The Cheltenham Festival

Living here in Cheltenham, Race Week is a very big deal. Traffic is crazy, taxis are impossible to find, hotels and restaurants are fully booked and the mood is festive. There are four days of races (always around St Patrick's Day) that draw large crowds from around Ireland and the UK. Last year Wayne went to Gold Cup Day with some friends and had a great time so this year I decided to get it on the action. My college roomate, Jen, was visiting and we coordinated with some other lovely ladies to meet up, don our best British hats (yes, they really do that here!) and converge on Ladies Day for some betting and fun!

We met up for some champagne and a photo before the races!

Posing with our hats

Our favourite millinery

Colleen and Lori are ready for the races!

Nicole and Neda and their new hats!

All smiles!

Then it was off via the bus to the races! We were very lucky that despite the very cold temperatures, it wasn't very windy and was sunny. We were all prepared in 246 layers of clothes so the cold temperatures were not a problem. 

Group shot! (Apparently I was struggling to see over my hat!)

Sunny skies

Lori was a big winner with her pick for Lord Windermere!

We were in the Tattersalls Enclosure

Smiling in the stands

Yay for ladies day!

After the races, we walked into town for a yummy dinner and delicious drinks. Now that's what I call Ladies Day! Who wants to visit next March and join the fun? Even Zara Phillips (the Queen's granddaughter) joined in on the Ladies Day fun! And Prince William and Kate stopped by for the Gold Cup Race! Maybe next year we'll get a glimpse of Baby Royalty.