Our man Scott McDermott is one of many who have been put off by rising costs of attending the Greatest Show on Turf and swapped the Cotswolds for Costa Blanca.
But even at 358 days’ notice – it’s now too late. And punters like myself might never be back. It’s heartbreaking to admit it. But the allure of attending The Festival in person has gone. Forget flights to Bristol. For us, it was a trip to Benidorm this time. And who could blame us?
A squad of us rented a house in the town and effectively made the nearest boozer our base camp. It was carnage. Memories were made and everywhere you went, the atmosphere was electric. That roar on the first day as the horses lined up for the Supreme was unforgettable. Wow. But you go back the following year expecting it to be the same. And it never is.
A few festivals ago, we tried Bristol as our base. The flights and digs were cheaper - even if it meant a one-hour journey to the course every day. We thought we’d cracked it but even that’s been ripped away now. One mate of mine refused to go this year as hotel rates rocketed to £200 a night. Before, I once paid £7.50 for a sausage roll at one of the on-course food stalls. This time, we were eating a 7euro Belly Buster breakfast at the Yorkshire Pride pub, a short stroll from the Marina.
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