Carlisle and surrounding area

Carlisle is one of the most northerly major towns in England. It is in the County of Cumbria and is just north of the beautiful Lake District which is my first base on this extended trip.

I could write forever on the sheer natural beauty of this area but will resist as most people already know. I did read a list of the 20 must visit places in the UK (in someone’s opinion) yesterday and the list included Keswick and Lake Windermere. There are both smashing places to visit and I would add my own recommendation to any other.

Carlisle too has places worth visiting and below is a pretty good website covering this:

https://www.discovercarlisle.co.uk/

As I said, I didn’t actually stay in Carlisle itself so as regards accommodation, eateries and watering holes, I will leave you at the mercy of Trip Advisor and I’m sure it will guide you well.

The Racecourse

Carlisle stages both Flat and National Hunt racing. Both courses are pear-shaped and run right handed with an uphill finish.

The Flat Course is a mile and a half with easy turns and a stiff uphill straight of three furlongs, therefore providing a stiff test of stamina, most particularly on testing ground.

It appears that there is a slight draw bias towards lowest drawn in sprints, presumably because of the layout of the course. But the bias is very slight.

The Jumps Course is also a galloping and undulating circuit with a stiff uphill finish. The fences are less challenging than at other courses. The run-in from the last is just over a furlong.

The ability to race prominently is thought to be an advantage in both disciplines.

Carlisle Racecourse hosts the oldest race in the calendar, namely The Carlisle Bell, the running of which can be traced back to 1599.

https://carlisle.thejockeyclub.co.uk/

Clerk Of The Course: Andrew Tulloch

Telephone number: 01228 554700

Getting Here

Postcode for Satnav is CA2 4TS.

Carlisle is about 315 miles from London, 120 miles from Manchester, 60 miles from Newcastle, 100 miles from Glasgow and 100 miles from Edinburgh.

The course is located not far off the M6 and is easily found. Parking is free. The distance from Carlisle Station is just over two miles and on race days, a local bus company runs a bus service, details of which are on the course website.

Racecourse Facilities

Carlisle Racecourse does not operate any strict dress code.

The only restaurant on the course is Silks Restaurant and is located at the top of the Grandstand, next to the Premier Bar. I had a peek in and wished I had booked it.

There are plenty of bars and coffee outlets on the course. Even today, the busiest day of the calendar, the bars seemed to run nice and smoothly. Plenty of snack food available too.

I went into the Premier Enclosure today as I usually do but for once I’m not convinced it’s worth the extra money. There didn’t seem to be any area other than the bar at the top of the stand. I’d be interested if anyone else has any comments on this, just in case I’ve got that wrong.

Staff at Carlisle Racecourse were incredibly polite and friendly, I’m was very impressed!

The view across the racecourse is very pretty.

My Day

An absolutely scorching day for what is Carlisle Racecourses biggest day of the calendar. It wasn’t too far a diversion from my holiday in The Lake District.

As I said above, £25 for my Premier Enclosure badge wasn’t worth it in my view but I can’t let that take away from what I think is a lovely and well-run venue. I look forward to coming back here again, hopefully, soon.

The three winners I had were very welcome indeed and should pay my expenses for a visit to Cartmel on Friday.