Wiltshire


<h2 class="wp-block-heading">What? Where?</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="1333" src="https://wilts.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2022/06/day-at-races-me.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-26556" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wilts/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2022/06/day-at-races-me.jpeg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wilts/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2022/06/day-at-races-me-600x800.jpeg 600w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wilts/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2022/06/day-at-races-me-750x1000.jpeg 750w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wilts/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2022/06/day-at-races-me-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wilts/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2022/06/day-at-races-me-394x525.jpeg 394w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /><figcaption>Me during a hard day&#8217;s work at Salisbury Racecourse</figcaption></figure>



<p>A day at the races has to be one of the best ways to spend an afternoon or evening with friends or family, because you get to dress up, eat up and potentially come home richer than when you left (but don’t bet on it). And <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Salisbury Racecourse (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.salisburyracecourse.co.uk/" target="_blank">Salisbury Racecourse</a> is a particularly good for this, partly because it’s near <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="The Guild (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.theguildwiltshire.co.uk/" target="_blank">The Guild</a> &#8211; destination shopping in a regenerated carpet factory at Wilton (interior design devotees will connect the dots between the famous floorcoverings and the town’s name). This means you can combine a morning’s shopping at fabulous indies like homewares store Chalke House Emporium or <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="The Courtyard Marketplace (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.thecourtyardmarketplace.co.uk/" target="_blank">The Courtyard Marketplace</a> artisan deli &#8211;  plus get a new hair-do at House Of Mac. And as race days usually start at 12pm or 3pm, you could also fit in a trip to the ever-stylish Bird &amp; Carter’s Farm Shop for a mid-morning mocha, also in Wilton. </p>



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<iframe loading="lazy" title="Racing at Salisbury Racecourse" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/722956239?h=2b2d8bb602&amp;dnt=1&amp;app_id=122963" width="422" height="750" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
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<p>Arriving at the racecourse is like driving into a country dream. You turn off the relentless A36 into cool, calm, pasture laced with lush green grass and fringed by shady trees (as the racing season is Spring and Summer you’re only likely to see the venue at its bucolic best). Park up here (for free) and take a short walk from car to course – everything here is within easy reach so there are no gel pads required for your heels. Once you’ve shown your ticket you walk across the course to the enclosures and paddock – unless you have opted for the family-orientated Sarum enclosure which is on the same side as the car park. Easily accessible from Hampshire and even Dorset as well as Wiltshire. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">The vibe </h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="757" src="https://wilts.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2022/06/women-at-the-racecourse-1-1000x757.jpeg" alt="Ladies Day Salisbury Racecourse" class="wp-image-26545" /></figure>



<p>Relaxed, intimate and friendly. With a capacity of 2,500-6,000 Salisbury is considered a Country Racecourse in racing terms because it’s much smaller than some of the bigger venues, like Ascot and Newbury, which can hold up to 60,000 &#8211; but don&#8217;t they say that the best things come in small packages? Dress smart-casual for daytime racing but dress up for evening racing events, especially on Ladies Days. Head for The Bibury Enclosure with its lawned area just in front of the winners&#8217; post for the best seats in the house. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Scoff and quaff</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="1333" src="https://wilts.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2022/06/hot-salad-2.jpeg" alt="Hot salad at Salisbury Racecourse" class="wp-image-26541" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wilts/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2022/06/hot-salad-2.jpeg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wilts/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2022/06/hot-salad-2-600x800.jpeg 600w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wilts/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2022/06/hot-salad-2-750x1000.jpeg 750w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wilts/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2022/06/hot-salad-2-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wilts/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2022/06/hot-salad-2-394x525.jpeg 394w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>You’re spolit for choice when it comes to eating and drinking as there are plenty of bars and eateries tucked away all over the place. I say book a table in the <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Moonraker Restaurant (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.salisburyracecourse.co.uk/race-days/dining-corporate-hospitality/" target="_blank">Moonraker Restaurant</a> if you want somewhere to be based all day and feast on either a three-course carvery menu or a hot salad option – I had soup followed by a delicious plate of salmon, prawns and all kinds of green vegetables, followed by berries and a lemon meringue tart. It’s an all-in-one-price and they even throw in a plated afternoon tea – scone, sandwiches and cakes –  around 4pm. All the food is prepared on-site by the in-house chef using locally-sourced ingredients or dishes from local suppliers – for example, the diet-busting desserts are from a small company in Southampton (only 40 minutes’ away, despite being in Hampshire). </p>



<p>If all the racing has you too excited to eat a big meal, then the Bibury Bar and Food Servery serves all kinds of mouthwatering morsels from Cumberland Sausages to Pastry Pies or sandwiches and cakes and the recently-refurbished bar has a terrace with a birds-eye view of the racecourse at the winners’ post end. Out near the Paddock (the ring where horses are paraded before a race) there’s a brand spanking new bar, called The Paddocks Bar (funny that!) which is super-modern and the perfect place for a Pimms. </p>



<p>If you’re bringing the family, you can bring your own booze-free picnic to the Sarum Enclosure and if you’re out to impress you can <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="hire a box  (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.salisburyracecourse.co.uk/race-days/dining-corporate-hospitality/" target="_blank">hire a box </a>for private dining and corporate hospitality from 12 people.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Diary dates </h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="866" src="https://wilts.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2022/06/Racing-Salisbury.jpeg" alt="horse racing at Salisbury Racecourse" class="wp-image-26552" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wilts/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2022/06/Racing-Salisbury.jpeg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wilts/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2022/06/Racing-Salisbury-800x462.jpeg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wilts/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2022/06/Racing-Salisbury-1000x577.jpeg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wilts/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2022/06/Racing-Salisbury-768x443.jpeg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wilts/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2022/06/Racing-Salisbury-900x520.jpeg 900w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



<p>There are usually<a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" 16 race meetings (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.salisburyracecourse.co.uk/race-days/" target="_blank"> 16 race meetings</a> a year at Salisbury between April and September which include several evening race events with live music – after the horses go home, the venue lays a dancefloor right across the course! There’s always at least one Ladies event &#8211; this year’s Ladies Evening includes a live Abba Tribute Act on 9 July; on 23 July, DJ Jordan North takes to the decks; while on 19 August, local cover band The Deloreans take up the entertainment reins. There are also regular outdoor cinema nights too (minus racing) </p>



<p>And the fun doesn’t stop once the season’s over – in the Winter, the course plays host to Spireworks (Salisbury’s Fireworks event) and The Rockbourne Fair – a long-standing Christmas Craft Fair. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Anything else?&nbsp;</h2>



<p>I never thought about this before visiting Salisbury, but actually a day at the races is the perfect way to socialise and/or network – there’s something fun to focus on (the racing), plenty to eat and drink and oodles of opportunities to talk and mingle inbetween the races, unlike if you go to a restaurant and have to sit in the same seat for the whole event or the cinema or theatre where you don’t have much time to talk. No wonder boxes for Ladies’ Evenings are often booked out well in advance – but it’s still worth enquiring as options do come up. </p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="1333" src="https://wilts.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2022/06/Salisbury-Racecourse-2.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-26557" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wilts/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2022/06/Salisbury-Racecourse-2.jpeg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wilts/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2022/06/Salisbury-Racecourse-2-600x800.jpeg 600w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wilts/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2022/06/Salisbury-Racecourse-2-750x1000.jpeg 750w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wilts/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2022/06/Salisbury-Racecourse-2-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wilts/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2022/06/Salisbury-Racecourse-2-394x525.jpeg 394w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>Sound like a great day out? Of course it does! Happy days, we&#8217;re giving away tickets to the races for four (with bubbly, no less) for one lucky Muddy reader. <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Trot over here to enter (opens in a new tab)" href="https://wilts.muddystilettos.co.uk/reader-treats/win-an-evening-at-the-races-for-four-with-bubbly-worth-150/" target="_blank">Race</a><a href="https://wilts.muddystilettos.co.uk/reader-treats/win-an-evening-at-the-races-for-four-with-bubbly-worth-150/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Trot over here to enter (opens in a new tab)"> </a><a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Trot over here to enter (opens in a new tab)" href="https://wilts.muddystilettos.co.uk/reader-treats/win-an-evening-at-the-races-for-four-with-bubbly-worth-150/" target="_blank">over here to enter</a>. </p>



<p><em><a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Salisbury Racecourse (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.salisburyracecourse.co.uk/" target="_blank">Salisbury Racecourse</a>, Netherhampton, Salisbury, Wiltshire, SP2 8PM<br>01722 326461. Tel: 01722 326461</em></p>



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Review: A day at the races at Salisbury Racecourse

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