[staceyk]

Hi,

After watching footage from this year's burghley I'm one step closer to trying to attend next year. For those of you who have gone, what advice do you have? How far in advance do you ned to plan? Places to stay, things to do and avoid doing? Thanks in advance for any insights!

Stacey

[brianhr]

Find a place now and make reservations now that is the best advice I can give anyone that is going. Do not wait.

[Clear Blue]

Watch the website for when the tickets go on sale - and get them right away. The show jumping always sells out pretty early - and no fun to be in the uncovered section when it is raining (ask me how I know ).

I really enjoyed the headset for the dressage days - so think about that.

If you can stay in Stamford - I think you can walk to the grounds. We stayed in Peterborough and shared taxis. It was fun to meet people this way - but the taxi service was not very good - they were constantly getting lost and did not know where the Burghley castle was.....

Plan to have an amazing time!!!

[retreadeventer]

Oh lets plan to go ... would like to plan with others!

[bornfreenowexpensive]

Still here. Touring London now. I visited Windsor Castle when we arrived and now doing more touristy things!

Stayed in Peterborough at the Marriott and it was fine. I rented a car and driving here isn't too hard at all. Roads are just a bit narrow and some of the round abouts are a PITA but very doable. Hotel was pretty Close (about 10-15 min drive) but I would still leave early to get there each day.

Get the Member's package. I found it worth it for the parking, toilets, and just having a place to sit sometimes. Get there early and get your orders of go early before the lines come. Get your tickets early as unlike in the states, they do sell out fast.

It's a ton of fun and beautiful event. I will come back!

[Janet]

Last year I stayed in Peterborough and rented a car (I picked up the car in Peterborogh, having arrived there by train).

Having your own car gives you a place to leave your raincoat, and other extra clothes, so you don't have to cart them around with you.

Coming in from Peterborough (via Barnack) enables you to avoid the worst of the traffic, and using the entrance off Barnack Drift avoids the queue, both getting in and getting out.

[Janet]

Still here. Touring London now. I visited Windsor Castle when we arrived and now doing more touristy things!

If you have the chance, attend a performance at the Globe.

[staceyk]

About when do tix go on sale? Is there a list of recommended hotels on the Burghley site?

Thanks!

[Janet]

The box office usually opens in early May.

I found my hotel through booking.com

[tlw]

Got home late last night after a great trip.

Agree about getting reserved seats for show jumping. My advice on that is to get them in the North stands in section D, somewhere between row F and M, seats between 30 and 50. Any lower than row F and there is a rail that can be in the line of sight. Also, the near jump standards may obstruct your view of the far jumps since you'll be sitting so low. I got our seats on the top row (M) so I could stand and take pictures and ease my aching back. That worked beautifully.

You can try the George Hotel but it is probably already sold out. We stayed there for three days before Burghley started and loved the place. Very old school and very British. Then we moved to the William Cecil. It is VERY expensive but has direct access to Burghley Park (i.e., you walk through a gate in the garden and you and on the grounds). They provided a golf cart shuttle to the trade fair every day so there was no need to walk or rent a car if you didn't want to. The hotel was interesting (check out its web site) and we thoroughly enjoyed our stay. It has a sister hotel, the Bull & Swan, down the street but still within walking distance of the show grounds. It only has 7 rooms and lacks most of the common areas we expect in a modern hotel but it is full of history and the food was great (again, see its web site).

The trade fair was huge and slightly different than Rolex. There were many more food stands and many more local shops selling country wares, goods and food stuffs (i.e., boxing hares, tea towels, home furnishings, wonderful cheeses, meats, etc.). The tack shops were not really different and there seemed to be more country clothes types of shops, which was great for an old Anglophile like me. Strangely, we did not see any of the saddle companies (i.e., Devoucoux, CMD, etc.) or boot companies there. Not sure why not.

The Members tent is a good idea in case it rains and it also gives you access to covered seating for both days of dressage, which was a good thing on day one this year.

We found it interesting that the crowd typically moves along on the x-country course - that is to say that even though the crowd may be 6 or 7 deep at a given jump, if you are willing to wait for a rider or two you can easily move up to the front for a rider or two. Everyone was very polite about the whole crowd thing. It's not always like that at Rolex where (in my 20 yer experience) it seems to take longer to get right up to the galloping lane at the approach to the "best" jumps. One thing we found not as good as Rolex is that, for the most part, you can only see one jump at a time so you really do have to move along to see the whole course. At Rolex, there are many places where you can stand and see multiple jumps. That said, it is not really a big deal, just different.

One of the very best things about the whole trip was seeing all the little dogs. I mean, is there a law in England that says that 2 out of every 3 people entering the show grounds must have at least one scruffy (read that as very cute) terrier on a long lead? And, those folks keep their dogs on their leads unlike we do at our shows. I know that every once in a while one of those little fellas gets lose and chases a horse but considering how many of the little critters there are there I'm amazed at how well mannered everyone is about the whole thing (including picking up poo, which could be a real problem if not done).

We got up early and drove to Newmarket (about an hour away due to bank holiday traffic going back to London) to watch the gallops. It was fun but not sure it was worth all the trouble to rent a car, hassle with the traffic, etc. The National Racing Museum cannot hold a candle to the Horse Park and Newmarket itself was not really an interesting town (not being negative here but we went with mental images created by reading many Dick Francis books over the years and, sadly, wished we hadn't spoiled them by seeing the real thing). I wouldn't let our experience stop you from going, just don't set your expectations too high.

One of the real highlights was meeting Allison, Sinead and their families in the hotel one night. We wished them good luck and when Allison figured out we were American invited us to sit with them during their dinner. We found them to be energetic, committed, focused, approachable and simply darned nice people (their parents were as well). What a way to start the trip. The personal connection (however fleeting) really heightened our sense of excitement.

One last thing, and I'm not one to stir things up, but it was really interesting that we were asked so many times over the course of the week-end by Brits who figured out we were American why these American riders (particularly Sinead and Allison) were not on our Olympic team. We felt kind of silly not being able to give them an answer other than "we don't know, they should have been." The crowd around us on show jumping day was overwhelmingly rooting for Sinead to win and many seemed truly disappointed for her that she didn't. They are so knowledgeable and understand how difficult it is to win Burghley and to get so close. . . . On the other hand, we heard lots of comments about how those two American girls will be back and the others had better watch out.

We rooted for and are very proud of all our American riders and the trip was well worth the time and expense. You can never start planning too early.

[kerilli]

If anyone wants help arranging things for next year, I'm an ex-pat American and live about an hour away from Burghley, and go every day, every year.
Good advice above - buy Members' tickets, and arena tickets for Sat if you want, and definitely for Sunday. (On Thurs and Fri Member Tickets get you into the Grandstands into pretty decent seats).
Stamford is a lovely town, definitely a good idea to stay there if you can.

[staceyk]

My husband and I would like to go and I'm contacting hotels now. We aren't rich but would like to be able to walk to and from Burghley, or at most to do a short drive. That said, we are not crowd-lovers generally and would like to stay away from the busiest places.

Of course we'll want to spend a little time before and/or after the trials, ideas on what to see would be wonderful. We love walking, nature, history, and we have never travelled internationally. It'll all be good!

[ACMEeventing]

I've decided that in 4 yrs when I hit the big 5-0 my birthday gift to myself is to see the 'Big 3' - Rolex, Badminton, Burghley. Okay and maybe add Luh or Pau. All in the same year.

So anyone interested in an around the world in 4 stars for 2016, Game On!

[staceyk]

My husband and I would like to go and I'm contacting hotels now. We aren't rich but would like to be able to walk to and from Burghley, or at most to do a short drive.

Never having travelled internationally, what's the best air travel arrangement? Where does one fly into?

SEK

[clm08]

Fly into Heathrow and take the train to Peterborough or Stamford. Trains take you everywhere in England (and Europe).

[Janet]

I agree with taking the train.

There are LOTS of trains to Peterborough (it is a main line station). Not so may to Stamford, and you will probably have to change at Peterborogh. Might make more sense to take a taxi (or pick up your rental car) in Peterborough.

[FairWeather]

My husband and I would like to go and I'm contacting hotels now. We aren't rich but would like to be able to walk to and from Burghley, or at most to do a short drive. That said, we are not crowd-lovers generally and would like to stay away from the busiest places.

Of course we'll want to spend a little time before and/or after the trials, ideas on what to see would be wonderful. We love walking, nature, history, and we have never travelled internationally. It'll all be good!

Walking puts you in Stamford, but still a decent walk--a mile perhaps? Definitely have to book right away, after three years of going I've never found anything in Stamford even looking 6 months out.
My first visit was a bit of a shock to my system when I stayed in hotels in the UK. Definitely *different* than what we are used to here
Crowds, well, XC day you'll never see anything like it in the states. Granted this year was record-breaking crowds, it was unlike anything I'd ever seen, and I was inside the galloping lanes for the most part, but for people with true problems with crowds I would advise to stay home.
Last year the crowd seemed to move like water--constantly flowing along the galloping lanes. This year people were more parked out and camping with picnics

[staceyk]

Hi,

I can try booking.com -- anyone have hotel recommendations that are likely to have rooms (if I book now?). Thanks!

[Janet]

In 2011 I did not start looking until mid July. The pickings in Stamford were pretty slim, but there were still plenty (22 hotels IIRC) of options in Peterborough.

I was going by myself, and trying to spend as little as possible. I ended up staying at Arman Lodge House on the North end of Peterborough. It was sort of a cross between a B&B and a small hotel (two semi-detacheds converted to a hotel in a residential neighborhood), run by an Indian famly. The room was small and plain, but comfortable, with Internet access, and cold (cereal, toast, etc. ) breakfast.

Some other COTHers stayed at The Bull, a traditional British hotel, in downtown Peterborough, and liked it (but considerably more expensive).

This summer my husband and I were visiting relatives in Stamford, and stayed at the Exeter Arms (a pub/restauraut with 6 rooms), and enjoyed that. I wouldn't recommend it for Burghley, though, because it is west of the A1, and getting across the A1 can be quite a bottleneck.

The same people do run two placed east of the A1, the Crown Hotel in Stamford, and the White Hart in Ufford. 5 miles west of Stamford.

Decide which ameneties are important to you when you do your search. For me it was Internet access. Unless it specifically says so, don't assume air conditioning.

[FairWeather]

Did not like The Bull, particularly for the money. When I finally complained about the battleground of hookers throwing beer bottles all night, it got a little better.
Park Inn was much, much nicer for less money.