Sports & Leisure
Sports & Leisure
Polo, cricket, horse racing, golf, tennis, rowing… we’re a nation obsessed with sport.
Every year England hosts world-class sporting events, from tennis and golf to sailing and horse racing, just as it has for centuries. We’ve also hosted the summer Olympics no fewer than three times.
So it’s little wonder that much of our leisure time, as well as our social calendar, is dominated by sport. Strawberries and cream feature rather a lot too…
The pinnacle of England’s flat racing season is Glorious Goodwood, held on the Goodwood Estate, home to the Dukes of Richmond for more than 300 years – the races date back to 1802. King Edward VII used to call it “a garden party with racing tacked on”. HM The Queen has been a regular visitor too – the Earl of March, son of the current 10th Duke, remembers her visits fondly: “Waiting for the great noise of the helicopter rotors, which signified the royal arrival… the feeling of anticipation was exhilarating.” Today Glorious Goodwood is renowned not just for its glamour but also for its first-class racing, on one of the most beautiful racecourses in the world.
Our younger royals love Polo and the Polo calendar offers another hugely enjoyable social event: the Cartier International Day, held at the Guards Polo Club in Windsor Great Park. Play is world class and, come half-time, everyone swarms across the Polo field to join in the age-old tradition of ‘treading in the divots’. Access to members’ areas is by invitation only, unless you’re staying at nearby Coworth Park, The Dorchester’s glamorous Ascot cousin, and the only hotel in the country to offer guests social membership of the Guards Club. The Guards Polo Academy at Coworth Park also offers the chance to learn to play. Former captain and manager of England’s national Polo team Andrew Hine gives group and private lessons and can arrange bespoke Polo experiences.
Everyone knows that we are a nation obsessed with cricket and at the heart of it all is the MCC, the world’s most active cricket club and the owner of the Lord’s Cricket Ground. The best seats for test matches and the finest hospitality is reserved for members and their guests (the membership waiting list is up to 18 years) but Quintessentially Travel can organise a tour of the ground and a net session with one of the players before the test starts, platinum level hospitality and dressing room access after the game. A cricket lover’s dream come true.
Shooting is another of our favourite pastimes and many of the great estates welcome guests for the day. Badminton, the Gloucestershire seat of the Duke of Beaufort, arranges private pheasant shoots, while the Wyvill family at Constable Burton Hall in North Yorkshire offer shooting on the grouse moors.
One outstanding event that doesn’t involve sport of any description is the Chelsea Flower Show. The highlight of the five-day show is the Charity Gala Preview, which is when everyone wanders the gardens, glass of champagne in hand, enjoying, as Sue Biggs, director general of the RHS, puts it, “the world’s finest horticulture in the most beautiful setting while networking with other guests.” Not even the odd spot of rain can put a dampener on this glittering evening.
