Musselburgh
Date of Review: 6th June 2026
RCA Reviewers: Dave & Ray
Address: Linkfield Rd, Musselburgh EH21 7RG
Website: https://www.musselburgh-racecourse.co.uk/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MusselburghRacecourse/
X: https://x.com/MusselburghRace
Email: enquiries@musselburgh-racecourse.co.uk
Phone: 0131 665 2859
Accommodation: https://uk.hotels.com/de1750761/hotels-near-musselburgh-racecourse-musselburgh-united-kingdom/
Course Information: Musselburgh Racecourse is a right-handed, turf, dual-purpose (flat & jumps) racecourse. It is roughly the shape of an elongated oval, with a circumference of approximately 1 mile and 2 furlongs.
Aerial View - Musselburgh Racecourse (Image credited to Google Earth)
The course features long straights and sharp turns, with the turns at the top end notably sharp, and is generally recognised as one of the tightest racecourses in Britain. The racecourse, for all intents and purposes, is flat with only a few minor undulations. It has a four-furlong straight which rises slightly at the final furlong post. These characteristics suit prominent, front-running, nippy, handy types who can negotiate the bends rather than long striding galloping horses.
The Racecourse Advisor Guide to Musselburgh Racecourse: The racecourse, formerly known as Edinburgh Racecourse, is located about 6 miles east of Edinburgh. The area has a rich racing history dating back over 200 years and has been at its current location since 1816. It is the second largest racecourse in Scotland, behind Ayr, where the Scottish Grand National is held. A new stand was opened in 1995 by Queen Elizabeth II, and Her Majesty again visited the racecourse in 2016 to mark its 200th anniversary. The racecourse has a historic nine-hole golf course in its centre, dating back to 1774, with the Open Championship being played at this venue on numerous occasions in the early 19th century. Today, the racecourse holds around 25 fixtures throughout the year.
Location Map – Musselburgh Racecourse Course Access:
By Road: Musselburgh Racecourse is on the eastern side of Musselburgh and less than 1 mile from the A1 and less than 2 miles from the A720 Edinburgh City Bypass. However, the racecourse is poorly signed from the A7. It’s also important to be aware that leaving the racecourse after the last race can be a nightmare. Immediately after exiting the car park, you hit a busy T-junction with all the taxis and car pickup areas, and then you have to navigate through the town centre. Not good.
By Rail: The nearest train station to Musselburgh Racecourse is Wallyford Station on the Edinburgh Waverley-North Berwick line. A courtesy raceday bus operates from Wallyford Park and Ride (240 metres from the Station Platform) to the Racecourse, timed to meet trains from Edinburgh and North Berwick, and runs at the end of the racing.
By Air: The nearest airport to Musselburgh is Edinburgh (EDI) Airport, which is 12.3 miles away. Other nearby airports include Glasgow (GLA), which is 54 miles away. Newcastle (NCL) is 82 miles away, Aberdeen (ABZ) is 93 miles away, and Inverness (INV) is 117 miles away. Rating: 6/10.
Parking: There is a hierarchy of free car parking at Musselburgh Racecourse. Car Park 1 is for general admission. Car Park 2 is for VIP, owners and trainers. Car Park 3 is for people who have purchased their tickets online in advance, and Car Park 4 is for owners only. All the car parks are within a five-minute walk of their respective entrances. However, the racecourse operates a free and frequent shuttle bus service if required. Rating: 7/10.
Pricing: On the day of our visit, it was the Edinburgh Cup Raceday, in partnership with Edinburgh Gin (after-party with Massaoke), on a Saturday afternoon. It was a seven-race card, consisting of one Class 1 race. Two Class 2 races, two Class 4 races and two Class 6 races. So, a decent level of racing, but in no way top-class racing. On the day, tickets at the gate were £48.00 each, which, in our opinion, is extremely expensive and difficult to justify, even with the after-party. Tickets could be bought online in advance for £ 45.00. A £5.00 concession is also available for OAPs, and children aged 17 or under go free if accompanied by an adult.
Several upgrades and hospitality packages were available, including the “The Races & Refreshment Bundle” for £66.00 per ticket, which included admission, a race card, and a food and drink voucher to use with any of the street food vendors inside the racecourse. The next level was the “Edinburgh Gin Classic Enclosure and for £110.00 per ticket, you got access to a private enclosure, a reserved picnic table, premium trackside viewing and a welcome drink of gin or another beverage. If you really wanted to push the boat out, the £ 205-per-ticket “Epperston Restaurant – Diamond Experience” package was for you. The restaurant is located on the lower floor of the Queen’s Stand and includes a Champagne reception. A reserved table for the day, a three-course lunch, an after-dinner plate, a guest tipster and a race card. I
n our experience, compared with other top-class racecourses such as York, Haydock and Goodwood, to name but a few, these prices are extremely high even with an “after party” at the end of the day's racing and simply do not offer value for money. It comes as no surprise to us, as whilst the racecourse is owned by the local council, it is run by the Chester Race Company, which also owns Chester and Bangor-on-Dee racecourses, and it has form for stinging racegoers and customers with excessive ticket pricing and sneaky administration/booking fees wherever possible. Rating: 3/10.
Racecard: The racecard for the Edinburgh Cup Raceday was sponsored by the Edinburgh Gin company, and boy, did we know it, as the card had 7 full-page adverts, that’s 15% of the card, just for the Gin company. It also qualifies as the most expensive racecard we have purchased for a non-festival meeting at any racecourse, at a whopping £5, and is also the only racecard where they couldn’t really be bothered to compose a welcoming narrative to describe the day's events and tell us what a terrific course Musselburgh is. They did, however, have this to say on page 2: “Welcome to Musselburgh racecourse”.
The racecard had a full 2-page map of the facilities, which is good, and also a page with a plan map of the course showing the various starting positions for the distances, along with a small section outlining the feature race, jockeys and trainers to watch.
It was also interesting that they had bins located on the main concourse, in front of the offices and weighing room, for you to recycle your racecard. They can’t have sold as many as forecast, as we witnessed staff posting double handfuls of unsold racecards into the bins after only the 3rd race. What's all that about?
Overall verdict on the card is that it was a total rip-off at £5 for little to no content, and made worse when you consider the sky-high price of the entry ticket. In our opinion, nothing short of disgraceful.
Viewing: The overall viewing experience at Musselburgh is pretty good.
The Viewing Areas - Musselburgh Racecourse
However, there is a problem with the 5-furlong races: the horses only come into view just before the 2-furlong post, so that’s almost 60% of the race out of view. Also, in the 7-furlong races, the horses again go out of sight for a while, due to a large marquee in the centre of the track which blocks the view until they enter the home turn.
The Grandstand - Musselburgh Racecourse
The racecourse has only one stand for the general public, aptly named the Grandstand. It is a large stand of around sixteen concrete terraced steps. It has no seating area and is covered. However, the roof is small, so it only shelters the first five rows of steps. So, if it rains, you are going to get wet. The far end of the stand, closest to the winning post, is reserved for annual members, owners, and trainers.
The Queen’s Stand – Musselburgh Racecourse
There is another small stand further along, past the Grandstand, called the Queen’s Stand. However, this is reserved for corporate hospitality and private box goers. Rating: 7/10.
Parade Ring / Winners Enclosure: The Parade Ring is positioned immediately behind the Queen’s Stand at the rear of the racecourse. It is turfed, with a large tree on the left-hand side to enhance the greenery.
The Parade Ring & Winners Enclosure – Musselburgh Racecourse
The winners' enclosure is inside the ring on the right-hand side. It is, however, a decent size and has four decent-sized raised viewing platforms, so overall viewing of the horses is good. Rating: 8/10.
Bookmakers / Betting Facilities: The main on-course bookmakers are located on a large concourse area directly in front of the grandstand. On the day of our visit, there were around 20 bookies plying their trade, which was more than enough.
The Main Bookmakers Ring – Musselburgh Racecourse
There is also a large William Hill concession on the course and numerous Tote facilities in the bars and stands, so placing a bet and picking up is no problem whatsoever. Rating: 10/10.
Catering: Here at Racecourse Advisor, we enjoy doing “racecourse reviews” rather than restaurant reviews, and we do not pretend to be food critics. We aim to provide you with an overview of the culinary options and prices available at the racecourse on race days. On the day of our visit to Musselburgh Racecourse, the food and drink options available were plentiful.
Freddie's Bar – Musselburgh Racecourse
The first bar we encountered was Freddie's Bar, located at the top of the Grandstand. A large, smartish-looking place with wooden floors, tables, and chairs, overlooking the racecourse. The only draught beer on offer in here was Cruzcampo lager at £7.00 a pint. Cans and bottles of Guinness were available for £6.30, and Heineken was £4.80. All spirits were £4.60. Wine was available at £6.80 a glass or £27.00 a bottle.
After that, we found Pinkie’s Deli and bar on the ground floor, at the back of the grandstand, on the corner. A very modern-looking place with high ceilings, wooden floors, tables, and chairs.
Pinkie’s Deli & Bar – Musselburgh Racecourse
Here, they had a decent selection of food options, including soup and a sandwich for £10.00. A selection of toasties costing £6.30 to £9.00. Or a coffee-and-cake option for £6.25 and a selection of pies for £6.80 each. The bar was serving a full range of drinks, including draught Guinness at £7.50 a pint. Amstel for £6.80, Cruzcampo for £7.00, and Strongbow Cider for £6.85 a pint. All spirits were £4.60 each. Wine was the same price as at Freddie's bar: a bottle of Prosecco was £39.00 and a bottle of champagne was £76.00.
There is also Café 1816, which is situated in the Links Pavilion at the back of the racecourse.
Café 1816 – Musselburgh Racecourse
Here they serve a selection of teas, coffees, hot chocolate, and the like, along with a range of snacks such as cakes and crisps. Also, in the Links Pavilion is the Rockavon Bar, which was selling the same selection of drinks at the same prices as all of the other bars. Right next door to this is a large William Hill betting shop.
The Rockavon Bar – Musselburgh Racecourse
There is also the upscale Harris Tweed Bistro & Bar on the first floor of the grandstand, where you need to book in advance, which serves a good selection of hot food such as soups, burgers, fish & chips, etc. So, overall, a decent selection of food and drink outlets at reasonable prices. Rating: 8/10.
Guinness Standard: Draft Guinness was available at most bars for £7.50, which, in our opinion, is at the top end of the racecourse pricing scale, on par with Cheltenham. It was a decent pint, but it was served in those flimsy cups where it's almost impossible not to spill it when you pick it up. That said, it was a decent pint of the black stuff. Rating: 7/10.
Friendliness of Course Staff: There were plenty of friendly, helpful course staff and stewards on the course, as expected, as this was one of the biggest fixtures on the Musselburgh Racecourse calendar. Also, numerous litter pickers to keep the course clean and tidy, which is always a good thing. Rating 9/10.
Pros & Cons: Musselburgh Racecourse has a few things going for it, namely the catering, parade ring and the course staff. The negatives are access and location, and the major one is the excessive ticket pricing. It really is way out of kilter with every other racecourse we have visited, with the notable exception of Chester. Musselburgh racecourse is operated by The Chester Race Company, so it really didn’t come as a surprise to us. In our opinion, even with after-party entertainment, such high-ticket pricing simply cannot be justified, and it needs to be called out and highlighted to any prospective racegoers in advance.
As always, here at Racecourse Advisor, we ask ourselves at the end of each review: would we return? The answer is very simple: no. We wouldn’t even think about it at those prices. If you are visiting Scotland, there are many better-value-for-money racecourses to visit, namely Hamilton Park, near Glasgow, which knocks the spots off Musselburgh racecourse in every category. Rating: 5/10.
Wi-Fi/Internet Connection: A good, free internet connection is available at the racecourse. You only need to agree to and tick the terms & conditions box to be online immediately.
Overall Racecourse Advisor Rating: 7/10.
The entire day's racing results can be found here: https://www.sportinglife.com/racing/meeting/2026-06-06/musselburgh/119297
Facilities and Location Map of Musselburgh Racecourse (image credited to Musselburgh Racecourse Company Ltd)
Disclaimer: The reviews contained in this website's content are just the authors' opinions. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in the text belong solely to the authors and not necessarily to any other group or individual. Any content or opinions provided in our reviews are not intended to malign any party, group, club, organisation, company, individual, or anyone or anything whatsoever.
