Summer sun, incredible racing and gorgeous fashion – Goodwood was truly glorious on Ladies’ Day 2015! The grounds are absolutely fabulous, and the beautiful weather definitely helped. At Goodwood there are three enclosures – Lennox, Gordon and Richmond, and we spent most of our time in the gorgeous Richmond enclosure.

I wore a green patterned dress from Jigsaw, Whiteley swirl hat in cappuccino, Givenchy sunglasses, Stuart Weitzman / Russell & Bromley Minx wedges in camel, and my L.K. Bennett Natalie clutch. A very Duchess inspired wardrobe!

There was a great day of racing planned, and the first race was the Charity Magnolia Cup ladies’ race, where the female jockeys’ silks were all created by different designers, including Beulah, Liberty of London, Roksanda, Vivienne Westwood and Tabitha Webb. I thought it was a fabulous idea, although the horse I bet on – High Fidelity (in Beulah silks, top left) – bolted at the start and got disqualified! I also had to bet on Harrods Hero, pictured top right!

The Richmond Enclosure is the most exclusive of the three (Members only during the Qatar Festival), and has access to the horse walk, as well as plenty of restaurants, The Secret Garden, and also the Racing Colours Shop – which was the main draw as far as I’m concerned!

The shop is full of gorgeous accessories like shawls, scarves, picnic rugs, ties, gloves, cufflinks, bags, toiletries and panama hats. You can purchase most of the items online here. I was really tempted by the delicious scent of the handwash, and lusted after this beautiful clutch, but managed to restrain myself and just buy a pin and a keychain!

One of my favourite bits about Goodwood is the complimentary strawberries you can pick up at 4pm from the Gordon and Richmond enclosures – there’s always a queue, but it moves very quickly once it gets going. Although, best to wait for the queue to die down, believe me, they didn’t run out!

Our racing tradition is to arrive early, secure a table, grab a racecard and a jug of Pimms, and go through each race, picking our favourites. My friends and I like to pool our money and choose horses together – makes victory all the sweeter (and it’s nice to have someone to commiserate with too!). We ate in the Gordon Enclosure as it had a great range of kiosks (pulled pork, steak and chicken, crepes, even cheese on toast!). Prices range from £5.00 up to £12.50 for meals from the kiosks (and a jug of Pimms will set you back £25 for four people!). Then, we like to watch the first race from near the finishing post, another from the stands, and make sure to visit the parade ring for at least one ceremony!

The atmosphere on the day was incredible, and there were so many stylishly dressed ladies, too. If you enter the Lennox or Gordon enclosures, there are no dress codes, but the Richmond is stricter (although not as much as Ascot can be!). There are no hard and fast rules for women, but I would definitely suggest wedges are a must, due to the grass, pebbles and gravel!

As far as walking goes, I slipped into my new Penelope flats from French Sole at the end of the day – it turns out we walked roughly 8km just wandering around the course and getting back to the car! I’d also suggest bringing a large tote bag with you – or recruiting a friend who has one (like I did!). Water, spare shoes, racecards, pashminas – none of these will fit into a clutch! And by the way, I’d always recommend sun lotion, sunglasses, a mini umbrella, and a pashmina or large scarf. Let’s face it, the weather likes to test us…

Have you ever been to Goodwood, or do you plan to go? It’s my new favourite! I’m definitely returning! Find out more about Goodwood here, so you can plan your trip!.

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