Taunton
Date of Review: 3rd February 2026
RCA Reviewers: Dave & Ray
Address: Orchard Portman, Taunton, Somerset, TA3 7BL
Website: https://tauntonracecourse.co.uk/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tauntonracecourse
X: https://x.com/TauntonRacing
Email: info@tautonracecourse.co.uk
Phone: 01823 337172
Accommodation: https://www.booking.com/landmark/gb/taunton-racecourse.en-gb.html
Track Layout: Taunton Racecourse (Images acknowledged & credited to Timeform & At The Races)
Taunton is a National Hunt (jumps) only racecourse. It is right-handed roughly in the shape of an oval covering a distance of approximately a mile and a quarter. It has two long straights and two tight bends, with some minor undulations. The bend after the finishing post is very tight, and the ground falls away as the horses approach the last fence, which can cause problems. The course has seven fences per circuit, with three being in the home straight. The fences are not particularly difficult to negotiate, but there is a downhill approach to the third-last fence and second-to-last hurdle, and the three fences in the home straight are close, which means jumping ability can be an asset, particularly in novice chases. It is considered a sharp track, with a slight uphill run to the finishing post, which can catch out tired horses on occasions.
The Racecourse Advisor Guide to Taunton Racecourse:
Course Information: Taunton Racecourse is 30 miles west of Wincanton, 35 miles from Exeter and 50 miles from Bristol.
Location Map – Taunton Racecourse
The track is located in the heart of Somerset’s cider-making country. The racecourse isn’t actually in the town of Taunton but is situated some two miles away in the small village of Orchard Portman. The racecourse is not particularly old; it was built in the 1920s, and the first meeting was held on the current site in 1927. However, records show that racing took place in the area as far back as the 18th century. The racecourse was developed in the 1960s using earth removed from the nearby M5 motorway, which was under construction at the time. A new grandstand was built in 1969, and the course hosts 14 fixtures each season from January to May.
Location & Course Access:
By Road: Taunton Racecourse is on the B3170 road from Taunton to Corfe & Honiton, approximately 2 miles south of Taunton Town Centre. Leave the M5 at Junction 25, and travel towards Taunton, following the signs for Racecourse. If you are travelling on the A303 from the Honiton/Exeter direction, turn left onto B3170, which will bring you directly to the racecourse. If you are travelling on the A303 from the Chard/Ilminster direction, then turn right at the Eagle Cross Tavern and continue until you reach the crossroads. Turn right and follow the B3170 to the racecourse. The postcode for your Sat-Nav is TA3 7BL. The racecourse is well signed from two miles out.
Although the racecourse is only two miles south of the centre of Taunton, there are only very limited public bus services, so taxis are the better option. However, there is a courtesy bus on race days. The bus departs from the railway station, taking visitors directly to the racecourse entrance, two hours before the first race and 30 minutes after the last. When using the bus at the train station, a return ticket will be issued to those travelling from Taunton, giving them priority on the return trip. There is no guarantee of a seat for those without a return ticket.
By Rail: The Racecourse is about 4 miles from Taunton Railway Station, which is on the Reading/Taunton line, which is a branch of the Great Western Main Line from which it diverges at Reading railway station. It runs to Cogload Junction (east of Taunton), where it joins the Bristol to Exeter and Penzance line. There is a courtesy bus from the station to the racecourse as described above.
By Air: The nearest airport to Taunton Racecourse is Exeter (EXT), which is 24 miles away. Bristol (BRS) is 30 miles away, Southampton (SOU) is 76 miles away. Birmingham airport (BHX is 103 miles away, and London Heathrow (LHR) is 151 miles away. Helicopter landing facilities are available by prior arrangement with the Racecourse. Whilst access is quick and easy from the M25 motorway, we have deducted a point due to the lack of public transport. Rating: 6/10.
Parking: There is free parking is available immediately adjacent to the main entrance, just a short walk away. However, the parking is on a grassy field and not on hardcore. As it rains a lot in this part of the country, parking could become problematic in the winter. Rating: 8/10.
Pricing: On the day of our visit, it was a Thursday afternoon “Valentine's Day” raceday with a six-race card: one Class 3 race, two Class 4 races, and three Class 5 races, so relatively low-grade racing (with two of those races having fewer than seven runners). Tickets at the gate for the Grandstand Enclosure were £15.00. However, if booked in advance online, tickets could have been purchased for £10. There were no concessions for OAPs, but 18-24-year-olds could buy £5.00 tickets by showing suitable photographic ID.
Also available online, if booked in advance, was a “Race Day Package” that included entry, a food voucher for a snack at any of the course outlets, a drink voucher, and a Racecard. Was priced at £24.00 each.
Also available online, if booked in advance, was the “Exmoor Room”. This provided entry to the racecourse and a dedicated table in the newly refurbished Exmoor Suite, with a hot and cold buffet, a hot drink, and a racecard for £45.00 each. This appeared to be popular, as it was completely sold out 5 days before the day of the meeting. Rating: 7/10.
Racecard: It' was the usual format with bare listings of the runners and riders for each race from Timeform, but without the usual interesting details and snippets you normally get, such as the longest traveller, leading trainer, etc. This might be reflected in the fact that the racecard was at the lower end of the price band at £3.00
However, it did have a full colour, two-page spread devoted to the birthday of the racecourse Chairman, Paul Barber. It also had a double-page course/facilities layout map, which is always welcome and appreciated, and it helped with navigation around the course. Was it worth the £3.00? No. Our advice is to keep your money in your pocket, as it contains nothing that you couldn't easily get in a newspaper or free online.
Viewing: Taunton Racecourse has three stands. The Paddock Stand, which is reserved for owners & trainers along with the annual members, is situated immediately in front of the Parade Ring.
The Paddock Stand - Taunton Racecourse
Next is the Portman Stand, then the Orchard Stand, which is the farthest from the winning post. Viewing from these stands is a bit of a mixed bag.
The Portman Stand – Taunton Racecourse
The Portman Stand has about 15 rows of concrete terracing, with a single row of plastic seats at the top. The high roofline means the front rows of the stand are not protected from the elements. Also, the second from last hurdle, which is situated on the outside of the course (the right-hand side as you view it), is very difficult to see as the horses approach and jump it. The Orchard Stand, which is situated past the winning post, has approximately twenty rows of concrete terraced steps and no seating whatsoever
The Orchard Stand - Taunton Racecourse
Once again, the roof of the stand does not offer any shelter if you are standing at the front/bottom of the stand. Also, the horses are out of sight for a short period as they approach and take the first turn past the finishing post, and viewing is again obstructed down the back straight due to the position of some buildings in the centre of the racecourse.
You are allowed to walk over to the centre of the racecourse to view the races, and there is an elevated viewing platform immediately in line with the winning post. However, a word of caution here. On the day of our visit, it was a cold day, and the wooden decking on the ramp felt like ice. One of our review team slipped and fell on it, and was lucky to get away unscathed. We would suggest that adding some anti-slip tape or mats here wouldn't be a bad idea, to be honest.
There is also a large portable TV screen situated just before the winning post. Rating: 6/10.
Parade Ring / Winners Enclosure: The Parade Ring/Winners Enclosure is positioned in front of the Paddock Stand and at the end of the Portman Stand.
The Parade Ring & Winners Enclosure – Taunton Racecourse
It is oval in shape and large in size, with access around most of its perimeter, and it has stools at either end. In our opinion, it lacked character and colour and looked a bit drab. It could be quickly brightened up with a few hanging baskets and flower boxes, which would make a big difference. Also, there were no elevated viewing areas.
The Winners Enclosure is situated on the left-hand side of the Parade Ring. There is a small saddling enclosure located behind the Paddock Stand. Rating: 6/10.
Bookmakers / Betting Facilities: The main on-course bookmakers are located on a large concourse area, immediately in front of the Paddock and Orchard Stands.
The On-Course Bookmakers – Taunton Racecourse
On the day of our visit, there were around 15 bookmakers, which was more than enough for the relatively small crowd in attendance. There is also a William Hill concession in the Portman Stand, along with several Tote outlets. Getting a bet on is the least of your problems. Rating 8/10.
Catering: Here at Racecourse Advisor, we enjoy doing “racecourse reviews” rather than restaurant reviews. 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.
Taunton has a limited number of catering options, and the first place we visited was the Portman Buffet in the Portman Stand.
The Portman Buffet Food Outlet - Taunton Racecourse
It is a small area, but it does have a row of tables and chairs that look directly out to the racecourse. Here, they were selling Cornish pasties or cheese & onion pasties for £5.50 each. Sausage rolls for £5.00. A selection of pies for £6.00. Sandwiches for £4.40. A cup of tea was £2.90 and a coffee was £3.20. We did try the steak pies, and to be honest, we weren’t overly impressed as they were a tad glutinous.
Our next stop was the main catering area on the racecourse, which was the Saddle Room, located on the ground floor of the Orchard Stand.
The Saddle Room – Taunton Racecourse
This is a café-style area with several round tables and chairs. It was knocking out a limited number of the old standards, such as fish & chips or the pie of the day, for £13.50 each. A pulled pork roll was £7.50. A bacon roll £5.00. Soup and a roll were £4.90. Pasties and sausage rolls for £5.50/£5.00. As it was very busy and impossible to get a seat, we headed off back to the Portman Bar, which is next to the Portman Buffet in, yes, you guessed it, the Portman Stand.
The Portman Bar – Taunton Racecourse
It’s the same layout as the Portman Buffet outlet, with tables and chairs overlooking the racecourse and a small bar area at the far end of the room. Here, they were selling pints of Carlsberg for £6.20 and Poretti for £6.30. Thatcher’s cider for £6.20 and draft Guinness for £6.80. A range of bottled beers for £4.00 to £6.00 and a full range of spirits again from £4.00 to £6.00, depending on your tipple of choice.
The racecourse also has a small “Trackside” coffee shop at the end of the Portman Stand. Which is also a bar.
The Trackside Coffee Shop – Taunton Racecourse
It was selling tea for £3.00. A range of coffees for £3.20 per cup and a hot chocolate for £3.70. It also had a selection of bottled and canned alcoholic drinks, priced from £6.00 to £7.00 each.
The only other catering outlet is a mobile burger bar in the centre of the racecourse.
The Burger Van - Taunton Racecourse
This sold the usual staples, such as a hot dog or hamburger for £6.00, a cheeseburger or bacon burger for £7.00, and a limited selection of teas and coffees.
Overall, in our opinion, a very limited number of catering options and bars, and very limited seating areas. Rating: 5/10.
Guinness Standard: We decided to sample the black stuff in the Portman Bar and were told that if you stay in the bar, the drink is served in a glass pint pot, and if you go outside, it is served in a plastic pint pot, which sounded like a good idea to us. We sat inside, and we were served the best pint of Guinness we have ever had on any racecourse we have ever visited, and we have had more than a few. It was the perfect pint. Cold, creamy, with a great head. Credit where credit is due, it was perfection. And at £6.80 a pint, what’s not to like? Rating: 10/10.
Friendliness of Course Staff: The course staff we met and interacted with were excellent. Polite, friendly and very chatty. We couldn’t help but notice the very high number of security guards on duty at the racecourse on the day of our visit. It really did stand out. We are not referring to course staff, but to official security staff in black uniforms and wearing earpieces. For a midweek, low-attendance meeting, it really did strike us as odd. This is not a criticism but just an observation. Rating: 10/10.
Pros & Cons: For us, the cons far outweighed the pros. The pros include the easy access to the racecourse from the M5 Motorway and a truly excellent pint of Guinness we were served in the Portman Bar. The cons were a six-race card, with two races having fewer than seven runners.
The viewing was very much a mixed bag, and the Parade Ring lacked colour and character. In our opinion, the catering on the day of our visit was poor and needs improvement. Furthermore, on the day of our visit, there was no free Wi-Fi available on the racecourse, which we think is pretty poor. Maybe it was just a one-off on the day we visited. Let’s hope so.
Overall, in our opinion, the racecourse had a down-at-heel feel about it, and we think it is fair to say it looks tired, feels tired and needs both investment and TLC. Rating: 4/10.
As always, here at Racecourse Advisor, after each visit to a racecourse, we ask ourselves the question: would we return? The answer to that is very easy. No, we wouldn’t.
Overall Racecourse Advisor Rating: 7.0/10.
Internet Access: Surprisingly and disappointingly, on the day of our visit, there was no free WI-FI access available on the course (see picture below).
Both our reviewers tried with their phones and got the same result.
The entire day's racing results can be found here: https://www.sportinglife.com/racing/meeting/2026-02-12/taunton/117134.
Facilities & Location Map Taunton Racecourse: (Image acknowledged & credited to the Taunton Racecourse Company Ltd.) .
Aerial View of Taunton Racecourse: (Image acknowledged & credited to Google Earth)
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