JUST THE TICKET: What's on where for the sporting spectator

Plan ahead

The National Hunt Festival at Cheltenham from 12 to 14 March is the most important jump meeting in Britain's horse-racing calendar. The quality and closeness in calibre of the fields provide exciting racing over the three days. The Gold Cup on the Thursday is the highlight of the meeting, offering the prospect of watching the big jumping One Man, who won the King George at Sandown in such style two weeks ago.

Badges for the Members, Tattersalls and the Foster's enclosures will be available on the day, but booking in advance brings savings in all the enclosures.

Hotel accommodation in the Cheltenham area tends to be taken up quickly, though there is some space available at the top end of the market. Elsewhere accommodation is patchy. The Cheltenham Tourist Information Centre can provide bed and breakfast in private houses within a 10-mile radius of the town and it is also possible to find beds in hotels and public houses further afield. The tourist centres in Gloucester, Cirencester, Stow-on- the-Wold, Stroud and Tewkesbury can advise.