Horse Racing
The Cheltenham Festival
Cheltenham, United Kingdom
Cheltenham · March · Subject to availability
Mid March — dates to be confirmed
Four days of championship jump racing beneath Cleeve Hill, and the most serious week in the National Hunt calendar.
Cheltenham is where jump racing settles its arguments. The four days carry the championship races of the discipline, the Irish challenge arrives in force, and the atmosphere in the amphitheatre below Cleeve Hill has an intensity that flat racing does not attempt. It is a knowledgeable crowd rather than a decorative one, and the week is judged on the racing. Hospitality is extensive but the tone is different from the summer meetings: tweed rather than morning dress, and long afternoons in the cold. The Cotswolds absorb the week comfortably, with houses and inns across Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire taken months ahead by owners, trainers and those who follow the form seriously.
- Month
- March
- Recommended stay
- 3 nights
- Nearest airports
- GLO · BRS
- Typical clientele
- National Hunt owners, breeders and trainers, Irish and British racing establishments, corporate hospitality groups, and Cotswolds and Home Counties families for whom the week is a fixture.
Why it matters
For anyone with jumping bloodstock, Cheltenham is the meeting against which a season is measured, and the trainers, owners and breeders present are the ones who matter in the discipline. The week is also among the last British sporting occasions where the racing itself, rather than the surrounding programme, is unambiguously the reason to attend.
How access is arranged
Admission and hospitality are administered by the racecourse and arranged with authorised hospitality providers where such programmes exist, by introduction and subject to availability. Scott & Vale coordinates accommodation, movement and dining across the Cotswolds for the four days.
Scott & Vale coordinates travel, accommodation, ground and air movement, security, dining and itinerary design around this occasion, and makes introductions to authorised hospitality providers where such programmes exist. The firm does not sell, allocate, resell or guarantee admission.
Hospitality and travel
Where to stay
- Ellenborough Park
- Estelle Manor
- The Newt in Somerset
- Thyme
- Barnsley House
Properties are listed as editorial guidance. Scott & Vale holds no inventory and no claimed relationship with any property named here.
Arrival by air
- GLO — Gloucestershire Fifteen minutes from the course; capacity across the festival is limited and allocated early.
- BRS — Bristol Fifty minutes by road, with full business aviation handling.
Helicopter. The racecourse operates a landing area for the festival, and rotations from London take under an hour. Road approach into Cheltenham is slow from mid-morning on each day.
Dining
- Le Champignon Sauvage
- The Wild Rabbit
- The Bell at Langford
- Prithvi
- The Double Red Duke
Reservations are requested on a member's behalf, subject to availability.
Suggested itinerary
- 01 Day One Arrival in the Cotswolds and dinner locally, ahead of the opening day.
- 02 Day Two A full day at the course, arriving before the first race and staying to the last.
- 03 Day Three A morning on the gallops with a trainer where such introductions exist, and the afternoon racing.
- 04 Day Four Gold Cup day, with departure the following morning once the county roads clear.
Scott & Vale support
- Helicopter
- Luxury Hotels
- Private Villas
- Luxury Chauffeur
- Corporate Hospitality
- Restaurant Reservations
- Personal Concierge
- Travel Planning
Enquiry
Plan this properly, and plan it early.
An enquiry reaches the team directly with the context of this entry attached. A member of the team will respond within the hour, wherever you are.
Frequently asked
What should be worn?
Country dress, warm and practical. The festival is held in March in an exposed valley and the enclosures are largely outdoors.
Which day is the strongest?
The closing Friday carries the Gold Cup, but the opening day and the Wednesday hold championship races of equal standing. Regular attendees take all four.
Where is best to stay?
Across the Cotswolds rather than in Cheltenham itself. Houses within thirty minutes of the course are taken up to a year ahead.
What does Scott & Vale arrange?
Accommodation, movement, dining and the itinerary, with introductions to authorised hospitality providers where such programmes exist.
Related events
Direct: info@scottnvale.com
Event names, marks and logos referenced on this page are the property of their respective owners. Scott & Vale is not an official partner, supplier or licensee of any event, organiser or rights holder named here, and no affiliation is implied. Scott & Vale does not sell, allocate, resell or guarantee admission to any event. Travel, accommodation, ground and air movement, security, dining and itinerary design are arranged around these events, and introductions are made to authorised hospitality providers where such programmes exist.
Photography: Kumweni — CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
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