Trackside Parking at Kelso

Who it suits

• Drivers who want their car beside the finishing straight and a base for bags, blankets and a picnic.
• Families or groups who prefer to bring their own food rather than use the racecourse’s public catering outlets.
• Visitors happy to buy race admission separately; parking is a per-car product and does not admit each passenger.

Ticket prices

These official booking listings show that Trackside Parking varies by fixture. It must be booked with separate race admission tickets for each person.

Check availability on the official site

Where your ticket takes you

• A reserved parking space alongside the finishing straight; the price is per car.
• A picnic-friendly area: Kelso identifies Trackside Parking as the only part of the site where customers may eat their own food and drink.
• The public enclosure and Parade Ring require a valid admission ticket for every racegoer; parking alone is not a race ticket.
• The ordinary field parking by the main entrance is free, while the reserved trackside location is charged and booked in advance.

Not included

• Admission for the driver or passengers: each person needs a separate raceday ticket.
• A meal, table service or reserved hospitality room.

The view

The spaces are alongside the finishing straight, so you park close to the racing rather than in the field beside the main gate. Kelso’s booking page calls it a Trackside Parking area and its map distinguishes it from free car parking. It is an outdoor parking-and-picnic location; the site does not advertise a covered stand or a guaranteed individual sightline from every space. For Parade Ring access or the racecourse’s public viewing ramps, each person in the car needs a valid admission ticket. Keep in mind that your parking product reserves the car space, not a grandstand seat.

Food and drink

Trackside Parking is the only area Kelso identifies for a visitor-brought picnic; other food outlets are in the ticketed racecourse.

Facilities

Dress code

There is no general dress code for Kelso. Trackside Parking is outdoors, so wear footwear that suits a car park and bring warm waterproof layers, particularly on winter fixtures. If you also hold admission and plan to go into the grandstand or hospitality rooms, those areas are a short walk from the parking location and you may want a layer that works indoors and outside.

Getting in

Trackside spaces must be booked in advance alongside admission tickets, and the racecourse map locates the reserved area near the finishing straight. Use the parking instructions on your booking for the vehicle entrance; Kelso’s map shows free parking by the main entrance but does not publish a separate gate name or opening time for trackside parking. Its Family Fun fixture page lists public gates opening at 11:30am on 4 October 2026. The terms ban knives, fireworks, air horns and cans in enclosures; glasses and beverage bottles may be used in the picnic car park but not taken into those enclosures.

Accessibility

Kelso offers Blue Badge priority spaces at the front of the main car park, subject to availability. The trackside parking page does not describe reserved accessible bays or the path from the parking space to the public enclosure. The public areas are mostly tarmac; where gravel occurs, the course aims to provide firm flat routes. Three level huddles give Parade Ring and Winners Enclosure views, and two raised ramps overlook the track. Accessible toilets are in Tweedie and Younger stands. Contact 01573 221221 or info@kelso-races.co.uk to discuss the parking location and personal-assistant ticket arrangements; no PA ticket process is published.

Full accessibility guide for Kelso

Children and families

The car ticket is for a vehicle and does not replace a ticket for any person in it. Accompanied children aged 17 and under receive free admission to Kelso’s racecourse and do not need an advance child ticket; collect a wristband at the main entrance. Children must stay with an adult. Under-12s may not enter the Parade Ring or Winners Enclosure during racing unless the safety officer gives permission. The picnic car space has no separate children’s charge listed because the fee is per car.

Tips

• Buy the parking space and each person’s admission separately; the ticket listing explicitly says valid admission is required for every racegoer.
• Trackside prices differed between £16 per car for Scottish Borders National Day and £25 for Edinburgh Gin Chase Day in 2026, so compare the selected fixture’s listing.
• Use this option if bringing a picnic is important: Kelso prohibits visitor picnics in its other public areas.
• Keep glassware and beverage bottles in the picnic parking area; Kelso’s terms do not allow them into the enclosures.

Questions people ask