurants, easy to get lose someone!

oh you mean the town center i thought you meant the racecourse because like the old rowley mile warwick use to have many quirky bars.

i did mean the racecourse - all the way from the saddling boxes down to the finishing line, through various buildings, up and down stairs, bars in corners etc, different...

never really noticed them gordon the old warwick you could get lost in the many quirky bars.

north of perth go to ireland easier cheaper quicker even gordon is beginning to see the light

afternoon sgt...

booked another trip for october to fos llas on your recommendation but first a liquid lunch and chantilly on the telly fancy olmedo in the jockey club

aye good luck - waiting expectantly for declarations in next hour for saturday - quite strong on green zone at Perth 3.05, did little bro confirm for perth on 5th july?

spoke to him last night all is good

So far I've pencilled in Cartmel in July and maybe Doncaster earlier the same week . And the Ludlow , Worcester and Chepstow in October . But still undecided on the best way to get there , and then travel between said courses and wherever I'm based ( might have to be more than one base ). If I was to fly in October , to get South , should I fly to Birmingham or Bristol ? And where should I base myself ? I was thinking of hiring a car rather than using rail , but any help/suggestions appreciated . I have been shocked at the cost of rail travel when I've been browsing times and prices . I spotted one ticket from Glasgow to Doncaster for £17.50 , but the train 30 minutes later was over £100 . It all seems like a complex farce . I was able to get return travel last year from Glasgow to London Euston for £60 return .

For Ludlow, Worcester, Chepstow I've stayed at Holiday Inn express in Shrewsbury and also a decent B&B (was on C4 four in a bed show) at Brynmawr in Wales. But there are several options, car rental (ideally with your airline) is best idea and just have to stay off the drink at the course (which for me is never ideal!).  For train prices use this site https://new.trainsplit.com/ - you don't have to join up to get the prices, just note their recommended route and it will show you the savings over direct fares. 

If Chepstow first or last meeting, then check out flights to Cardiff, if Ludlow or Worcester then Birmingham probably best, but if you don't mind driving you can do the Midlands from Glasgow M74 in about 5 hours easily

start of at ludlow wednesday night worcester which is a great city,thursday friday stay in newton abbot cider bar well worth a visit,than saturday night stay in cardiff another great city.

I haven't been to Worcester or Cardiff for over 25 years , but look forward to travelling to these areas again . I do not relish doing it all by car , I'm totally spoilt by being used to driving on almost empty roads of Perthshire/Angus . I will report back as plans develop , and about what I think of the tracks I visit .

Well I thought that I'd bump this thread after reading about Brighton Racecourse ( merits and demerits ) . A very bad thing for racegoers has to be late abandonments . my worst experience was a Saturday meeting at Musselburgh . It started snowing when the horses were in the parade ring . By the time the horses were at the start , it was a full blown blizzard . After a bit of hanging about , and wondering what would happen , the meeting was called off without any action taking place . Just one of the downsides of a winter sport conducted outside . But most frustrating .
Talking about strange quirks at courses ; When I attended Tramore races , I thought to myself " there can't be any other courses where you can't see the runners 1.5 to 2 furlongs from home " . That was until I visited Carlisle races a couple of years ago . I hadn't noticed the nature of the course when watching TV coverage , so you really do get the benefit of visiting courses in person .

There is a Cartmel meeting a week on Saturday which I'm thinking of attending , so here are a few questions for you experienced Forum Members ; is it possible to travel by rail from Glasgow to Catrmel races on a day return ? How long does it take after the last race at Cartmel to battle trough the narrow lanes/extra traffic etc to Cark and Cartmel station ? If I travel by car , where is best town to stay in , and is it better to leave the car and arrive at the course by public transport ?
Thanks in advance for the hints/help .

NOP
I would avoid the trains in the lakes at the moment MASSIVE PROBLEMS most routes are covered at the moment by busses.
if you happen to win a few quid try sharrow bay at poole bridge
hope you have a good time.
regards
Ronnie.

the trip i suggested will be different in 2019 chepstow will now race friday/saturday and newton abbot will race on sunday.

the traffic at cartmel is nowhere near as bad as legend would make you believe ,its always tricky trying to find somewhere to stay around there but i would strongly recommend you avoid grange.

By train, it will be probably be quicker getting from Glasgow to Cark than the same journey coming home the same day. Maybe stay Sat night and come home Sunday, (or stay for the Monday meeting too) although it will be difficult to find any accommodation

As Ronnie says, there is disruption on the Lakes rail network but you might be okay travelling towards Cark on the Barrow line

Sharow Bay a good shout but it's 40 miles north of Cartmel and likely to be choca at this time of year

If you have not been to Newmarket it is a must as the HQ of British Racing. With so many other things to fill in your time like the National Stud, the Horseracing Museum and the morning gallops plus all the people you see when out and about.
Accommodation can be a problem there so we have stayed in Cambridge and taken the bus to Newmarket as when we go to York we stay in a Pub/Motel in Thirsk that is opposite the station

Without a car how do any of you get to Chepstow. I tried it once many years ago but when getting off the train there from Cardiff  it was a very infrequent bus service to the course. Would have got there far too early and would have needed to miss the last race.

I see that Boyzone , the band , are playing after racing at Cartmel a week on Saturday . I would imagine that could mean the roads around the course are very busy . Probably worse than usual . I will take this into account when planning my day .

Northofperth

Boyzone are not at cartmel that date they have already played there two weeks ago

Gordon63    Joined: 27 Aug 02
Replies: 2198 13 Jul 18 21:01 
train - change at Lancaster for Grange-Over-Sands, courtesy bus to races, check racecourse website for departure times, bus stops about 10 min walk from the course which takes you through town centre and passed (or in!) couple of nice pubs

car - three hours each way from Edinburgh, closer from Glasgow, leave sharpish after the last and you'll be back on M6 in less than 45 mins and straight up M74 from there, easy peasy...all roads within couple of miles of course are one way, just hope you don't land behind a dreaded caravan!

parking - ample in the course or adjacent overspill fields

Cartmel - not everyones taste but I love it

Thanks for the various contributions to this thread . I now see that I was wrong to think that Boyzone were playing on Saturday 21st July , they've already had their post race gig .
I will be back on this thread after I've sampled the delights of visiting racecourses that I've yet to attend .

Well , I did promise to report back . I went to Cartmel races on Saturday 21st . I went from Glasgow central by rail to Lancaster , and got the service to Cark . I returned by same services , later the same day . I found Cartmel village to be pretty and quaint . I didn't realise that it was a " foodie/artisan " type of place . I looked around the village shop , but it wasn't the sort of place you could buy a packet of Quavers and a chomp . The racecourse was very busy , with innumerable picnic tables and chairs gathered around BBQ's . The policy of being permitted to take in your own supplies of food and drink ( alcohol included ) , and the good weather meant that there was a bumper crowd . Which was scattered all around every enclosure and beyond . I found the course layout wasn't the best for viewing the action . The grandstand faces the home straight/winning post , but also has a fair bit of the track behind it . I would have preferred to experience Cartmel on a quieter race day , but I did move about and explored different places/vantage points . I'm pleased to have visited the track and witnessed it in the flesh . TV coverage is no substitute for experiencing the true nature of a racecourse . I lost on the betting front , but survived to punt again .
I enjoyed the views of Morecambe Bay ( largest intertidal sand/mud flats in UK ) , and the superb potted brown Shrimps I ate at the races . I will also remember a drunken fool hitching a ride on the back of Jimmy Moffat's horsebox , with the trainer himself at the wheel , oblivious to the prankster . Thanks again to all forum members who were generous with their knowledge and tips .

Cheltenham festival for the first 2 days. Hardly groundbreaking to say so, but there really is nowhere else like it. After those 2 days for me the atmosphere changes and it's not my cup of tea.

My favourite other meet is the York Dante, especially if you get lucky with the weather. Good racing at a stunning course and a proper crowd before the hordes of orange types descend later on in the season. Don't bother going to any York crowd above about 30,000 unless you enjoy never being able to get a drink or to go for a piss.

I always try and get to Kelso in December, lovely track and atmosphere.

I've particularly enjoyed all of the following, mostly midweek: Chepstow, Ludlow (bags of character!), Warwick, Fontwell Park, Pontefract, Newton Abbot.

Beverley is a good one to go to in the car, can get it right up to the track and have a picnic out of your boot with the horses almost touching distance. Fun little experience even if you don't actually see an awful lot!

It wasn't bad, but didn't really see the appeal of Hereford when I went for its re-opening day.

Won't be going to Redcar, Market Rasen or Brighton again in any sort of hurry.

You'd have to pay me a sizeable sum to ever consider going to Newmarket for the 2000 guineas again. Awful.

go to goodwood its so nice there ,

northofperth - my viewing procedure is to stand by the two fences at the top of the hill past the priory and then walk down through the car park to the finishing straight whilst watching on the big screen, not sure if anyone has the distances between the fences but i can't think of two closer together than these two at cartmel

Goodwood and Fontwell for me.

Definitely not Bath during a hot summer.

best meeting to attend for a lot on betfair is gamblers anoymous

Northofperth I know what Quavers are,but what's a 'chomp' ?

You could have got yourself a nice walking stick at the village shop but expect from where you come from you've already  got one.

A Chomp is a small caramel chocolate bar, Cadburys I think

ANY Group ONE Course  ..why they have the Best Prize and  Attract The Best Horses

Thank you intheknow...you are well named sir

Ascot on a quiet friday in the summer or for jumps is by far the best. If you can get there plumpton is a great way to spend a monday afternoon during the winter too. Newbury in the summer is a nightmare, too many lager louts

southwell,, if you like the beach,,,mind take your pail and spade

I should also mention that there was a bus service from Cark rail station direct to Cartmel village . It was a short walk through the village to the racecourse . A flat rate of £3.50 for single or return was charged . It certainly helps the racegoer if there is an integrated public transport option . I remember when the racing press used to mention that Kelso's nearest rail connection was Berwick Upon Tweed . It's a taxi journey of 24.5 miles , a bit too long and expensive I'd say . Nowadays Kelso provide a bus link to the new( ish ) Edinburgh to Tweedbank railway line . It's always great to have really convenient transport links ; e.g. the station at Kempton Park .

Not forgetting that to get from ascot to sandown today you have to get a bus replacement service, which is only in operation for this morning! superb planning there network rail

The meetings where all the favs win.

workrider (how is the visit going?) and foxy - just booked another Irish trip so in addition to Laytown/Kilbeggan/Navan in early September, now aiming for Gowran/Tipperary 2 day meeting/Galway/Cork/Thurles in early October, the premise being that one of the Tipperary is a Hamilton reciprocal day and can visit 5 courses for the first time in the same trip (and catching up on Sgt Howie's Irish total!) - accommodation booked in a centralish location but any other local or course advice welcome. 

I remember that Cork was called Mallow and Tipperary known as Limerick Junction and based on their geography the older names seem more appropriate, any idea why they changed? over here Edinburgh became Musselburgh but that is the actual location so makes sense

Cartmel , one of the 7 wonders of the equestrian field

zipper  • July 25, 2018 10:48 AM BST 


ANY Group ONE Course  ..why they have the Best Prize and  Attract The Best Horses

.......... and every p1sshead within a 100 mile radius !

Hello Gordon

Sounds a great trip when at Gowran try a pay a visit to Kilkenny it’s a great town ,not over keen on cork racecourse,thurles will in some ways remind you of kelso I will be amazed if you don’t fall in love with the place.

Thought that I'd bump this thread to ask for some more advice from the experienced racegoers on here . I've nothing concrete planned as yet ( just over a month to go ) , but I'm thinking of flying to Birmingham either Tuesday or Wednesday and hiring a car to let me travel around . Aiming to attend Ludlow on the Wed' , Worcester next day . Then I will probably miss Newton Abbot for a day of sightseeing in Bristol or Cardiff on the Friday . Unsure of the longish drive South to N.A. , and might have a drink at Worcester too . Saturday would see me at Chepstow . Fly North on Sunday from Cardiff or Bristol . Any suggestions for things to do/see at races mentioned or elsewhere ?  Thanks in advance .

the drive to newton abbot whilst is quite long it is very straightforward its a smashing racecourse and is well worth the effort ,chepstow is on both saturday and sunday and for me is when we start to see the better quality national hunt racing,

The distance from Worcester to Newton Abbot is 149.7 miles according to the AA route planner website . Estimated duration 2 hours 29 minutes . I'll probably wait for my chance to visit Newton Abbot , and try to fit it in with other race meetings in the area too .

Newton abbot has a proper cider bar as far as I know only 2 left in the country .and a very good Indian called eastern eye.

I'd pick Goodwood as my favourite flat course and it has been a lucky track for me in the past but I'm much more a national hunt man and quite happy at Plumpton or Fontwell on a wet and windy Monday afternoon.

I've never managed to get to go to Newton Abbot foxy but like Cartmel, it's definitely on my bucket list.

Hexham

Les Landes Jersey

6 Bookies ALL WITH DIFFERENT ODDS  no follow my leader there all have their own opinion...

If you change your mind and decide to go to Newton Abbot (a very nice little racecourse) my advice would be to leave your car at say Cheltenham and get a day return train fare.That way you'll be relaxed and have the pleasure of looking out of the window at the sea on the stretch of coastline through Dawlish. The earlier you book trains the cheaper the prices.

unlike cartmel slippy newton abbot is an excellent viewing track.the friday we are talking about  at newton abbot in the 4 years since they restructured the card we have seen such horses as those below run at the fixture.

copper kay, irish cavalier,wonderful charm,taquin du seuil,solar impulse,double ross,native river,ballyoptic,frodon,art mauresque,black corton,old guard,san benedeto,misterton,marias benefit,diego du charmil and beer goggles,not bad for a friday in october.

foxy   off topic    had a good meal at el pic last night !

hello posy i do plan to go to sandown this winter and el pic will be on the agenda glad to hear its still very good.

hopefully we might get a tingle creek to come close to the 2003 race if altior and footpad were both to turn up.

sorry 2004

Be quite something if the race matches one of the greatest 2 mile chases of all time.

it was a great day at sandown in a way it was like a football match all 3 had there supporters it certainly brought a crowd in.i cant think of a champion chase that matched it,perhaps pearlyman,dessie and very promising.

hopefully we might get a tingle creek to come close to the 2003 race if altior and footpad were both to turn up.

Foxy, how would you price this up today ?

the meeting taking place or the outcome andrew ?

T.M.Mac mentioned Hexham , when I visited there I was taken with the fact that there is cover from the elements at the parade ring/saddling boxes . I appreciated that greatly , quite unusual I'd imagine . The 3 courses that I think look impressive from TV coverage are ; Newbury , Haydock and Ascot ( from courses I've not been to yet ).

Just been last 2 days to Haydock. What was I thinking. The most sterile atmosphere I have ever come across on a racecourse. The management have driven this one time great course into oblivion.Crap cards, nothing for the racegoers to get excited about, terrible food choices and sky high prices. A truly shocking experience. My local course and I won't be back.

agree try my best today was totally void of any atmosphere ,i thought the weather helped yesterday and the card was ok,there is a change of management after saturday so perhaps things will pick up,however it will never go back to those great midweek fixtures they use to have in the winter back in the 80s and 90s.

They couldn't even arrange a presentation of the prize to the godolphin connections when Huge Future won its race. Embarrassing

I'm an Ascot member and whilst the new(ish) stand isn't to everyones taste it grows on you . Not as stuffy as you might think and there's a reasonably good view from the cheaper Queen Anne (ground floor) enclosure.Nowadays I don't bother going up to the King Edward enclosure and prefer to watch races on the round course from between the one and two furlong poles.

Winter nh racing is a great day out.

Gave up going to Newbury a few years ago as started to dislike the pomposity of the place and staff.

totally agree posy about the winter days out at ascot it really is as good as anywhere ,clashes with haydock a lot so i dont get to go as much as i would like to,re the new stand {not that new anymore }its different class how anybody could not enjoy those facilaties on a winter afternoon is beyond me.

Foxy - are you giving the East Coast a miss this year ?

probable non runner this year democrat i would say 1/5 no 11/4 yes.

That's a shame. Let's hope the 11/4 shortens up !

Go to Goodwood. Stay in Midhurst!

Cheers

Thanks for that info on haydock ( try my
Best.) Have been staying in Chester the
Past 2yrs and Haydock had been on the
Agenda.
      Out of curiosity I went to Bangor
Many moons ago, is that still worth a day
out.?  Many thanks.

Bangor is fantastic glasgow

i took someone to bangor once . they had only ever been to york ...so i told them it was very similar . it hammered it down , with a bit of fog chucked in .when the lady realised there wasn't even a stand , just a cow patted muddy field she went back to the car all afternoon . ....bangor is for nice days only .

Thanks for the replys.

mini-me - "Go to Goodwood. Stay in Midhurst"!

Go to Goodwood. Stay at the Goodwood Hotel!  Free shuttle to the course, golf on the doorstep etc etc

summary of our irish trip - first time at all three for me

laytown - good family atmosphere, lots of women/children, people from far and near, decent facilities for a once per year event, definitely glad I went, walked the beach early next morning and no sign of there having been racing the day before, must take a lot of work!

kilbeggan - the irish racing experts in the group were pleasantly surprised by the facilities, generally good viewing, smallish crowd (lots of space to move around, easy to get served at the bar), thought I had two decent winners (Queeny and Freewheelin Dylan) coming to the last only to get beat by horse on the inside, had a few beers and singalong in Larrigys afterwards (many thanks to Workrider for the lift), stayed at fantastic airb'n'b in Durrow, had a few beers in O'Connors in Tullamore beforehand, first pub I've been to where they had the full days prices on the panel like you find in betting shops...

navan - goodish viewing (not for the 5f races unfortunately as amazingly no large screen!!), very well kept track, poorish facilities for a track which gets decent racing, lots of bookies, smallish crowd but still difficult to get served at bar until they brought in additional staff, probably more set up for NH racing

hello gordon

interesting read not yet been to kilbeggan or laytown but have been national hunt racing at navan i really liked the racecourse great view by the last fence and from the stands.

sounds a good all round trip by the way.

You want to have seen my car after this Scottish mob had finished with it...

Totally agree about Ascot, i love it there, a lucky course for me albeit tinged with sadness when Frankel won the Champion and seeing HRC looking so ill.

I knew it was the last time i would see either of them.

I've still not finalised my travel arrangements yet , but I was shocked at how expensive car hire is . On another point , I was thinking how poor some courses are at giving the paying customer useful information ( i.e. the going , full results from away meetings etc ). This year I was at Perth when the oncourse bookies suffered a technical problem , and their screens were frozen for the duration . Also the Tote have a habit of showing away races with no commentary , on a small screen . As soon as the race has finished it will switch to something else . My friend tried to get the results on his mobile , but was swamped with bookies spam . At least at Hamilton , they have a whiteboard where the Hamilton results are recorded . I miss the days when you could keep up to speed with anything you required to know , by visiting the Totesport Credit Club . Sometimes they were a haven from the madness outside , to say nothing of the inclement weather .

Are you still 11/4 Foxy ?

Well the transport and accommodation are all now sorted . I'm going to Ludlow , Worcester and Chepstow . Is there anything in particular I should be looking out for ? I mean in the way of places to spectate from or places to visit for food/drink . Or indeed places to avoid ?

two places in worcester well worth a visit are browns which is by the river opposite the premier inn at the cricket ground food very good there,or the other side of town the dragon inn which sell a great choice of drinks from church end brewery i prefer the one called goats milk,if you like indian food there are plenty around the dragon both places i mention are within walking distance of the racecourse,ludlow has a very good reputation for restaurants i find the place over rated however the church inn is fine and sells hereford pale ale from wye valley brewery which is very good,the viewing from the top of the stands at ludlow is as good a view anywhere in racing also at ludlow unlike many now they still allow you to go by the fences and freely walk around the inside of the course.the card at chepstow will be very good i could not say the same for the town,surprised your not doing newton abbot of the friday thats a great little town and a wonderful racecourse.

Thanks for the pointers Foxy , much appreciated . I do mean to eventually visit all the UK courses , so Newton Abbot will have to wait . It does sound like someplace I'd enjoy visiting though , probably along with other nearby venues .

As promised , here is a brief summary of my trip ; Flybe flight from Glasgow to Birmingham on October 9th , train to Worcester where I based myself for 4 nights . Wednesday 10th ; drove to Ludlow races in hired car . It was the warmest October day I'd ever witnessed . Found the layout of pre parade and parade ring being in the centre of the course to be unusual . Along with the winner's enclosure and weighing room . I had a good wander around , and the facilities seemed decent enough . A big screen allowed all racegoers to follow the action with ease . I happened to see a steam train pass the track , and a few minutes later , 2 WW 2 era fighter planes flew past in formation . Quite surreal . It was a weird sensation driving over the matting in place to protect the track , even at the slow speed I travelled at . I noticed the proximity of the rail track meant that space was at a premium , so hence the layout . Also the golf course accommodated within seems to pose no logistical problems . A good racing experience in my book , but why so many security people ? There seemed to be too many for the duties required .
I was able to walk to Worcester racecourse . The first thing that I noticed was that the winning post is not adjacent to the grandstand , that must be pretty unusual .I also noted that because the course was hemmed in by the river , it had a very long and narrow parade ring/pre parade ring . As the horses are walked across the course , and enter the pre parade ring at the end furthest away from the stand . The habit of trying to see the runners as they first appear , and get saddled etc , can cause you to be left "landlocked " . That is the security people open a gateway for the runners to leave the parade ring and access the course prior to racing . This causes a bottle neck for punters heading to the betting ring/stand if they're too slow . The gates are only opened again by security after the last horse leaves the parade ring . Once again , a big screen lets everybody see the action . The course looked to be a bit careworn and basic compared to many others . Nevertheless , I enjoyed the experience . It was a fairly sparse crowd , so I think it might be an endurance if the crowd is overly large . Saturday 13th , I drove to Chepstow races . I thought the layout was good , with the parade ring being positioned in front of the stands , and the natural slopes allowing the big crowd to see from almost any point . Add to that the 2 big screens , and you can see why there was a big crowd . I never did seek out the pre parade ring , and found it slightly problematic to gain access to a disabled toilet ( which a steward helpfully rectified ) . This did not take away from an enjoyable experience . As predicted by other forum members , the standard of racing was a notch or two higher than both Ludlow and Worcester . I enjoyed the trip , although I lost on the betting front overall , and that's another 3 racecourses ticked off the list . The weather was kind to me all three days I went to the races , and that's another bonus . My first trip to Wales since 1986 , and not been in Worcester ( city ) since 1990 . My best piece of advice from the trip is this , always check that your sat' nav' system ( unused for 5/6 years ) is in good working order ! Thanks to all forum members who posted tips and suggestions .

On my flight South I saw St Mirren's stadium and Wolverhampton racecourse . Whilst in England I saw Birmingham City's stadium and Worcester CCC ground . Flying North I spotted Clyde F.C.'s stadium , Broadwood .

sounds like you enjoyed your trip northofperth and of the 3 you liked ludlow the most which is not surprising ,i first went to worcester in 1982 and other than the decking by the riverside of the parade ring nothing has change ,they use the excuse of flooding as to why no money has been invested in improvements.now you mention it there does seem to be to much security at ludlow but it is a very well run racecourse puts many of the bigger tracks to shame.

Northofperth , delighted you enjoyed your trip, as Foxy says Ludlow is a cracking track, re Security I find it remarkable the amount needed , as Foxy can verify Galway on a slow can is run by one Man and his dog...

The thing about the amount of security folk at Ludlow , was that they seemed to be deployed at a gate that was open for the duration . The gate didn't let you into an area that required another badge , and there were clearly people with drinks at both sides of the gate too . So I couldn't figure out why they were needed there at all . If these people are volunteers fair enough , but paying for security must be expensive for courses , and therefore impact on the price of entry .