PLAN YOUR VISIT

All you need to know to enjoy a great day at Cartmel Races!

Use our handy guide to plan your day and make your travel arrangements.

GENERAL ADMISSIONS WILL BE AVAILABLE TO BUY ON THE DAY

We’re CASHLESS on our Admission Gates!

starstarstarstar
Good to Soft, Soft in places
dog
Dogs Welcome
Please keep dogs on a lead at all times
picnic
Picnics Allowed
and positively encouraged - including alcohol
What’s the current weather for Cartmel?

RACE MEETING INFORMATION

OPENING TIMES TO BE RELEASED

 

Cartmel Races is a day out like no other. Surrounded by the beautiful South Lakeland fells and tucked away on the edge of the foodie village of Cartmel, this historic country racecourse offers the thrill of jump racing in a festival atmosphere.

In the popular Paddock Enclosure choose from a range of packages for all budgets, from fine dining to party tents, or simply bring your own picnic and relax with family and friends between races.

In the Course Enclosure, enjoy all the fun of the fair with a resident DJ, a great selection of food and drink stalls and lots of room to set up for the day. Feel free to bring your own food, drink, furniture and gazebo to make the most of your day out!

Perfect for family, friends and celebrations, Cartmel Races offers an unforgettable experience in a truly stunning location.

Make sure you’re there – hit THIS link for our ticket guide, and when you’re ready to book, head to the BOOK NOW button at the top corner of your screen!

We have lots of different ticket types, designed to help you create your perfect day! Whether you would like a day of wandering the site, finding a perch or planning a party, we’ve got options for you.

 

Please click HERE to view our ticket choices!

Here at Cartmel we welcome every age to join in on a fab day of fun-fairs, tasty food, hopefully great weather and of course, Summer Jump races!

We offer complimentary general admission to under-18s in conjunction with any adult booking. Some areas of our racecourse do have age restrictions, please check on our Ticket Guide for information on each package!

For our Cartmel Accessibility Map and further information, please check our Venue Accessibility section below

RACECOURSE MAP

Opening Times:

Gate opening times are yet to be released for 2024 dates!

We’d recommend arriving early should you wish to park in one of our on-course car parks. Once you have received your tickets and wristbands, feel free to wander in and out of the racecourse or head to any of our vendors and see what’s on offer.

Race Times:

All of our race times are released by the BHA close to the dates of our fixtures. Please be aware, they are subject to change right up until the starting flag! We will always try to keep you up to date ahead of time where possible.

To find our currently released race times, please head to our What’s On page!

Closing Times:

We don’t operate a ‘hard close’ here at Cartmel so our closing times do vary. Most often, this is around one hour after the final race. A couple of things to note:

Please make sure you have a safe method of transport home whether that’s via car, taxi, or train. You’re welcome to leave cars overnight in all of our car parks as long as they’re picked up by 12 noon the following morning.

Due to our country lanes, our one-way system is in place until the last race at which point it is reversed to allow for all those leaving. Please follow the appropriate signage.

Travel

By Road

The lanes around the racecourse are very beautiful, but also quite narrow. To assist with the traffic management, we make several of the lanes ONE-WAY – so it is particularly important that you follow the event signage and NOT your sat-nav.

It is also particularly important to follow the signage for the correct enclosure (paddock or course), as you will be turned around on the gate and advised of a detour route if you arrive at the wrong entrance.

Follow Paddock Enclosure signs if you:

  • Have pre-booked Paddock Parking (not available on the day)
  • Are a guest of our Louis Roederer Restaurant or Parade Ring Restaurant
  • Are an Annual Member, Owner, Trainer or Jockey

PLEASE BE REMINDED, PADDOCK PARKING IS ONLY AVAILABLE VIA PRE-BOOKING, EVEN IF YOU HAVE PADDOCK ADMISSION.

Follow Course Enclosure signs if you:

  • Have NOT pre-booked parking
  • Have booked Course Enclosure tickets
  • Have booked Paddock Enclosure tickets but not parking
  • Have booked Camping tickets
  • Have NOT booked any tickets at all and will be paying on the gate

 

Cartmel Racecourse is most easily accessed from junction 36 of the M6 via the A590. Follow the signs towards Barrow and Ulverston until you reach the turn-off for High Newton, where you will also see a sign for Cartmel Priory. Our temporary yellow event signage will be in place from the A590.

By Taxi

If you are planning to travel by taxi, it is strongly recommended that you book in advance, as it is unlikely that there will be many available on the day. To reduce traffic, we ask for all taxis to drop off and pick up from the lay-by opposite Cartmel Priory School, near the Pig and Whistle public house on the edge of the village.

By Train

The closest station to Cartmel Racecourse is Cark-in-Cartmel Train Station. For more details visit www.thetrainline.com

By Helicopter

Provision can be made for helicopters to land nearby the racecourse. Permission must be sought in advance. Please contact the Racecourse Office at least 2 weeks before the date.

Coach & Minibus Parties

Parking for coaches and minibuses is available in the designated Coach Park. Coaches and minibuses are unable to park in any other car park other than the coach park area.

Shuttle Buses

The Travellers Choice will be offering independent shuttle bus services to and from Cartmel Village / Cark-in-Cartmel railway – please check all times, dates and updates on their website before you set off.

Click here for their information!

Parking

There are a number of options for parking on race days. Please note that Cartmel Village car park is used exclusively for coach parking for racing fixtures and is not available to the public. Please make sure you follow the correct signage for Paddock Parking or Course Parking, as these are at opposite ends of the Racecourse.

Paddock Parking

There is parking within the Paddock enclosure which must be pre-booked. The cost is £10 per car and can be added to your basket with your tickets.

Course parking

Course Parking within the Course enclosure is available on a first come, first served basis. The cost is £10 per car, which is payable on the day. This is not pre-bookable so we recommend arriving well in advance of the racing.

Free parking on the Course enclosure side is also available at Seven Acres – follow signs to Course/Public car park, just a short walk from the Racecourse.

Accessible parking

A limited number of accessible parking spaces are available exclusively to Blue Badge holders in both the Paddock and Course enclosures, at a cost of £10 per car. The Paddock enclosure is pre-bookable only via the Racecourse Office, the Course enclosure parking is only available on the day on a first-come, first served basis. Please note that accessible spaces are not on the rail but are as close as possible to all facilities.

Owners and Trainers

Free parking is available to Owners and Trainers in a dedicated area behind the Owners and Trainers marquee – please follow signs to Owners and Trainers.

Overnight parking

All cars may be left on site overnight but must be collected by 12 noon the following day. Sleeping in any vehicle in any car park is strictly not allowed.

Coaches & Minibuses

Coaches and minibuses are welcome, with parking provided free of charge on a first-come, first-served basis. All coaches and minibuses must park in Cartmel Village car park, which is clearly signposted. We strongly advise coach parties to book race tickets in advance to take advantage of any available group discount. Coach drivers will benefit from complimentary general admission. 

We welcome both cash and card payments with all of our onsite vendors and on-course bookmakers. The Tote boxes will also be offering cashack services if you would like to withdraw cash on the day.

Please be aware that all of our Admission Gates are now cashless. If you are planning on paying for your admission on the day, please ensure that you have card payment available.

Due to our very rural location, our 4G and mobile signal can often be patchy or unreliable, especially on our busy race days. We do not currently offer public Wi-Fi, and as such you may find it difficult to access online items.

For this reason, we ask that you print your e-tickets in advance to ensure you are able to present them on arrival.

Cartmel is known as the foodie village of the Lake District, and our race-days are no different. Whether you’re joining us in our Louis Roederer and Parade Ring restaurants, wandering the colourful rows of exciting food stalls, or bringing your packed lunch in tow, you won’t be short of options.

We’re proud to promote local business and produce – whether it’s a true Cumbrian ale fresh from the barrel, some juicy Morecambe Bay shrimp or a perfectly crisp Lakeland-made Gin and Tonic, we hope you will enjoy as many culinary delights as you can stomach.

Check out just some of our fabulous vendors we will be welcoming to the races this year! And if you would like to cater your day, take a look at our Planning a Party section below…

Pre-Orders

Planning a fabulous day out for the full group can be a big task! Why not make your day as carefree as possible? Organise your tickets, parking, food and drink all in advance. All that’s left is to bring yourselves along to the tailor-made day out of your dreams!

Unfortunately, we regret that Good Weather cannot be ordered in advance. However, Great Fun will be in supply on the day!

This fabulous selection of vendors will be available to take your pre-orders:

Campbell & Rowley      Select one of our Drinks packages at checkout – at a fabulous discount!

Three Little Pigs      WhatsApp Us! Available on 07818654678

Kindred Spirit Cocktails      WhatsApp Us! Available on 07523187365

Food From The Fells      Email Us! Available on foodfromthefells@gmail.com

 

Party Packages

Have you booked tickets for one of our Party Tents or Picnic Benches, but want to dress it up a little? Maybe you’re organising a birthday trip, or an annual friends get-together – something a little more special.

Adding an extra splash of pizazz is just what you need to make a good day great. Get in touch with Violet and Bluebell Events now, to discover how you can put the Party into Party Tent!

Contact Ellen at violetandbluebellevents@gmail.com 

Our race days are a perfect excuse to make a weekend of it and where better than in our beautiful Lake District? We have many excellent hotels and guest houses in the vicinity, each unique in character and style.

Please browse our list of local accommodation – we hope you have a lovely stay!

List of Local Accomodation

 

We also offer onsite camping and caravanning facilities for race days – please check out our Ticket Guide page for more information, and if you’d like to book tickets, click the BOOK NOW button at the top right hand corner!

At Cartmel we request that racegoers wear smart casual dress in the Paddock Enclosure, especially in the restaurant areas.

Although the atmosphere is always informal, we ask that shirts are worn in all enclosures please. T-shirts and shorts are acceptable in hot weather. Wellington boots and macs are recommended in wet weather as a vast majority of our racecourse is grass. Although umbrellas are excellent in the rain they can also be used in hot weather as a cover from the sun.

Please dress for your own comfort (and the weather!)

We love dogs here at Cartmel and dogs are absolutely allowed in both the Paddock and Course Enclosures on all race days! We do ask your two-legged supervisors to ensure you’re behaving, though…

Please visit our Guides page to see our Ulti-Mutt guide to bring your dog to Cartmel!

You are welcome to put up your own gazebos and windbreakers in allocated areas. A charge of £20 is payable on the day for each standard 3m x 3m gazebo, which will be collected by roaming Event Day Stewards. Larger sizes will be charged in multiples, though we don’t allow gazebo ‘villages’ as this obscures the view for fellow race-goers.

Unfortunately, gazebos and windbreakers are not permitted on either side of the finishing straight, within 3m of the running rail or within 10 metres either side of a jump, as they obscure the view of other race-goers.

Gazebo and windbreakers are not available to hire from the racecourse and may not be permitted in poor weather conditions. We may ask for gazebos to be taken down if conditions on the day deteriorate.

Our team will advise you of your placement and any restrictions on the day, please be aware of this in advance.

Our course is very much like its encompassing Lake District with the majority of the course situated on grass. We have a limited number of accessible spaces available and unfortunately cannot guarantee use of a space on each race day. With these limitations in mind, please think of those who may struggle most with our large grass race course.

Accessible Parking:

We offer designated accessible parking for those who require it situated in both our paddock and course enclosures:

  • Paddock Enclosure Accessible parking
    Pre-bookable in advance only. £10 per car
  • Course Enclosure Accessible parking
    On the day, first-come, first-served basis. £10 per car
  • Seven Acres Accessible parking
    On the day. Free parking
  • Annual Members Accessible parking
    Within the Annual Members designated parking area. Free with Annual Membership

Please contact the Racecourse Office directly to organise pre-booked Paddock Enclosure Accessible parking; we require a copy or photo of your blue badge to confirm your space.

Accessible Toilets:

There are accessible toilet facilities located all around the site, please see our Accessibility Map below for further details of their locations.

Accessible Race Viewing:

We offer an accessible viewing platform on our Grandstand for those who have Paddock Tickets. This is operated on a first-come, first-serve basis on the day – please enquire with our Racecourse Office for further information.

Guide Dogs:

As our venue is an outdoor grass venue, we don’t have a designated dog spending area. There will be red waste bins dotted around site in which you can dispose of any waste.

Please note that we are very much a dog-friendly venue and there may be a high volume of friendly dogs around. All will be required on leads but should you have any issues with other dogs, please do speak to a member of the team and we will do our very best to help.

Personal Assistants:

Personal assistants recieve complimentary general admission – please contact the Racecourse Office directly and we will be able to help you with this. We require proof of your PIP in order to confirm your tickets, so please have this available to send into us.

If purchasing tickets on the day, please remember to bring your PIP document so that we can issue you a complimentary ticket.

 

Accessibility Map

Please click the link to view our Accessibility map. Use this map in conjunction with our Racecourse Map for complete site details!

 

If you require any advice or special assistance – let us know in advance on:

info@cartmel-racecourse.co.uk

…where we will do our very best to make your day as enjoyable as possible!

Safety Information

Our safety information is designed to help you enjoy the racing and events in safety.

**PLEASE ENSURE YOU ARE FAMILIAR WITH OUR TERMS & CONDITIONS OF ENTRY AND CODE OF CONDUCT. ALL ARE UPDATED REGULARLY ON THIS WEBSITE AND ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE DEPENDING ON GOVERNMENT, SPORTS GROUND AND LOCAL AUTHORITY GUIDANCE. ELITE SPORTING EVENTS ARE GOVERNED BY THE SPORTS GROUND SAFETY ADVISORY GROUP.

A day at Cartmel Racecourse should be great fun for everyone; nobody wants an injury or an incident to spoil their day. So, when push comes to shove, we need to make sure that there isn’t any pushing or shoving.

The Racecourse Team prepares carefully for each event and we take every precaution to ensure that the site is as safe as is practical. However, we also need some help from you – to take responsibility for your own safety and to respect the safety and comfort of those around you. With this in mind, we’ve compiled a brief list of precautions that we’d like all visitors to consider:

Alcohol & Substance Abuse
Fortunately, very few accidents or customer complaints occur at Cartmel Racecourse, but those that do are most likely to be relatively minor incidents involving someone who has had too much to drink. We ask that you please drink responsibly and encourage your friends to stay within their limits. Any incident involving substance abuse will be dealt with by Cumbria Police.

Slips, Trips, Falls
The most common cause for a visit to the Medic UK tent is sunstroke. Okay, that’s only on hot days… The most common cause, on a normal day, is a grazed knee. Many of these customers are either under the age of five years or they have had one drink too many. The natural parkland, that forms the racecourse, includes many uneven surfaces that may become slippery in wet conditions. Please take care of yourselves and mind where you walk. Don’t try to run faster than your legs can go, even if you think your bookmaker might be packing away for the day.

Fences, Walls & Barriers
The fences, walls and temporary barriers located on the racecourse are intended to segregate people into specific areas. This may include segregating people from horses or people from sensitive or hazardous equipment. Please do not attempt to climb over, sit on or stand on any barriers – regardless of whether they appear to be permanent or temporary features – they are not designed to take a person’s weight.

Trees
The scenery at the racecourse is enhanced by beautiful trees, including some very old oaks. However, despite clichés such as ‘strong as an oak’ it should be noted that all trees are capable of shedding branches with little warning. With this in mind, we recommend that you do not sit beneath the branches. We especially ask that neither children nor adults, swing or climb on the branches of trees within the parkland.

Water
Children often enjoying playing by the water in the beck that meanders through the Paddock Enclosure, and as with all areas we recommend that children are always supervised. We also recommend that anyone paddling in the beck wears shoes or boots to protect their feet. Animals use the beck upstream (and downstream), so please do not use the beck for washing up your picnic utensils, for drinking or for cleaning your hands.

Horses
Horses are big and run very fast; hopefully, yours will run fastest of all. Please pay attention when in close proximity to the horses: stay on the public side of any barriers (close to the track or horse walk areas) and do not sit on or lean over barriers near to the horses. The running rails are designed to encourage the horses to stay on the track – but they will not withstand a horse’s weight if they hit them, nor a jockey’s if they are thrown over them – so be prepared to move if a horse is behaving erratically.

Vehicle Movement
Be aware of moving vehicles at all times. If you are driving a vehicle, please pay special attention to pedestrians.

Barbecues
Every year the first aid team will treat at least one person with burnt fingers and we will be required to extinguish at least one fire in a wheelie bin. If you intend to bring a barbecue, please ensure that you handle it safely, take care not to scorch the grass, by using stones, and dispose of it in a metal bin – only when it is fully extinguished. No gas barbecues or gas canisters are permitted on the racecourse.

Please note:
We love having BBQs at Cartmel Racecourse however, the horses aren’t as keen on drifting smoke. In order to keep our Equine friends happy we ask that all barbecues are extinguished 30 minutes before racing begins and are not reignited again until after racing.

Children
There are usually lots of children at Cartmel races. Although we don’t consider them to be particularly dangerous, we do ask all children to be appropriately supervised by a responsible adult – who should be particularly mindful of all the considerations above.

First Aid
First Aid posts are located in both the Paddock & Course Enclosures. Please check our guest map for their current locations, or ask a nearby Event Day Steward for directions.