Short Breaks At Glorious Goodwood Horseracing Festival

For the perfect short break, visit the GoodwoodFrom May to September the Goodwood horse
Estate in the heart of the South Downs Nationalracing course sparks into life for the flat season.
Park, Sussex. From cars to spas, there'sTens of thousands of visitors flock to Glorious
something for everything on this historic estate.Goodwood but a full calendar of meetings gives
It's one of a multitude of things to do and seeyou the chance to tie your visit to an exciting day
during a visit to the Goodwood estate in theat the races.
heart of the South Downs National Park inAnother major event is the Festival of Speed,
Sussex. With the Goodwood Hotel providing awhere cars and star drivers past and present
luxurious base from which to explore, we found itcome together for the great Hillclimb race. There
a fine destination for a weekend break with theis a rally stage, amusement park and exhibitions
attractions of Chichester close by, such as theof everything from 19th-century steam carriages
impressive Norman cathedral, the Festival Theatreto Formula 1 cars and dragsters. You might even
and the modern art of the Pallant House Gallery.get to rub shoulders with Lewis Hamilton or
The Goodwood Aerodrome by the track joins inJenson Button.
the nostalgia with displays of historic aircraft fromNew this year will be Vintage, a celebration of five
its own colourful history as an RAF base duringdecades of British cool from fashion and food to
the Second World War.music and culture from the Forties to Eighties.
An impressive art collection includes threeThere will be bands, exhibitions, period clothes and
enormous Stubbs, several van Dycks and twoeven "glamping".
marvellous 18th-century Canalettos painted fromThese innovative events make Goodwood a
Richmond House overlooking the Thames andspecial place to visit. There are no dusty old
Whitehall in London.exhibitions or fusty tours. Heart and soul are put
Everywhere you go on the Goodwood Estateinto arranging every activity.
there are staff eager to impart fascinatingThere is such an infectious energy here, I'm
nuggets of history, whether it's about Edward VIIdetermined to return for all the things I didn't
staying at the house with his wife and mistresshave time to do. I might even get to meet the
Alice Keppel or the pilots who flew over enemyreal supercar drivers to give them the benefit of
lines to drop a new pair of prosthetic legs intomy newly-acquired track.
Bader's PoW camp.