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Assuming you mean driving – then Carlisle is my longest day trip – 524 miles return.
Am doing Cartmel on Saturday which will be mere 444 miles return.
The Scottish courses I also do as day trips – but they are a combination of flying / car hire.
Irish and French courses I also do as day trips combination flying / driving
Stratford-upon-Avon to Ayr – 718 miles round trip. Our first ever runner as owners – we stopped overnight on the way. Our horse finished last – the trip home seemed to go on forever. I don’t think I would ever do that trip again unless we had a strongly fancied runner in the Ayr Gold Cup.
24,000 mile round trip to see the Melbourne Cup.
Gambling Only Pays When You're Winning
24,000 mile round trip to see the Melbourne Cup.
Unless someone has been to see a race in New Zealand I think we can declare a winner
Current personal league table of mileage. All journeys from Grayson Squat (Grayson Towers got too expensive), North Hertfordshire;
Hexham, March 08, 528 miles
Cartmel, many times, 492 miles
Newton Abbot, August 07, 468 miles
Black Forest Lodge, November 08, 448 miles
Laleston, May 07, 387 miles
Taunton, November 08, 377 miles
Ystradowen, March 07, 375 milesSome more serious mileage in the offing in the next few weeks. Haven’t decided yet whether I’m doing Treborough Hill (405 miles) on Saturday or Upcott Cross (507 miles) on Monday either side of the obligatory Cartmel trip this weekend – one or the other, but not both.
Umberleigh (464 miles) and Ffos Las (456 miles) next month are definites, though. After which I think the little car might just cry enough, poor thing!
gc
Jeremy Grayson. Son of immigrant. Adoptive father of two. Metadata librarian. Freelance point-to-point / horse racing writer, analyst and commentator wonk. Loves music, buses, cats, the BBC Micro, ale. Advocate of CBT, PACE and therapeutic parenting. Aspergers.
Most circuitous :
In order to go racing in Sydney I went on a horse flight (before the days of stop offs in Dubai) that started in Bordeaux, stopped off to pick up horses at Stansted, went to Winnipeg and then Honolulu before flying into Sydney.
By car:
From Newmarket to Punchestown via Anglesey ferry (exhausting on the way home!)
It was Taunton approximately 2 miles return trip but from March this year I spouted my wings all the way to Cheltenham.
Gaelic Warrior Gold Cup Winner 2026
I somehow doubt if ‘Ben’ would know the exact round trip mileage for his ‘raceday experience’.
‘Brian’ on the other hand ………….
I find it difficult to believe that anyone could have gone to Melbourne and back
solely
for the purpose of a horse race, without being on business or dallying for a while. Unless they lived in, say, Sydney at the time!
I find it difficult to believe that anyone could have gone to Melbourne and back
solely
for the purpose of a horse race, without being on business or dallying for a while. Unless they lived in, say, Sydney at the time!
Well, common sense would dictate that one would hardly travel straight back without staying a few days, but in 1998 I left Glasgow airport on a British Airways flight ( the Rt Hon John Reid – ex mp sat across from me) to London Heathrow with the sole purpose of attending the Melbourne Cup meeting two days later. I spent 18 hours in a sweaty cabin before landing at Singapore. A few hours later I boarded a Qantas jet headed for Melbourne.
Nine hours later I arrived to blazing hot sunshine. There was 4 hours left before the the big race.
I was at Flemington racetrack in plenty of time. I stayed over a few days before heading back one highly satisfied race-goer.
Would I make the trip again? No, it is totally knackering.
Gambling Only Pays When You're Winning
From my nearest Bus Stop in Lowton i have gone on the bus to Wigan then caught the train to Musselburgh getting back into Wigan for about 9.30-10.pm
A few years ago i went on the Bus to Newton-le-Willows,took the train into Manchester Piccadilly,train to Euston,Underground to Victoria then train to Brighton where the Bus took me to Brighton races.
After racing back into Victoria then Under to Euston for the 7.45 which got me into Warrington for 10.pm
So for me its Musselburgh and Brighton.
We must be true racing fans or just plain daft.
Did Happy Valley (twice) & Sha Tin (once – on St Leger Day!) in the space of 10 days in 2003. Also did the Hong Kong Racing Museam (at Happy Valley) on same trip.
In the UK, longest trip is Aintree (2006 National) – from Watford via overnight stop with family in the Midlands.
Happy Valley was part of a holiday for me…so count that out i suppose
York
but its a doddle of a daytrip from london on the GNER (as it was) and well worth it of course.
drove to aintree and back (taking in relatives in Southport) in a day once. And frankly, it wasnt really worth it
York
but its a doddle of a daytrip from london on the GNER
Indeed it is and a trip t’other way from York to Sandown would be the furthest I’ve been racing on a day trip
Brian tells me York to King’s Cross is 188 miles 2 furlongs but he isn’t too sure about the additional mileage to Waterloo and thence Esher – 20 miles?
6am York to Exeter then Haldon races then over-indulgence and overnight back in Exeter then home next morning, a round trip of circa 600 miles was rather more knackering.
I find it difficult to believe that anyone could have gone to Melbourne and back
solely
for the purpose of a horse race, without being on business or dallying for a while. Unless they lived in, say, Sydney at the time!
I can believe it and can relate to it.
People do strange things sometimes when it comes to travel – we have actually considered a similar trip to the Melbourne Cup.
We are also considering a weekend break for the Breeders Cup.
My wife and I actually flew a day trip to Tel Aviv from London just to have a curry on my birthday.
If you think that is odd – then just try and imagine the reaction from the Israeli security services – they took some convincing.
The reason – in old Jaffa Town is what is (sadly was), undoubtedly the best Indian restaurant we have ever visited.
Oh yes – we also once did a weekend break in Beijing.
More respect! Do I have any respect left to give?!
I did the 1987 Arc de Triomphe and back from West Yorkshire, by bus, train, ferry, train and foot, without having anywhere to rest my head (bar catching a half hour on a bench in the Bois de Boulogne) in about 60 hours. But then I had boundless enthusiasm and a good deal more stamina in those days…
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