- This topic has 30 replies, 15 voices, and was last updated 18 years, 4 months ago by
.
- Posts
I used to like Sedgefield when first started going seeing it as a ‘real racecourse’ without all this ‘dressy up’ lark from people in the summer and the people there are genuinely interested in the racing rather than just the drinking / day out.
However, after about the 3rd time i realised how poor the place was. There’s no seating except restaurant, and 3 seats round the back that are always taken anyway. If you don’t want a ‘sit down and waited to be served’ lunch then the alternative is a little cafe with dried out pies, 2 sandwiches and packets of crisps. However they do have a burger van which the people are very friendly (always get some free chips for my little boy! bless) but not the nicest of food, very greasy…
The racing… good racing but would be much better if they actually provided for their punters and put a screen there. Even when Cheltenham was on they only gave a small one and that broke halfway through the big race.I personally find now whenever i go that the lack of facilities overtake the racing now, though it may be different for others who like a drink when they go or prefer using binoculars etc but my personal view is that i’d rather go to another track. Especially if you’re coming all the way from Ireland.
Out of Sedgefield and Hexham i’d recommend Hexham. Again very basic, and my god freezing! But it’s quaint in its own way and really good countryside.(although I wasn’t expecting to end up having to walk to Kempton from Hampton last Saturday!!!).
Ummm… why did you do that?! And its a bit of a boring walk down the lower Sunbury road. You got off a stop early….
Sedgefield is a very ordinary course.To be polite. Ive only been once on a wet Friday night and remember (not for positive reasons) the bingo number caller and the "short skirt competition" in the paddock ( i am not joking…) rather than the racing
Maybe im being harsh and i cant comment on Hexham and Kelso, but would not go out of my way to visit Sedgefield again
Everyone had to evacuate the train as a dog had electrocuted itself further down the line.
I always thought people went horse racing to watch the racing not eat and drink but there again I am old fashioned.
If you want good food go into Sedgefield itself only a couple of minutes from the course with several pubs selling good food before racing dependant on the first race time.
Always liked the track which used to have the longest run in in the country at one time before they placed a fence in the dip before the steep rise to the finish.
Enjoy your day out.
So the crowd for the next Kempton AW meeting will be down to just one man then ?
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.
If your planning on getting a pub meal in Sedgefield village, go to the Dun Cow. Very nice scran – its where George Dubya Bush went for a meal with Blair
Sadly they didnt put arsenic in the food that day
When I was at Hexham a few years ago one of the urinals had no roof. Does that make it a dump?
Sadly they didnt put arsenic in the food that day
…or serve throat-sized pretzels.
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.
When I was at Hexham a few years ago one of the urinals had no roof. Does that make it a dump?
Not at all. I went to Hamilton once, and they couldn’t even afford hurdles or fences FFS!
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.
When I was at Hexham a few years ago one of the urinals had no roof.
Urinals now have a roof – to my recollection the only course still with open urinals is Catterick!!
I actually quite like Hexham – it is certainly rustic and if the weather is adverse there is little shelter – but NH types are generally a tougher bunch than their flat counterparts.
Logic says I shouldn’t like it – I seem to be totally incapable of finding any winners there and the quality of racing is generally low, I went to a meeting once where the 59 runners had previously amassed the grand sum of a single win between them – at least there would have been six very happy owners that day.
But, and it is a big but, it has a certain something you can’t quite explain – plus the atmosphere is friendly, the setting stunning.
NH types are generally a tougher bunch than their flat counterparts.
…and point-to-point fans are carved from granite!
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.
Glad to hear the Hexham loos are roofed. Sedgefield was positively suburban in comparison when I went about three years ago, fearing it would be the last chance before it was all-weathered.
That day was enlivened by the presence of a chap bidding in the auction after the seller, who many of us in the crowd sensed was not 100% sound mentally. He won, but the penny dropped with the auctioneer soon after and they staged the auction again half an hour later, when there was no bid.I always thought people went horse racing to watch the racing not eat and drink but there again I am old fashioned.
During the jump season racing usually falls before or about lunch time so rather than go hungry all afternoon would have thought people would eat there… But that aside as you can always take your own food / eat before you go – the course really should provide more seating. Sounds trivial but there really isn’t anywhere for elderly, disabled etc etc to sit and the cafe is usually full. Last time i went i witnessed an elderly couple having to fold their pages of the racing post onto the bottom step of the stands, then struggle to sit down and get back up, obviously very embarrassed when people offered them help. I mean for the sake of a few seats… You pay enough to get in. £14 /£18 is about the average for standard facilities. Yet for £12 you get entry into York where you can see Group races, plenty of facilities, better parade ring etc etc… It should be better than what it is. Well, for this day and age anyway.
Interesting to see so many different views, the place obviously appeals to a lot so guess they’re not THAT bad at the end of the day. And like i say decent viewing track, just shame they don’t ever have a screen.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.