The 59-Racecourse Challenge: Britain’s Grand Tour of the Turf

There are bucket lists, and then there’s the one that only racing folk understand: every racecourse in Britain. Some set out with a notebook, others by accident — realising halfway through a working life in the game that they’ve clocked thirty or forty without ever meaning to. A few take it on with missionary zeal, ticking off names as if they were Munros or county cricket grounds.

Why do it? Because the sport reveals itself differently at every stop. You’ll never mistake a day at Royal Ascot for Cartmel’s holiday carnival, or Wetherby in January for Goodwood in July. Each course has its own quirks — gradients, cambers, the way the wind whips across Newmarket Heath or the sun drops behind the Knavesmire. To “do the 59” is to understand British racing not as a calendar of festivals but as a living map, a patchwork stitched together by tradition, geography and character.

It is also a social journey. You’ll share pints at Bangor-on-Dee with locals who know every conditional jockey by first name, then a week later find yourself mixing it with international owners at Ascot. Along the way you’ll learn the hard miles — service stations, wet B-roads, and motorway delays — but that’s part of the challenge’s pride.

The approach

Anchor around the calendar. Cheltenham in March, Aintree in April, Royal Ascot in June, York’s Ebor in August, Doncaster’s St Leger in September. These aren’t just meetings, they’re milestones.

Think in clusters. The geographical division works whether you’re a professional, an owner-breeder, or a determined fan — but where you start depends entirely on where you live. Someone in Glasgow naturally opens with Ayr or Hamilton, while a Sussex-based punter will begin with Brighton, Plumpton and Goodwood. The structure remains, but the order flexes.

The route: 8 clusters with distances & highlights

1) London & the South-East
Ascot → Sandown (9 miles) → Kempton (6) → Epsom (14) → Lingfield (21) → Windsor (28) → Brighton (53) → Fontwell (19) → Goodwood (10) → Plumpton (32).
Cluster mileage: ~190 miles.
Unmissable: Royal Ascot (16–20 June), the summer’s global stage. Derby Day at Epsom (first Saturday in June) — the Downs brimming with history. And for sheer theatre, Glorious Goodwood (late July).

2) East Anglia & East Midlands
Newmarket → Yarmouth (65) → Fakenham (71) → Chelmsford City (64) → Huntingdon (47) → Leicester (56) → Nottingham (23) → Southwell (22) → Market Rasen (55).
Cluster mileage: ~400 miles.
Unmissable: 2000 & 1000 Guineas (early May) on the Rowley Mile. The July Festival (mid-July) on the July Course. Market Rasen’s Summer Plate (July), a jumps gem in the Flat season.

3) South & West
Salisbury → Bath (42) → Wincanton (36) → Taunton (24) → Newton Abbot (34) → Exeter (17) → Chepstow (75).
Cluster mileage: ~230 miles.
Unmissable: Chepstow’s Welsh Grand National (27 December), the winter slog that sets the season’s tone. Salisbury’s Clerk of the Course stakes and Bath’s quirky Easter meetings bring quieter charm.

4) Cotswolds & the Marches
Cheltenham → Worcester (27) → Hereford (22) → Ludlow (35) → Warwick (40) → Stratford (10) → Uttoxeter (57) → Wolverhampton (34).
Cluster mileage: ~250 miles.
Unmissable: The Cheltenham Festival (10–13 March), the sport’s cathedral. Uttoxeter’s Midlands Grand National (mid-March) keeps the stamina theme alive later that week.

5) Yorkshire
Doncaster → Pontefract (26) → Beverley (53) → York (31) → Ripon (28) → Thirsk (13) → Catterick (23) → Redcar (30) → Wetherby (38).
Cluster mileage: ~270 miles.
Unmissable: York’s Ebor Festival (20–23 August), the Flat season’s high-summer crown. Doncaster’s St Leger (September) — the world’s oldest Classic. Ripon’s Great St Wilfrid Handicap (August) has a cult following.

6) North-West & the Lakes
Chester → Bangor-on-Dee (27) → Haydock (36) → Aintree (21) → Carlisle (95) → Cartmel (31).
Cluster mileage: ~210 miles.
Unmissable: The Grand National at Aintree (early April), racing’s defining spectacle. Chester’s May Festival, horses turning almost before they’ve started. Cartmel’s summer bank holidays, a fairground married to steeplechasing.

7) North-East
Sedgefield → Newcastle (27).
Cluster mileage: ~30 miles.
Unmissable: Newcastle’s Northumberland Plate (late June) - now run on Tapeta - but still the north-east’s Flat jewel.

8) Scotland
Ayr → Hamilton Park (38) → Musselburgh (43) → Kelso (40) → Perth (63).
Cluster mileage: ~185 miles.
Unmissable: The Scottish Grand National at Ayr (April), the country’s headline act. Musselburgh’s Edinburgh Cup (May) offers a summer Flat flavour. Perth’s April Festival is a northern jumps highlight.

Things only racing folk worry about

• Cartmel is a picnic, not a pit stop. Allow a whole day — the racing is only half the spectacle, and the drive out of the Lakes is never quick.

• Brighton is a trek. However close it looks on the map, the South Downs roads make it a commitment — better paired with Fontwell and Goodwood than treated as a casual add-on.

• Chester requires timing. The May Festival can gridlock the city, so plan your parking and hotel as carefully as your bets.

• Windsor’s Monday nights are deceptively late. Factor in the M4 slog home if you’re linking it to Ascot or Newbury.

• Scottish distances stretch. Ayr to Perth looks fine on paper but can chew a day if you’re not careful — especially with Highland traffic in festival season.

• Weather will catch you. Southwell in January, Bath in April, or Hexham in autumn — you’ll learn the full British climate by the end of the loop.

The prize

When you’ve finished, you’ll hold not just a completed list, but a living map of British racing: Royal Ascot hats, Ebor roars, Cartmel picnics, Brighton sea breezes, and the mud of the Welsh National. It is a marathon, not a sprint — but the only way to truly know the game in full.