Aintree offers a variety of reasons to visit: horse racing at the Racecourse, motorsport history at the Grand Prix Circuit and golf at Aintree Golf Centre. This mix offers different ways to plan a stay. If you are visiting for a specific event, keep its date and your journey in mind; if you want to play golf, there is a separate way to plan your visit.
Getting to Aintree Racecourse
Aintree Station is opposite Aintree Racecourse. It is less than a five-minute walk from the station to the racecourse. Merseyrail trains run every 15 minutes between Liverpool Central and Aintree Station. Check the current timetable and local conditions for the walk before travelling. The short connection between the station and the Racecourse can make getting to a race day straightforward, while the timetable helps with planning your schedule.
Horse Racing and the Festival
Aintree Racecourse hosts competitive horse racing in a green setting. The Randox Grand National is considered a national institution and attracts a worldwide audience. Randox Ladies Day includes the Style Awards, which celebrate racing, style and fashion. The event therefore combines the sporting setting with a particular focus on style and fashion.
The Festival Zone offers access to spectator viewing areas at the Parade Ring and Winners’ Enclosure. If these areas are important to your visit, check the access information in advance: details may change. This helps distinguish the different aspects of the festival—the racing, the Style Awards on Ladies Day, and views of the Parade Ring and Winners’ Enclosure.
Motorsport History in Aintree
The Aintree Grand Prix Circuit is three miles long and was opened in 1954 by Earl Howe and Raymond Mays. It remains Britain’s only purpose-built Grand Prix race circuit. Aintree hosted the British Grand Prix in 1955, 1957, 1959, 1961 and 1962. These historical facts give the Circuit a different focus from the horse racing at the Racecourse: here, the history of Grand Prix motorsport takes centre stage.
Golf at Aintree Golf Centre
Aintree Golf Centre’s 9-hole course measures 3,287 yards from the white tees and is one of the longest of its kind in the United Kingdom. You can play across Becher’s Brook and a replica of a Grand National fence on the course. The Grand National reference connects a distinctive course feature with Aintree’s racing theme, without making it the same kind of visit.
Golfers can play the course once over nine holes or twice over 18 holes. This offers two different ways to play on the same course. If you are planning the length of your stay, this is a practical difference: you can choose one nine-hole round or two rounds. The tees, course length and playing options mentioned here describe the golf course; they do not imply any other offerings.
Other Race Days
The Aintree Motorcycle Racing Club also holds race events at Aintree Racing Circuit: the club holds four per year, although individual dates may change. Admission for these race days is purchased at the entrance; this information may also change. So check both the event date and entry information before travelling. This helps distinguish a visit to the club from horse racing at the Racecourse and from an interest in the history of the Grand Prix Circuit.
Three distinct interests stand out when choosing a stay: horse racing and the festival, Grand Prix history, and golf. Checking the timetable is relevant for travelling by train; if you are planning to attend a race day, you should also check the specific dates and relevant access information.
Discover more destinations: Prescot, Birkenhead, West Kirby, Huyton, Billinge, Wirral, St Helens, Rainhill.
Return to the regional travel overview: Merseyside.
