Last Thursday I braved early morning commuters as I sashayed in a new dress, fascinator and heels. On this here by day, Thursday 18th June (also known as Ladies Day) I was as ready as ever to act like Audrey Hepburn… For as long as I could last at least.
We met at Topdeck Travel HQ where we were greeted with a selection of fruit salad, croissants, pastries and salmon bites, all washed down with a choice of tea, coffee or champagne. Champagne was clearly the front runner, as most clearly wanted to start the day as they intended to go on.
We were met by a luxurious looking coach that was to whisk us out of London, along motorways leading to leafy lanes and past Windsor castle, into Ascot. FYI it had a working toilet (always a concern when travelling by coach) and we made it there in a time that any race horse pundit would be proud of, finally waltzing into town whilst lunch was put together.
For lunch we got to sample from a menu that a Topdeck traveller could expect. With options you’d expect to be served on silver platters we tucked into cheeseboards, tapas type dips, posh open sandwiches, deluxe salads and afternoon tea desserts, don’t forget that today was a day of Britishness and what picnic would be complete without sausage rolls, pork pies and pickle? There was also something for all dietary requirements as I tucked into the vegan option too.
During lunch we had a chance to mingle, speaking about the subject that had brought us altogether- travel. We discussed our wanderlust desires and previous adventures whilst quaffing more, YES more champagne. It was at this point having already enjoyed a champagne breakfast and lunch that it was catapulted upon us, that we would be taking part in an Ascot Topdeck Travel catwalk. Not usually the shy and retiring type with good friends, I felt a fraction out of my depth with the new acquaintances I had got to know over three hours. On this occasion the men were super sassy and revelled in taking to the grassy catwalk first, there were hints of Zoolander, The Full Monty (but half full) and dance moves that would make your dad despise because they were so enigmatic. Unfortunately for the men, the women had this competition in the bag and the ladies were praised for their poise and attitude. It was almost too close to call for both sexes but shockingly I won gold out of the ladies and my handsome ginger King bagged it with his magic Mike- esque moves. Ride it!
Next on the Topdeck Travel agenda was to welcome the queen onto the racecourse and there was a lot of hysteria (largely from me) when the Royal Highness glided past us further onto Ascot’s race course. As we made our way into the heaving course we were mesmerized by the outfits, some of grandeur, some so over the top that Katie Price would have rolled her eyes and some that needed a speaking too. Pimms was the secondary drink of choice today and if you were unlucky you were probably going to lose your eye with all the gigantic hat displays. With so much to look at we almost missed the first race which instantly got us into the frenzy we expected, and with that the bets were on. When one attends such an event there’s always that person who has the luck of the Irish, the one who hasn’t a clue, the one who’s only concern is the topping up of their wine glass and the one that has researched and got their game plan down.
Sadly the day seemed to flash by and as we retreated to the coach you could sense some were flagging, you can take the Topdeck Travel lot out of this equation though because due to their experience in providing exceptional holidays for people aged 18 and into their thirties, it was apparent they still had bags of energy. Some clever person rescued a few people on our coach I’m sure as we were presented with Ascot Survival goodie bags, filled with sweets, mints, and hangover cures. Saving those for the next day, the party wasn’t over just yet, making our way to a cocktail bar with cocktails and food for thought.
This day truly inspired me because I had gone for the glitz and the glamour of Ascot but in reality what made the day was conversing with people I’d met for the first time, chatting eventually like old chums and then hanging out together when we returned to London. It got me thinking that travelling alone or as somebody older than school leaving age that it might not be as scary as I had first imagined. With activities that broke the ice and a shared excitement of where we were travelling to I now can’t wait to get planning my next adventure.
You never know where events in life will take you or who you’ll meet but I am pretty confident that the team behind Topdeck Travel will ensure you have the time of you lives.
