High Street · Ascot · Berkshire SL5 7JX · Outside Royal Ascot week
Ascot without the top hat
Royal Ascot is five days. Ascot Racecourse runs about twenty-five other fixtures a year, including two of the best flat races in the world and a full winter jumps programme, and almost none of them require morning dress, a waistcoat or the outfit that has been sitting in a wardrobe since June.
Of the year when Ascot is a very good racecourse rather than a national occasion. Cheaper tickets, a relaxed dress code, no crush and considerably easier to get in and out of. For most groups it is the better day out.
The meetings worth travelling for
If you have only been in June, these are a different proposition entirely.
Late July
One of the best middle-distance races in the world, on a warm Saturday, with none of the June formality.
October
The richest day of British flat racing and the end of the season. Cold, and worth it.
November to February
A completely different sport on the same ground, with a small and knowledgeable crowd.
Through the year
Cheap, uncrowded and the easiest introduction to racing we can recommend.
Royal week and the rest
The practical differences, since most people only know Ascot from June.
| Element | Royal Ascot | Ordinary fixture |
|---|---|---|
| Dress code | Strict, and enforced by enclosure | Relaxed. Smart casual is fine nearly everywhere |
| Crowd | Enormous. Around three hundred thousand across the week | A fraction of it |
| Getting out | Slow, and the roads are managed | Twenty minutes and away |
| Ticket cost | At its highest | Considerably lower |
| Where we can drop | Well back from the course | Much closer |
| Booking notice | Months | Weeks, and sometimes days |
Kent to Berkshire
The long way round the M25, which is the only sensible route from our side of London.
| Pick-up area | Distance | Journey |
|---|---|---|
| Bromley & Orpington | 41 miles | 1h 10m – 1h 40m |
| Sevenoaks & Tonbridge | 44 miles | 1h 15m – 1h 45m |
| Dartford & Bluewater | 47 miles | 1h 20m – 1h 50m |
| Gravesend & Northfleet | 52 miles | 1h 25m – 2h |
| Maidstone & Aylesford | 59 miles | 1h 35m – 2h 10m |
| Rochester & Chatham | 62 miles | 1h 40m – 2h 15m |
| Canterbury & Ashford | 86 miles | 2h 5m – 2h 45m |
A race day at Ascot
This is the version to try first
If your group has never been racing, an ordinary Ascot Saturday is a far better introduction than Royal week. The tickets cost a fraction, nobody is worrying about whether their hat meets the rules, the bars are not four deep and you can actually get near the parade ring. The racing on Champions Day in particular is as good as anything run in Britain all year.
Champions Day is cold and worth it
Held in October, it carries the biggest prize money of the British flat season and closes it out, which gives the day a real sense of occasion. It is also mid-October in Berkshire, so it is a coat-and-boots day rather than a linen one. Tell us the date and we will size the vehicle for the coats as well as the people.
Winter jumps at Ascot surprise people
The same course hosts a full National Hunt programme through the winter, with a small, knowledgeable crowd and none of the summer's social element. It is racing for people who like racing. Frost and waterlogging can abandon a fixture, so we agree cancellation terms at booking rather than on a freezing morning.
We can drop much closer than in June
Royal week means managed roads and a long walk from wherever a vehicle is permitted to stop. On an ordinary fixture we get considerably closer to the entrance, the walk out afterwards is short, and the whole exit takes about twenty minutes rather than an hour and a half. It is a materially easier day.
Ascot Racecourse questions
The fixtures outside Royal week.
Is there a dress code outside Royal Ascot?
Far more relaxed. Smart casual is acceptable nearly everywhere on an ordinary fixture, though premium enclosures may still ask for a jacket. Check the racecourse's guidance for your enclosure.
Which non-Royal fixtures are worth going to?
The King George in late July and British Champions Day in October are two of the best days of flat racing anywhere. The winter jumps programme is excellent and much quieter.
Is it cheaper than Royal Ascot?
Considerably, on tickets, and the transport is cheaper too because there is no extended waiting and no managed road access to work around.
How close can you drop us?
Much closer than during Royal week. On an ordinary fixture the walk from the vehicle to the entrance is short and the exit takes about twenty minutes.
How far is Ascot from Kent?
Around forty to eighty-five miles, roughly an hour and a quarter to two and three quarter hours the long way round the M25.
What is Champions Day like?
The richest day of the British flat season, held in October, so genuinely cold. Coats and boots rather than linen, and tell us so we can size for the coats.
What happens if a winter meeting is abandoned?
Frost and waterlogging call off jumps fixtures every season. We agree cancellation terms at booking rather than on the morning.
Is the fare fixed?
Yes, agreed before travel and unaffected by traffic or delays leaving the course.
Racecourses and Berkshire
The southern courses and the showpieces.