Great Yarmouth
Date of Review: 7th October 2024
RCA Reviewer: Mr Shrewdy & The Doctor
Address: Jellicoe Rd, Great Yarmouth NR30 4AU
Website: https://www.greatyarmouth-racecourse.co.uk/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GreatYarmouthRacecourse/
X (Twitter): https://x.com/gtyarmouthraces
Phone: +44 (0) 1493 842527
Email: info@greatyarmouth-racecourse.co.uk
Hotel Accommodation: https://www.trip.com/hot/hotels-near-great-yarmouth-racecourse/
Track Layout: (Image acknowledged & credited to Timeform / At The Races)
Course Information: Great Yarmouth Racecourse is a narrow, oval-shaped, left-handed, course that is approximately one mile and five furlongs in circumference, It has tight bends and a five-furlong home straight. Apart from a slight dip at the beginning of the home straight, it is pan-flat after resurfacing in 2015. Great Yarmouth is one of the few British racecourses to be able to offer races over a straight mile. In these races, horses with a high draw are favourable, especially if there is a large number of runners.
It is generally accepted to be a fair course and one of the best galloping tracks available. Due to its flatness, stamina is not usually an issue, and the long home straight gives both the horses and jockeys every chance after taking the home turn.
A point to keep in mind at Great Yarmouth Racecourse is that it was built on a depth of soft, sandy soil, and horses that have shown form on all-weather or synthetic surfaces have a habit of running well here. It also means that during the summer months, the ground can be very firm. As the course is only around sixty miles away from Newmarket, a number of trainers often send their top juvenile horses to race here. In 1998, the famous horse Dubai Millennium won on his debut here by five lengths, being eased down when ridden by Frankie Dettori. Other famous winners at Yarmouth include Ouija Board who went on to win both the English and Irish Oaks and then the Breeders Cup in the USA, and Raven’s Pass and Wilko, who were also victorious in the Breeder’s Cup.
The racecourse holds 24 flat race meetings over the summer season, with the feature race being the Listed John Musker Fillies Stakes, which is over one mile and two furlongs, and it forms part of the three-day Eastern Festival racing card, which takes place in September each year.
The Racecourse Advisor Guide to Great Yarmouth Racecourse: Great Yarmouth Racecourse is situated just 20 miles from Norwich and one mile from the town centre in Norfolk, East Anglia. The town is commonly recognised as being the third busiest, traditional seaside town, behind only Blackpool and Brighton.
Racecourse Advisor Trivia time: Great Yarmouth has the accolade of being where the fish finger was invented in 1955. It also boasts the largest wind farm in the country, and let’s not forget, it is the only place in Britain that exports spaghetti to Italy. And if that doesn’t impress you, then how about this: it was the place where the first road speed camera was installed in Britain, and it had the first escalator in East Anglia. It’s a rock ‘n roll lifestyle in Yarmouth!
Map Location of Great Yarmouth Racecourse
Early evidence suggests that racing first took place in the area around Yarmouth in 1715 at South Dene on land that was leased to local innkeepers, the meetings timed to coincide with the local fairs. By 1810, the meetings had become much more formal. In 1904, the local council authority had taken over the ownership of the racecourse. In 1906, the lease on the land on South Dene had expired, and the grandstand was destroyed by fire. It was in 1920, after World War I, that the course moved to the North Dene.
In 2001, the majority of the shares were sold to a private company named Northern Racing, with the council becoming a minority shareholder. During this time, significant improvements were made, including the construction of a new grandstand. In 2012, the ownership of the racecourse was taken over by the Arena Racing Company, which owns the course to this day.
Course Access By Road: Unless you are a local, Great Yarmouth Racecourse is a long way from anywhere. It is located on the east coast of the UK, approximately one mile from the town centre towards Caister. However, it is poorly signed, with few, if any, signposts until you are on top of the racecourse. From the North and the Midlands, the racecourse can be reached via the A47. Turn left at the roundabout onto the A149. After one mile, and at the third set of traffic lights, turn right into Jellicoe Road. After around a quarter of a mile, turn left at the roundabout, which leads directly to the racecourse entrance. From the south, take the A11, picking up the A47 south of Norwich and the A12 via Colchester, Ipswich, and Lowestoft.
By Rail: The racecourse is around one mile from Great Yarmouth town centre and is serviced by the mainline services via Norwich, which is approximately a thirty-minute journey. It is a two-hour journey from London (Liverpool Street station). There is a taxi rank at the station, or it’s a brisk 20-minute walk.
By Air: The nearest airport to Great Yarmouth Racecourse is Norwich (NWI) Airport, which is 19.4 miles away. Other nearby airports include London Stansted (STN) (81.2 miles), London Luton (LTN) (103.9 miles), London City (LCY) (106.5 miles), and London Heathrow (LHR) (123.5 miles). Private helicopters can land in the centre of the racecourse by prior arrangement. Call the Racecourse Office at +44 (0)7747 535135. Rating: 7/10
Parking: There is plentiful free parking available at the racecourse on a large grassed area and it is a short walk to the main entrance.
Great Yarmouth Racecourse also features a caravan/touring park within its grounds with around 100 grass pitches. Further details and information on this, can be found here: https://www.caravanclub.co.uk/club-sites/england/east-anglia/norfolk/great-yarmouth-racecourse-club-campsite/ Rating: 10/10.
Pricing: We attended an afternoon meeting with an eight-race card, which had one Class 4 race, six Class 5 races, and one Class 6 race. The tickets to the grandstand, which give full access to parts of the racecourse, including the parade ring and winning post, were £22.00 on the day. If booked online in advance, they were £19.00. A group discount ticket for ten or more people booking was available at £16.00 a ticket.
However, if you wish to have access to the “Premier Enclosure,” which allows entry into additional bars and food outlets in the Lord Nelson stand, along with better viewing of the racecourse, the parade ring, and the winners' enclosure, it will cost you an additional £7.00 per person. Therefore the total price is £29.00 a ticket, which, in our opinion, is pretty expensive for a mid-week meeting with relatively low-grade racing. There are concessions of £5.00 per person for the over-60s and students.
With this being an ARC-owned course, plenty of upgrades were available as usual. The first one was a £65.00, “Shared Hospitality Package” that could be had. This includes a shared suite and table with views across the racecourse. A two-course set lunch, hospitality admission ticket, and a racecard, along with a private bar and Tote betting facilities.
For £92.50, an upgrade to the Trafalgar Restaurant was available, which gets you a hospitality admission ticket, a racecard, and a private table in the restaurant. A three-course meal is served along with tea and coffee.
The Trafalgar Restaurant – Great Yarmouth Racecourse
For £99.50 you can have a private box (minimum twelve people), with a two-course fork buffet, along with the racecard and the hospitality ticket admission. For £124.50 per person, it gets you the same private box and all of the trimmings, but with a three-course lunch instead of the buffet. If you are feeling really hungry, then the “Top Hat” hospitality option is the one for you. For £149.50 each, you get all of the above but with a cheeseboard and afternoon tea thrown in for good measure.
Overall, a good selection of tickets and hospitality options to suit all tastes and pockets, but the £29.00, Premier ticket option is an expensive one we feel. As this is an ARC Ltd. owned racecourse, payment is by card only.
Racecard: We were pleased to be given a free racecard at the admission gate, which was priced at £3.50. It was 28 pages (including the front and rear covers), which had 8 pages of adverts, one full page of fixtures, and the obligatory full page of terms & conditions that no one, and we do mean no one ever reads, which is around thirty percent of the total. The good news being that it did have a full 2-page course facilities and location map at the front. It also has the standard Timeform ratings next to the list of the runners and riders of each race, along with some brief statistics and a summary. It didn’t have a racecourse map included, but it did have a small icon showing the starting position for each race. We are glad it was free, as the price of £3.50 simply cannot be justified. Rating: 6/10.
Catering: Here at Racecourse Advisor, we enjoy doing “racecourse reviews” not restaurant reviews. Nor do we pretend to be food critics. We aim to give you an overall idea of what culinary options and prices are available at the track on race days.
Great Yarmouth Racecourse does have a decent selection of bars, the first one you will most probably visit is the Grandstand Bar. This is located on the lower floor of Grandstand One. This bar has an ‘industrial warehouse’ feel about it, with large steel RSJs in the ceiling and painted-over brickwork, all done in a mustard colour scheme and a green and white tiled floor. A large bar runs down the full length of one side, with green-coloured couches and tables all down the other.
At the end of the bar, there is a small food outlet called the Porthole, which sells pies, sandwiches, and hot drinks. We couldn’t help but notice that some investment is required to retile the floor, which in large parts is held down by gaffer and trip hazard tape, making the place look tatty. It wouldn’t take much money or effort to have this put right, so come on, ARC Ltd., get your hand in your pocket and get it sorted.
The Grandstand Bar – Great Yarmouth Racecourse
It was serving Kronenbourg and Guinness at £6.95 a pint. Carlsberg Pilsner, Hobgoblin IPA, and Somersby cider at £5.95 a pint. All sprits were £4.95 (25 ml), red, white, and rose wines at £6.20 a glass (187 ml), and a bottle of Prosecco will cost you £39.00. There were also a couple of non-alcoholic options of Carlsberg lager at £5.10 a pint and Kopparberg cider for £5.00 a pint. This being an ARC-owned course you are charged a non-refundable £0.50p supplement on your first drink for the plastic pint pot, or “ECO Cup” as they call it, which you return at the bar when you order your next drink.
The Porthole food outlet was selling steak and ale, chicken, leek and bacon, and vegetable Bombay pies for £5.50 each, with a sausage roll or a vegetarian rainbow roll for the same. A good variety of packet sandwiches for £5.50, and a cup of tea or coffee for £2.50. We did sample a couple of the steak and ale pies later in the day, and we wouldn’t do it again. They were very dry and congealed.
Our next stop was the Victory Bar on the first floor of the Lord Nelson Stand, which is situated immediately next to the Trafalgar Restaurant. This is a large, spacious area, carpeted, with high tables and a few chairs. It was serving the same drinks as the Grandstand Bar, mentioned above, at the same prices.
The Victory Bar – Great Yarmouth Racecourse
The advantage of this bar is that the outside balcony/terrace at the front overlooks the racecourse, finishing post, and parade ring to the right of it.
The Victory Bar & Trafalgar Restaurant Viewing Area – Great Yarmouth Racecourse
The good news is that drinks are allowed to be taken outside while watching the racing. The viewing from this vantage point is very good.
The other bar in the Lord Nelson grandstand is the Vice Admiral Bar and Betting Hall, which is located on the ground floor.
The Vice Admiral Bar – Great Yarmouth Racecourse
Again, it is an extensive, spacious area that has a bar running across the full length of the room. It has a tiled floor, with high tables and no chairs or seats. It was serving the same drinks and at the same prices, as the bars mentioned previously in this review. Located at the end of this bar, there is a large William Hill betting concession with numerous TV screens, which seemed to be doing a roaring trade on the day of our visit.
Located on the ground floor of Grandstand 1, next to the Premier Enclosure is another bar named the Grandstand & Paddock Bar, which once again served the same drinks as the previous bar and at the same prices.
It has to be said that the catering options at the racecourse were very limited on the day of our visit.
The Outside Catering Options – Great Yarmouth Racecourse
There was a fish & chip van and a burger van, along with a sweet shop and a couple of ice cream vans. The chippy was serving fish & chips at £11.00. Chicken nuggets and chips at £7.50, sausage and chips for £7.00, fish cake and chips for £5.50, cheese and chips for £6.00, and a portion of chips on their own for £4.00. A chip butty was £5.00, and a portion of mushy peas or curry sauce was £2.00.
The burger van was knocking out a standard beef burger for £6.00. A cheeseburger for £6.50, or a double cheeseburger for £8.50. A chicken burger was £7.00, and a chilli hotdog was £6.50. A cup of tea was £2.00, and a coffee was £2.50.
Apart from the pies and sausage rolls being sold in the stands, that was the sum total of the catering on the racecourse. The pricing was reasonable, but the selection was extremely limited, to say the least. Rating: 5/10.
Guinness Standard: Draft Guinness was available at all bars at £6.90 a pint. However, if you only have one drink, the £0.50p ECO cup charge needs to be added, bringing it up to £7.40 a pint, which in our experience is expensive, relative to many other racecourses we have visited. However, it was a half-decent pint, and at least it was served in a plastic cup and not a paper one. Rating: 7/10.
Viewing: The overall viewing experience at Great Yarmouth is, in our opinion, poor. The horses disappear behind a line of trees on the far side of the course for a considerable period during the longer races. In fact, during the one-mile, three-furlong races, which take around 2 minutes and 30 seconds, they are out of sight for 51 seconds (yes, we timed it), which is around 27% of the total race time. There is a large permanent TV screen situated in the middle of the course, which is needed.
There are three stands at Yarmouth: the Lord Nelson Stand (well, he was a local boy made good), Grandstand 1, and Grandstand 2. The Lord Nelson Stand is the most modern and is situated directly on the finishing line. It’s a large three-tier structure, with concrete terracing at the front of the first tier, however, if you are standing here, there is little or no coverage from the elements. The next level is the viewing area/balcony from the Trafalgar Restaurant and the Victory Bar, and the third tier is where the private boxes are located. Both of these levels have good coverage and shelter if required. However, there is no seating on any of the three levels.
The Viewing Enclosures – Great Yarmouth Racecourse (Left to Right: The Lord Nelson Stand. Grandstand1 & Grandstand 2)
Mobile TV Screen – Stratford Racecourse
Grandstand 1 is situated to the left of the Lord Nelson Stand and before the winning post. It is a decent size and well-covered. However, the concrete terracing/steps are all over the place. The steps are ridiculously high and of differing heights. The steps are of random sizes, somewhere between 250mm and 350mm in height (yes, we measured them). If you have any mobility issues whatsoever, then you will have a problem climbing up this stand and back down again. That said, apart from the metal roof stanchions, once you do eventually get up into the stand, the views across the racecourse are good. Once again, there is no seating anywhere in the stand.
The Oversized Steps in Grandstand 1 – Great Yarmouth Racecourse
Grandstand 2 is located further down the home straight, and it is positioned approximately 150 yards from the winning post. It is a carbon copy of Grandstand 1 in every way. Due to the horses being out of sight for a considerable period during the longer races, we have no choice but to mark the score down in this area accordingly. Rating: 5/10.
Parade Ring / Winners Enclosure: If you have read our previous reviews, you will know here at Racecourse Advisor, that we like a nice parade ring. And Great Yarmouth Racecourse does have a very nice parade ring.
The Parade Ring & Winners Enclosure – Great Yarmouth Racecourse
It is situated immediately to the right of the Lord Nelson Stand. It is oval-shaped, and a decent size, turfed in the centre. The winner’s enclosure is incorporated in the centre, towards the left. It is accessible for around 90% of its perimeter. Only a small area is blocked off, next to the saddling enclosures, which are positioned at the opposite far end, close to the owners and trainer's bar. There are no raised viewing areas; however, this isn’t a problem, due to its large size, there is plenty of access where you can get a good close-up view of the horses. Rating: 9/10.
Bookmakers / Betting Facilities: The main area for the on-course bookmakers is a very large concourse/apron in between the grandstand and the racecourse itself. On the day of our visit, there were around 18 or so pitches here and another half-dozen or so located in the Premier enclosure.
The Bookmakers & William Hill Betting Concession – Great Yarmouth
There is also a large William Hill concession located in the Vice Admiral bar on the ground floor of the Lord Nelson Stand. There are also numerous Tote facilities dotted all over the racecourse, which makes placing a bet and picking up your winnings very easy. around the course. Rating: 9/10.
Friendliness of Course Staff: All of the course staff we encountered during our visit were chatty, friendly, and helpful. The racecourse does have a very friendly vibe about it. Rating: 10/10.
Pros & Cons: We found Great Yarmouth Racecourse to be very welcoming. Excellent free parking, a very nice parade ring, plenty of bookmakers, and great staff.
The cons are that the racecourse is a long way from anywhere. The overall pricing, for the quality of racing offered, we feel is expensive. The racecard is nothing to write home about at £3.50. There are plenty of bars to get a drink, but the catering/food outlets are limited, to say the least. The overall viewing experience for the longer races is poor. The steps or terracing in grandstands 1 and 2 is a bit of a head-scratcher, and we simply cannot fathom why they would be built that way in the first place.
As always, we ask ourselves the big question: would we return? The answer is no. It was an enjoyable day of racing, but overall, for us, the cons outweigh the pros. Rating: 4/10
VIP Watch: No VIPs were present on the day of our visit.
Wi-Fi / Internet Connection: No problem whatsoever connecting to the Internet via the Racecourse App.
Overall Racecourse Advisor Rating: 7.2/10
The full day's racing results can be found here: https://www.sportinglife.com/racing/meeting/2024-10-07/yarmouth/107636
Facilities & location layout of Great Yarmouth Racecourse: (image acknowledged & credited to ARC Ltd.)
Aerial View of Great Yarmouth Racecourse: (image acknowledged & credited to Google Earth)
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