Fakenham Racecourse

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Welcome to our official guide to Fakenham Racecourse.

We explore this racecourse in detail, looking at its history, a guide to the track, the major races, local hotel picks, current race meeting fixtures, travel information and betting guides.

If you are looking for the latest betting tips for Fakenham, check out our full guide to Fakenham Racecourse tips.

Find out more about Fakenham Racecourse:

Fakenham Racecourse

Overview of Fakenham Racecourse

With the Prince of Wales acting as the course Patron and an almost square-shaped track, Fakenham Racecourse is the only National Hunt horseracing venue in Norfolk and is truly unlike any other.

The racecourse is situated in the beautiful Norfolk countryside, just south of the market town of Fakenham. It is the only jumps course in the county, and the only other track in Norfolk is Great Yarmouth.

Fakenham boasts His Royal Highness Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, as its Patron. It currently has a small race schedule of six fixtures a year.

The track is a mile in circumference and almost perfectly square in shape. It’s left-handed with sharp turns and short run-ins on both the hurdles and steeplechase course (the latter of which sits outside the former). It is considered the tightest jumps track in the UK and suits handy front runners.

Trainers & jockeys often complain that the going is tougher than advertised at Fakenham, and it’s not uncommon for there to be a fairly high number of fallers for a well-run race at a minor track as a result. It also acts as the home of the West Norfolk Hunt’s point-to-point racing.

Fakenham is much more than just a horseracing venue. It is also home to a popular camping and caravanning site that is open every day of the year and offers 125 pitches. The camping site is popular all year around.

Being just 10 miles from the North Norfolk Coast and 10-mins walk from the town centre, its ideal location ensures it is always well patronised.

For a brief time, Fakenham was also a greyhound racing track, but it never joined the governing body of the National Hunt Greyhound Racing Club and remained independent and – unfortunately! – somewhat unpopular, never gaining the traction to operate after a year in action.

The racecourse has, in recent years, diversified into corporate hospitality and private events, and continues to gain popularity as a venue in all aspects of its business.

Fakenham Racecourse Guide
Credit: Leaderboard Photography

Fakenham Racecourse History

It didn’t begin formal operations until 1905 but before that, horseracing took place locally.

The West Norfolk Hunt had long been staging meets in the area since 1839, and in 1886, one of their meetings was attended by the Prince of Wales, and he later became President of the club. In 1904, the Prince of Wales offered up a trophy for the winner of the Hunters’ Steeplechase and when it took place, on-site at what was then to become the racecourse, in April 1905, it was awarded to L A North’s Ivanhoe.

A course seemingly well in favour with the British Royal Family, the Queen became Patron of the course in 1952, and remained as such until 2002.

The venue wasn’t known as Fakenham Racecourse until 1964, re-branding from the West Norfolk Hunt name for main events.

In 1972, the course saw the completion of the stable lad’s hostel and in 2001, a new grandstand and hospitality facilities opened.

The year after, The Prince of Wales, now Prince Charles, took over as Patron.

Fakenham Racecourse Map

Below is a map of Fakenham Racecourse:

Fakenham Racecourse Map
Courtesy of At The Races

The course is left-handed and very sharp in nature, it is also known for with a short run-in on both courses.

The tightest jumps track in the country and, in theory, ideal for handy, front-running types.

The Main Races and Events at Fakenham Racecourse

Fakenham doesn’t have a particularly busy racing schedule, with just six fixtures a year, but the most prominent of these is the Fakenham Silver Cup. This Class 3 handicap hurdle race is run over two miles and comprises part of the Spring Festival held at the course every March. The Silver Cup prize fund is £20,000 and is often accompanied by several charity events alongside it on the day itself – including most recently dog displays in aid of local animal charities and a collection for a local group that feeds the homeless and stocks food banks with the meat of locally-shot game birds.

Events at Fakenham change name often, as they tend to be named after short-term sponsors and so may present under different titles each year.

Fakenham Racecourse Address

The address of Fakenham Racecourse is:

Fakenham Racecourse
Fakenham
Norfolk
NR21 7NY

How To Get To Fakenham Racecourse

The ways to get to Fakenham Racecourse are:

  • By road – it can be reached by road following signs to the town of Fakenham, and on race days, yellow AA signage is up. Car parking is free for standard parking, or £8 per vehicle for upgraded Member’s Enclosure parking. Details for your sat nav is  Norfolk nr21 7ny.
  • By train – the nearest train station is Kings Lynn, some 20 miles away, or Norwich, 25 miles away. Both are served by local bus services or can be travelled by taxi if pre-booked. Helicopter landing facilities are available in the middle of the track.

Hotels near Fakenham Racecourse

Fakenham is a fairly rural area of North Norfolk and so not served by chain hotels, but there’s plenty of beautiful accommodation options nearby.

The Bull Inn in Walsingham is a great country pub with rooms available and numerous Airbnb properties are available throughout the region. Fakenham itself has a couple of basic and budget B&Bs but these do get booked up quickly, so make sure you book ahead of time.

What Are The Best Online Fakenham Betting Sites?

If you are looking to bet online we recommend the following great deals for new customers shown on this page, they are some of the UK largest betting companies and made our list of best betting sites.

Betting Shops Local to Fakenham Racecourse

Tote betting is available throughout the course and there are independent bookies track-side, but not as many as you’d find at bigger courses; so be prepared for queues!

The town of has one betting shop – a branch of a Betfred betting shop  – but there are none others locally so you may be best to place a bet before you arrive if you have a brand preference.

Mobile signal is patchy in this area but the town itself is fairly well covered so online betting or betting via betting apps is an option while you’re there.

Fakenham Races 2024

Here is the horse racing calendar for Fakenham Races in 2024:

DateRacecourseWeekday
2/1/2024FakenhamTuesday
21/1/2024FakenhamSunday
16/2/2024FakenhamFriday
15/3/2024FakenhamFriday
1/4/2024FakenhamMonday
7/5/2024FakenhamTuesday
2/6/2024FakenhamSunday
18/10/2024FakenhamFriday
30/10/2024FakenhamWednesday
19/11/2024FakenhamTuesday
22/12/2024FakenhamSunday

Check out our guide for the full list of UK horse racing calendar fixtures for 2024.

Fakenham Racecard and Fakenham Tips

The racecards for Fakenham races will be released the day before the races are set to happen (Fakenham races today). You can view full racecards in advance, check out  – horse racing cards tomorrow and horse racing cards today. In these, you will get an advanced look at all the runners, trainers, form and riders.

You can also of course purchase a racecard from the track which carries much of the same useful information. Many like to keep these as souvenirs, especially from major horse racing events.

Other Events Held at Fakenham Racecourse

The racecourse is a large outdoor venue for North Norfolk and so as such is hired often for private events.

Many exhibitions and occasions are held here, alongside dog shows – a particular favourite locally amongst the rural communities nearby. It is a popular wedding venue and is often used for photoshoots for country living-type publications.

Fakenham Races

Popular Questions

✅What is the address of Fakenham Races?

The address for Fakenham Races is:

Fakenham Racecourse
Fakenham
Norfolk
NR21 7NY

Summary of Fakenham Racecourse

Known as one of, if not the tightest jump course in the country, Fakenham doesn’t boast many meetings or necessarily high-class racing. That said, it is a popular little Norfolk course hosting the only jumps racing in the county.

It is popular with locals and families and is very much part of the local community.

On our visits, we have always had a great time; great customer service, close finishes and value for money.

Good things come in small packages and that definitely is true of Fakenham. Most definitely worth a visit.

Other Racecourses in The UK and Ireland

Our team as of March 2024 have reviewed these racecourses in Britain and racecourses in Ireland that are also worth a visit: