The British Grand Prix is the tenth Grand Prix in the 2010 Formula 1 World Championship season and is due to take place on the weekend of the 9th to the 11th of July 2010 at the Silverstone Circuit in England. If you’re planning to go to the race, here is some information about the circuit and some of the area’s other attractions.
The Silverstone Circuit
Originally a World War II military airfield, Silverstone was transformed into a Grand Prix circuit by the Royal Automobile Club in 1948. It hasn’t always been the venue for the British Grand Prix, with Brooklands, Aintree and Brands Hatch also having been used during the race’s long history.
A number of developments have been made to the track over the years and, in April 2010, a new Grand Prix Circuit was opened at Silverstone. The new circuit includes a new section of track, whilst retaining famous sections such as Maggotts Corner and Becketts Corner. The new circuit is 3.66 miles (5.9km) long and the drivers will aim to complete 52 laps of it.
Previous winners of the British Grand Prix have included Jackie Stewart, Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell, Ayrton Senna, Damon Hill, Michael Schumacher, David Coulthard, Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel.
Getting to Silverstone
The Silverstone Circuit is situated near to the town of Towcester, in the south of the English county of Northamptonshire. You can get to the track via the A3, which is easily accessible from both the M40 (London to Birmingham) and the M1 (London to Leeds) motorways. The nearest railway stations to Silverstone are Banbury Station and Milton Keynes Station.
If you are travelling to England from overseas, the easiest way to get to the track is to fly to London or Birmingham and pick up a hire car at the airport. You can then drive to Silverstone. It will take you about an hour and a half to drive from London to Silverstone and about an hour to drive to the track from Birmingham.
Hotels near Silverstone
There are a number of hotels and B&Bs within easy reach of Silverstone. The 4-star Whittlebury Hall Hotel & Spa, in Whittlebury, for example, is just 3 miles away from the circuit. You can choose to stay in a standard room, a club room or a suite, and make use of the hotel’s day spa, fitness club and hair studio.
There are three restaurants within the hotel (Murrays at Whittlebury Hall, Astons and Bentleys), as well as the Terrace Cafe. Murrays at Whittlebury is the hotel’s fine dining restaurant. It has 2 AA Rosettes and F1 fans will enjoy looking at the restaurant’s photographs and memorabilia relating to the career of F1 commentator Murray Walker. The hotel’s Silverstone Bar also features a wide range of motorsports memorabilia.
Other hotels near Silverstone include: the Villiers Hotel in Buckingham; the Park Inn Northampton; the Holiday Inn Milton Keynes; and the Hellidon Lakes Golf and Spa Hotel in Hellidon.
Attractions near Silverstone
If you’re travelling to Silverstone to watch the British Grand Prix and want to extend your stay for a few days, there are a number of attractions in the area that you can visit. Here are details of just two of them:
- Stowe House and Landscape Gardens – built in the 18th century, Stowe House became Stowe School in 1923, but the state rooms are open to the public for part of the year. In 2010, they will be open between 12pm and 5pm on the 7th, 8th, 14th, 15th and 16th and 18th of July, so if you’re staying in the area before or after the British Grand Prix, you may be able to take a tour of them. Stowe’s beautiful landscaped gardens, which are now owned by the National Trust, are also well worth exploring. They are open between 10.30 am and 5.30pm on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays during July.
- Warwick Castle – it will only take you about 50 minutes to drive to Warwick Castle from Silverstone. The castle dates back to the Middle Ages and has had a considerable amount of restoration work done on it in recent years. You can visit the Great Hall and State Rooms, explore the castle’s “Military Zone”, scare yourself in The Castle Dungeon and take a stroll through its extensive gardens.
Image: David Stowell
Tags: British Grand Prix, Formula 1, Northamptonshire, Silverstone, Stowe House, Stowe Landscape Gardens, Towcester, Warwick Castle, Whittlebury Hall
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