Badminton horse trials

[roadrunnersfast]

Have never been to Badminton horse trials and looking at going to the cross country on Saturday or snow jumping on Sunday. Can’t decide which - any recommendations? Also how far away is the paid parking? I’ve read it’s miles away!

Cross country day is great. It will be busy but is an excellent day out. I prefer it to the Sunday as there’s more going on. Walking the course is good fun but it is a long way so if you are not a walker you might prefer the showjumping . Parking has always been fine for me. It’s a bit of a walk but if you arrive early and take breakfast it’s possible to get quite close. My advice is to take at least some of your own food and drinks. Like most events the catering , coffees and drinks is pretty pricy.

I’ve never been to Badminton but have been to Burleigh and Blenheim.

XC is a much better day than show jumping - much more fun!

Buy a parking ticket and take a picnic with you. Folding chairs are also handy. It’s great to walk stopping the course and move from jump to jump.

The cross country is breathtaking

Cross country day is great. We generally would aim to get there early enough for food and shopping before the horses start, then walk the course. Agree that taking a folding chair or picnic blanket can be helpful to let you rest your legs. Not sure if it's still true, but you certainly used to be able to go to the secretary's tent and pick up a copy of the running order and start times, which is helpful.

Parking is not "miles away", but there are thousands of cars in the same place so if you get there later in the day you'll have to walk further. Parking elsewhere and walking in will be difficult and take forever, so just pay up and park on site. The whole site is huge, so wear a raincoat and comfortable shoes for walking and expect mud if there's been any rain in the previous couple of weeks.

The food hall is always brilliant, might be worth bringing an insulated box and ice blocks in the car if you've got a long drive home - you can find some really tasty cheese, pies, and all sorts of other delicious things.

Cross country day, all day long! I go to both Badminton and Burghley most years and it’s fabulous . Get there early and it’s not too bad to park, but bear in mind pack fairly lightly with what you take round , because you’ll probably be bringing much more back ( or maybe that’s me ) Lightweight coats , decent walking footwear, plenty to drink because that’s expensive to buy, ditto some food at least. I tend to take snacks and then stop for dinner on the way home. If you do buy stuff , I use the shop & drop so I don’t carry round all day . And I save up 😁

Now v packed. Maybe look at young horses day. Think is on the Wednesday

Thanks all it sounds amazing! We’ve booked the cross country on Saturday with parking. Taken onboard all your comments, can’t wait!

Love Badminton, we go for XC day every year. Try and get to the arena for the shetland pony grand national, so funny!

Make sure you get there early or you will spend ages queuing to get in. Think thousands of extra cars on rural roads. I've only been to Badminton once as it's a long way for me but I do Burghley every year and the same principle applies.

I would definitely buy one if the badminton radio headsets when you get there to listen to the commentary as you walk around. It’s really interesting and you can keep track of what’s going on on the course.

Great tips thanks! What time do mean by early ?

Cross country normally kicks off at 11am, I’d aim to be getting there for 8.30 so you have time to do the shopping village beforehand or could walk the XC before the crowds build up. You can queue for hours though unfortunately as the lanes are tiny and queues build very quickly. Depending on where you stay nearby or if you’re driving there then you need to leave plenty of time. You’ll want to be on https://www.eventingscores.co.uk/

to follow riders / times / scores in live time

What @ticktock19 says. Traffic queues build up really quickly. We got there about 8.15 and sailed through to by 9 you could see a really long queue.

I usually aim to be in by 8.45 at the latest , so that I can have a decent mooch round before it gets really busy . Also not much queuing then for the parking

Exactly this

Thanks everyone that’s really helpful really can’t wait!