British Travel Journal | Spring 2020
Eco-friendly tourism is at the top of our 2020 travel agenda. We have introduced a new Sustainable Travel series, kicking off this issue with ideas for Environmental Volunteering, in an eco-conscious quest of our own, we have discovered a supplier of recyclable paper wraps for sending our magazines in the mail. Next issue we will be featuring the UK’s finest eco-friendly holiday homes so, if you know of any hidden gems you are happy to share, please get in touch. Back to this issue - our 10 of The Best Charity Challenges, are sure to inspire. From cycling across Britain to skydiving from 15,000 feet, you can raise some vital charity donations while pushing yourself to your limits. The World Pilot Gig Championships is a seaside spectacle like no other on The Isles of Scilly this May, and we go Behind-the-Scenes ahead of The Cheltenham Festival, this March. Other destinations we uncover this season include the beautiful Lake District, spending a wonderful 48 Hours in St Mawes and the Roseland, an adventure packed weekend on The Isle of Man, and, arguably with the best views in London, our In the Capital series this season takes us to discover the highlights of leafy Greenwich. As always I hope this issue helps to inspire your travel experiences, and the spring season brings you many magical moments spent savouring the glorious British Isles - wherever you choose to visit.
Eco-friendly tourism is at the top of our 2020 travel agenda. We have introduced a new Sustainable Travel series, kicking off this issue with ideas for Environmental Volunteering, in an eco-conscious quest of our own, we have discovered a supplier of recyclable paper wraps for sending our magazines in the mail. Next issue we will be featuring the UK’s finest eco-friendly holiday homes so, if you know of any hidden gems you are happy to share, please get in touch. Back to this issue - our 10 of The Best Charity Challenges, are sure to inspire. From cycling across Britain to skydiving from 15,000 feet, you can raise some vital charity donations while pushing yourself to your limits. The World Pilot Gig Championships is a seaside spectacle like no other on The Isles of Scilly this May, and we go Behind-the-Scenes ahead of The Cheltenham Festival, this March. Other destinations we uncover this season include the beautiful Lake District, spending a wonderful 48 Hours in St Mawes and the Roseland, an adventure packed weekend on The Isle of Man, and, arguably with the best views in London, our In the Capital series this season takes us to discover the highlights of leafy Greenwich. As always I hope this issue helps to inspire your travel experiences, and the spring season brings you many magical moments spent savouring the glorious British Isles - wherever you choose to visit.
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SIZING IT UP<br />
THE FESTIVAL IN<br />
FIGURES<br />
> £4.5m - the record amount of prize money on<br />
offer at The Festival<br />
> 21,120 ft – the distance run during the National<br />
Hunt Chase, The Festival’s longest race<br />
> 12,320 – yards of running rails surrounding the track<br />
> 5,000 – bundles of birch used in jumps every season<br />
> 22 – fences jumped during the Magners<br />
Cheltenham Gold Cup<br />
> 24 – the number of times an Irish-trained horse<br />
has won the Magners Cheltenham Gold Cup<br />
> 266,779 - people attending in 2019<br />
> 134,600 – people using Cheltenham Spa train<br />
station over the four days of racing<br />
> 45,000 – afternoon teas served<br />
> 8,000 - gallons of tea and coffee served<br />
> 9 – tons of potatoes consumed<br />
> 5 - tons of smoked and fresh salmon consumed<br />
> 5,936 – staff employed over The Festival,<br />
including 350 chefs<br />
DRESS CODE<br />
There is no particular dress code at Cheltenham,<br />
but you can expect to see plenty of tweed, as well<br />
as people wrapped up in chic coats and striking<br />
hats against the - often bracing - early <strong>Spring</strong><br />
weather.<br />
GOOD TO KNOW<br />
KEY MOMENTS IN<br />
HISTORY<br />
> 1934 – Golden Miller became the first<br />
horse to win both the Cheltenham Gold<br />
Cup and the Grand National in a single<br />
season.<br />
> 2001 – the only year (besides the<br />
periods during the two World Wars)<br />
that The Festival has been cancelled<br />
(due to foot and mouth disease)<br />
> 2009 – jockey Ruby Walsh rode a<br />
record-breaking seven winners over the<br />
four days<br />
> 2009- 2014 Quevega achieved the<br />
most consecutive victories by a horse in<br />
any Cheltenham Festival race<br />
> 2010 - Ruby Walsh rode Sanctuaire<br />
to victory in the Fred Winter Juvenile<br />
Novices Handicap Hurdle and became<br />
the jockey with the most wins in the<br />
history of the Cheltenham festival<br />
> 2016 - Ruby Walsh equalled his<br />
2009 record<br />
> 2019 - Bryony Frost became the first<br />
female jockey to win a Grade One over<br />
fences at The Festival in 2019, when<br />
she and her “best friend” Frodon, won<br />
the Ryanair Chase<br />
OUT AND ABOUT<br />
If you’re staying overnight during the Festival you can’t beat<br />
No. 131 for accommodation – a grand Georgian lodge in<br />
the centre of Cheltenham, it has 11 beautiful rooms with<br />
vast beds and roll-top baths. Downstairs the restaurant<br />
and bar serve creative <strong>British</strong> food and excellent cocktails,<br />
while on Thursday and Friday nights there are DJs in the<br />
bar until 3am. Slightly out of town, the 16th Century The<br />
Frogmill Hotel is nestled in the Cotswold countryside close<br />
to the racecourse and features beautifully styled rooms, with<br />
Feather and Black beds, statement wallpaper, and premium<br />
fabrics. Packages are available with the racecourse, which<br />
include helicopter and Bentley transfers, and luxury dining<br />
options while at the races. Dining in Cheltenham is also<br />
fantastic - The Ivy providing a bit of big city glamour, while<br />
Le Champion Sauvage and Purslane both make for a<br />
decadent end to your day. u<br />
<strong>British</strong><strong>Travel</strong><strong>Journal</strong>.com 63
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