TRANSPORT operators and hotels in Swindon are preparing to cater for racing fans heading to the Cheltenham Festival this week.

The national horse racing meet, which takes place at Prestbury Racecourse in Cheltenham, will run from tomorrow until Friday, with the Gold Cup race on Friday.

Bus and train operators are transporting punters to the races, while hotels are expecting to put up people from further afield who do not want to pay the costly bills for Cheltenham hotels.

BMS, based at Stratton St Margaret, is hiring out about four or five coaches to private parties over the festival, with most going down on the day of the Gold Cup.

Mike Hopkins, the manager, said: “Most of them are regulars we have every year. They tend to book every year, the people who go to the Cheltenham Festival.

“The biggest this year is 40 because that’s our largest anyway, and there are others with 16 and 19 seats. The Gold Cup is usually the biggest day, but it’s staggered over the three or four day period.”

Barnes Coaches, based at South Marston, is hiring out about 10 coaches during the week, transporting around 400 day-trippers in total.

Lionel Barnes, the operations manager, said all the vehicles were hired by groups, mostly made up of Swindon residents.

Hotels are also seeing increased trade.

Mandy Clifford, the sales and revenue manager at Blunsdon House Hotel, said: “We have got some people booked in for attending Cheltenham.

“I would say the majority of our business is still local business but we do take groups that week that will be going out for the races.”

Mandy said race-goers stay in Swindon and travel out because it is cheaper and easier to guarantee a room, especially if you book later.

“It’s easy for us to get to Cheltenham on the A419 and we do get the same people come back each year,” she added.

Peter Rudge, the sales manager at Jurys Inn, at Whalebridge, said there would be a few extra guests due to Cheltenham, but rooms would still be available for corporate clients.

“It’s there, it’s noticeable, but it’s nowhere near as big as the Royal International Air Tattoo or anything else,” he said.

“It has an effect – obviously the major effect is in Cheltenham and so on – but we do get businesses.”

A First Great Western spokesman said: “With over 50,000 people expected to attend, the Cheltenham Festival is always very popular with passengers travelling from Swindon.

“We’re putting on additional services, and we’d encourage festival goers to check the timetable before travelling.

“For passengers not attending the festival, we’d suggest they try and avoid travelling to Cheltenham between 9am and 12.30pm, or coming the other way between 5.30pm and 9pm.”