The Cheltenham Festival in March is the highlight of the jump-racing calendar, four days of roaring crowds, Guinness and the Gold Cup. From Buckinghamshire it is a proper trip, around 90 minutes up the M40, and race-week traffic around the course is heavy. Here is how to do it in style.
- Cheltenham is around 90 minutes from Gerrards Cross via the M40 and A40.
- The Festival runs over four days in March, with the Gold Cup on the final day.
- Race-week congestion and a long day of hospitality make a chauffeur the comfortable choice.
How far is Cheltenham from Buckinghamshire?
Cheltenham racecourse is around 90 minutes from Gerrards Cross via the M40 and A40, a clean motorway run for most of the way. The pinch point is the approach to the course during Festival week, when tens of thousands of racegoers arrive in the same window.
When is the Cheltenham Festival?
The Festival is held over four days in March each year, building to Gold Cup day on the Friday. Confirm the exact dates for the year you are attending and book travel and hospitality well in advance, as race week is one of the busiest in British racing.
Why be driven to Cheltenham?
A Festival day is long, lively and fuelled by hospitality, not a day to drive home from afterwards. A chauffeur means everyone enjoys the racing and the bars, you travel up together, and you are collected at an agreed time rather than sitting in the notorious post-racing car-park queues.
Is it worth it for a group?
Cheltenham is a classic group day out, and travelling together by car is the easiest way to do it. No designated driver, no parking scramble, and a comfortable ride home after a big day. Browse our executive cars for the occasion.
Race week from Buckinghamshire, done properly
Cheltenham in March is a pilgrimage for racing fans, and from Buckinghamshire it is a proper day out that deserves to be done well. The M40 run is straightforward; the chaos is all at the course, where tens of thousands arrive and leave in tight windows.
Travelling up together by car, with a chauffeur to handle the approach and the notorious post-racing exit, means the group can commit fully to the day, the Guinness and the Gold Cup, without anyone watching the clock or drawing the short straw on driving.