Bath to Newmarket …..Gallops, Stud Tour & Onwards to London

UK 2017.....Walking The Lady Anne Way and Touring Cities & Sights, United Kingdom 2024, 2017

September 13, 2017

The morning dawned sunny and cold, enjoyed our breakfast and chatted with our host, then marched down the hill to the train station crossing the Avon River for the last time:

Arrived in Newmarket on schedule and by 14:30 were ensconced in our B&B…..quick turnover and out the door we go to check out the town and preview where we can look at the gallops tomorrow morning…..

…..of course the heavens opened up and we took refuge in a teahouse….you know our story by now >>> tea + scones with jam and clotted cream aka heartstoppers. Watched a bunch of ladies enjoying their afternoon tea service…

Back at the B&B, relax and blog, then dinner so back to the town center….for a change of pace we have decided on the Under the Eagle > a Polish restaurant…..excellent bygos (hunter stew) and potato pancakes and beef stew for Annie….got a chance to practise my Polish….

September 14th

Good night’s rest and at 6:00 we get up, dress and head out the door to see the gallops (weather forecast looks good) ….Newmarket is well-known to the world horsey set and is home to several world-class races and Tattersals, the world’s leading bloodstock auctioneer and of course home to several thousand racehorses in training. Each morning these horses are taken out to work their way up two uphill canters…..pretty impressive set-up…

Of course it rained a bit on us and then back to the B&B for breakfast, pack-up and taxi to the National Stud: The National Stud opened its gates to the public for the first time in the mid 1970s. To this day, it remains the only commercial stud farm in the UK allowing individuals, small groups and large parties the chance to see behind the scenes of a working thoroughbred stud farm….a pleasant low-key tour featuring novices and several folks who were owners of thoroughbreds themselves. Below each stallion has his own “room”…

Toronados “room” and his lineage >>> to be considered a thoroughbred the horse must be able to be traced back to one of three other horses imported to England: the Byerly Turk (imported in 1689), the Darley Arabian (after 1700), and the Godolphin Barb (about 1730).

Of course a stud farm is really a baby producing enterprise and these guys are pampered in order to “cover “as many mares as possible…below the “covering room” and certain implements needed for both the horses and the people attending the event, the tack room …..each such event can cost the mare owner between 4,500 STG up to a sum only to be determined between buyer and seller for the most valuable stallions. And eventually a cemetery for some of the more famous horses…

…finally some of the foals in attendance (these were about 6 months old)…

Then taxi back, pick-up luggage and race to the train station…everything worked like clockwork, smooth transfer in Cambridge, and we found ourselves in London, well ahead of schedule…..no rush hour and no jet lag makes everything so much easier…..check into our hotel > 75 yards from Westminster Abbey > awesome location and a great hotel: Hub by Premier Inn 64 STG (106 CAD) per night, ultimate hi-tech check-in, with cool room controls, excellent wi-fi, decent TV with movies etc…..staff with great attitude…moosie loved it…