With only a few days to go I’m having a bi of a quandary. I’ve been ill for about a month with This flu that’s lead to sinusitis, I mean this has been bad but I’m feeling better. Here’s the problem, after many years attending the festival I know I’ll be wiped out for about a month after. All those late nights on the piss eating junk food and sleeping in a bed that’s not mine with all those people coughing and spluttering. I’m thinking about giving it a miss and staying at home in my smoking jacket with my feet up on the sofa with the cat losing my money or should I just man up?
Not sure how old you are Florida but you can not mess with the old health. Chelters will still be there next year. Feet up, tv on, good food n drink, hopefully some winners.
Good advice. My response to manflu is Lemsip max strength supplemented with a good slug of brandy plus plenty of r&r.
Not getting any younger. Heart says go head says no. If I stay at home I might miss out on something.first two days gonna be pissing down.
Also the place is like a mistress, you know you shouldn’t but she draws you back for more. I’ve tried explaining it to the mrs. She wasn’t very happy.
Your health must always come first, FP. Nothing wrong with watching things on TV with the cat either! I wish you a speedy recovery.
For the first time last year I did all four days at the Festival and I loved it. The trouble is that most people you are meeting there are in and out on one dayers and really going for it. When I got home last year I was physically drained, I told the wife that I thought it was worthy of a medal to do all four days. Be sensible Florida, you will enjoy the racing as much in front of the TV as you would at the track, you will just miss the buzz and the craic.
As you are asking the question it seems like you probably know what you should do. However, get your backside into gear and get to Cheltenham!!!
Sounds like your getting old Florida! . Joking aside just take it easier and don't drink as much and have an earlier night. I have never done all 4 days before but did 3 days one year. I felt quite drained after it. This year am going Weds and Friday. Friday especially tends to be a late one though and I would struggle if not 100%. Hope you start to feel better....
I always go on the Thursday but I’m good for nowt all day Friday. Even with the best of intentions to drink less the atmosphere draws you in. Possibly a very wise decision to keep warm and watch at home and have your decisions swayed by every interview on the box. Hope the health improves
Having only missed one festival in 25 years, I’m probably gonna give it a miss. Thanks for all the sound advice.
It's probably not a bad one to miss this year to be honest there doesn't look too much to get excited about this time round.
If you stay at home, you might even find you enjoy it more. I have been to Cheltenham in March for at least a couple of days, every year for aeons. Giving it a miss this year for various reasons, and am looking forward to watching every race in comfort on the box. There’ll be plenty of days out in the sunshine at Newmarket, Sandown and Goodwood, to make up for missing the hellish crowds and nightmare car park queues of Cheltenham. I might even finally make it to Chester for May this year.
Give it a miss; feet up, kettle and computer on! Then, when you feel better pop down to Cheltenham for Trial's Day 2020; no rip-offs for 'digs' and reasonable entry price. Same rub-a-dubs but less crowded. My favourite 'Cheltenham' was spent in Nurnberg where my Mum and I found a great bookies showing British, Irish and French racing where my Mum was provided with tea, biscuits and cakes (gratis) while I popped out to a local pub for beer or bourbon between races. Being an hour later you could do the shops/the castle/the sights then sit in the bookies from 15.00 to 17.00 then have a meal and piss off to the wee Kino which showed fillums in their original versions. The atmosphere is in your mind! Whatever, I hope all your cuddies give you a run for your money!
Florida, if i had your quandry and compared Cheltenham to a mistress to my wife, she would have removed any choice for me as i would be in intensive care lucky to be discharged for the Darby. I wish you a speedy recovery mate, large whisky table spoon of honey a dash of lemon in a large mug top up with boiling water. Take care.
She’s known for years nothing gets in the way of the festival. She is a regular attendee at Cheltenham but doesn’t like the festival. I have trouble looking after myself let alone looking after her. My old man has been going to the festival for about forty years, unfortunately last year was his last due to old age being 85. They were built of sterner stuff in the old days.
I started attending the 'Festival' with my Mum in the mid 1980's shortly after my Dad passed away. After my first trip I thought 'Cheltenham' would be like the Oktoberfest in that I could not foresee a time I would not make the annual pilgrimages to the two greatest parties in Europe. Things however change. Despite our downsizing to what was then the Foster's Enclosure the prices became ridiculous. The mark up on all types of residences for the, then Monday to Friday, stays were becoming on the verge of robbery. Our final few years of staying in Cheltenham were spent at a great private hotel run by a beautiful couple. One September I received a call from the male partner who advised me that he had been contacted by the Tote to ask if they could make a block booking for 'their girls'. He was contacting me out of consideration to regular visitors as the Tote had offered him twice the minimal mark up he charged for the week of the Festival. I asked for a few hours to discuss the matter with my Mum and one of my friends who by that time had started to join us for our annual jaunt to the races. Let us say instead of a wee increase on £40 a night we would now have to cough up close to £100 each. We had no option but to call back, thank the guy for his kindness and tell him we would try to make alternative arrangements. The above opened three years of enjoyment and shenanigans as we found a hotel close to Shrub Hill Station in Worcester with no mark ups, great Iranian owners who kept the bar open all night and who made us very welcome. The train to Cheltenham took less than thirty minutes and return journeys went up to pretty close to 23.00. We finally gave up when my Mum found the fun'n'games a wee bit too much and entrance to the track became a joke! We did however continue to visit race tracks in and around Paris and in many cities in Germany. Two things struck me; the very low prices for entrance even for days featuring Group 1 or Grade 1 races and the reasonable cost of food and drink at the tracks in both countries. I now limit myself to one 'racing' trip a year. It is either the Grand Steeplechase de Paris in May or 'Le Week-End International de l'Obstacle' in November, both at Auteuil. Either costs me about the same for entrance that it does for the daily race card at the Festival. The standard of the racing, particularly during the November meeting, is on a par with a day at the Festival in that there are three Grade 1 races backed up by other Graded races and valuable handicaps. I f****n' love it! To close, I have discovered that there are many other brilliant 'Volkfests' in Bavaria; the 'Fruhlingsfest' in Munich plus similar events in Regensburg and Nurnberg. Times change but great memories remain!