Just down the road from us there is a piece of motorsport history that has been running since 1905, and a lot of people who come to stay have never heard of it. Shelsley Walsh is a hill climb, a proper old one, and we are only a few minutes away. It has always struck us as one of those local things that pairs so well with a night in a hut, the roar of engines by day and the quiet of the countryside by night.
What Shelsley Walsh is, right here in Worcestershire
The Shelsley Walsh hill climb is widely described as the oldest motorsport venue in the world still running on its original course, which is a lovely thing to be able to say about somewhere so close to home. It dates back to 1905, and cars have been going up that same stretch of hill ever since. It is not a circuit that loops round, it is a climb, one car at a time against the clock, up a narrow winding stretch that hasn’t really changed in all those years.
There is so much going on there through the year too, from the British Hillclimb Championship to the Classic Nostalgia festival and the Bike Bonanza. We are not going to give you dates, because the season shifts about, so it is worth popping over to the official Shelsley Walsh site to see what is on when you fancy coming. That way you can plan a stay around whatever takes your fancy.
What a visit is actually like
What makes it a bit different is how close you get to everything, the cars, the drivers, the machines old and new all lined up in the paddock. You can wander round, have a proper look, hear the engines warming, and then watch them fly up the hill. It is one of those days out that suits everyone, whether you know your motorsport inside out or you just like the noise and the history of the place.
And then there is the setting, because it sits right in the folds of the Worcestershire countryside, which is half the charm of it. You come for the racing and you leave having spent a whole day out in the open air, which is exactly the sort of simple day we love round here. It’s just something a bit different, isn’t it?
A quiet base for the day, and a bath afterwards
This is the bit we have always thought was a bit of a missed trick, people coming for a big local event and then not realising there is somewhere lovely and peaceful to lay their head afterwards. You can have the event by day and the peace of a hut by night, and honestly that combination is hard to beat. A day of engines and crowds, and then you are back behind our gates with a copper bath run to whatever temperature you like and the stars coming out.
We had a taste of how well this works one year during the Cheltenham races. Two bookies came to stay with us because they wanted to be outside the chaos, and somewhere nice and safe and secure. We are behind locked gates here, which mattered to them, because of course they were carrying a fair bit of cash on them. It still makes us smile, but it told us something, that people running around at big events want somewhere calm and safe to come back to at the end of it.
Whichever hut you pick, you get that same quiet welcome. The Ashwood is our most popular, with its copper bath for two and a log burner, and the Montana is the one for families if you are bringing the little ones along. There is a hut here for everyone, and plenty more local days out beyond Shelsley too, from the Malverns to Red Marley, all of which you can find on our out and about page.
So if there is an event you have your eye on this season, come and swap the everyday for a bit of this. Book your hut with us and let us be your quiet base for the day.
