Ireland day 1453. Saturday 20 September 2025- Guests 3

Today’s summary	After breakfast, drove to Navan with our friends to spend a day at the races. Went on a behind the scenes tour first then watched seven of the eight races. Managed to bet €40 and come out with €70, so not a bad result (mainly because our pick – Sceptred Isle – came in at 10/1, netting us €50). Had lunch in the racecourse café then in the evening went to the Greenery restaurant in Malahide for dinner
Today’s weather	Mostly dry but heavily overcast and some rain in the evening. Strong northerly wind. Appx 12c

Today’s overview location (The blue mark shows the location of our route)		Close-up location (The red line shows where we walked) (Click button below to download GPX of today’s walk as recorded, or see interactive map at bottom with elevations corrected): Navan races

Commentary

Just a very short blog today as it’s been a very full-on day and it’s well past midnight so I am ready to go to bed!

Basically, after breakfast, Val and I and our two friends drove an hour or so up the M1 and then across west to Navan, where we spent a day at the races. It was a really great day out – the only downside was that it felt very cold; more like November than September.

Val had booked it all and the day started with a behind-the-scenes tour led by the racing expert Dan, who told us all about the 104-year history of Navan racecourse, and about some of its unique features. Then the races started at 1:30 and there were 8 races between then and the close at 5:30 (we left before the final race). Lots to see, and a very relaxed atmosphere. Dan told us that the meet was only about a quarter full today, and later in the season it would be so busy you’d hardly be able to move. But for us novice racegoers, it was ideal.

Unable to resist a flutter, Val and I splashed out €5 on each of the races and usually followed the Racing Post’s tips, On two of the seven occasions we bet, our pick won. Our best investment was in Sceptred Isle, which came in at 10/1, so our €5 bet netted us €50, plus of course our original €5 as well. Over all, we ended the day having spent €40 but coming away with €70. The net winnings were just enough to cover the cost of Val’s and my lunch.

By the time the 5pm race had finished, we were frozen to the core so we decided to quit while we were ahead, and drove back to Malahide. Then, after several restorative cups of tea, we went to the nearby “Greenery” restaurant here in Malahide for dinner, which turned out to be surprisingly good and surprisingly not too expensive.

The rest of the evening was spent back at the flat rounding off the day with jokes, reminiscences with our friends, and half a bottle of whiskey.

A great day! One of the best

Today’s photos (click to enlarge)


Approaching the racetrack. The stand is on the top of a slight hill, so you get a good view of pretty much the whole of the 1mile oval course	On our “behind the scenes” tour – it was absolutely brilliant and the staff who showed us round were friendly and knowledgeable

Standing by to take your money!	Val keeping a close eye on proceedings

Our 10/1 winning ticket!	In the winners’ enclosure with the happy horse (though unfortunately I can’t remember which horse or which race!)

Finishing the final furlong