My first time attending Ladies Day at Royal Ascot did not disappoint. It was the ideal day – sun was shining, trains were running on time, I'd had multiple compliments on my dress within 10 minutes of leaving the house, and soon joined many other well-dressed ladies and gents, all excitedly bound for a day at the races.
I couldn't have asked for a better first experience, particularly from a weather point-of-view – I would highly recommend it as the most fun day to spend with friends and family. But while it was an ideal day, there were a few things, had I known before going, that would have made it a little less stressful and all the more enjoyable – all of which I've shared below in the hope it helps anyone planning a visit.
1. Horse racing fan or not, you’ll enjoy it
Ladies Day at Royal Ascot has been on my bucket list for a long time, but not from a horse racing point of view. For me it's all about a fun day out with friends and family - but would Royal Ascot deliver that if you're not a fan of horses?
The short answer is yes.
I wasn't sure what to expect - would it be too crowded, take ages to get a drink, place a bet - be a nightmare to see anything? I'm pleased to say it was none of the above. The experience overall was so varied - from having a drink in the most beautiful-looking, amazing-for-people-watching settings and coming up close and personal to the monarch in the Royal Parade, to the infectious excitement of the crowd cheering on their bets as the horses whizz down the track and live music with a Royal Ascot cocktail to finish off the day – this is so much more than 'watching the racing'.
And if you're into fashion - my goodness, you are in for a treat. Everyone looks and feels amazing – it's just the best atmosphere. And one I will now be soaking up every year for years to come. If you haven't been yet, I would highly recommend it.
2. It is huge
First thing that struck me about Ascot was its size - this place is huge. And while that might seem obvious, I genuinely wasn't ready for the scale of this place. Where the public can access the racetrack felt like a fraction of it's size overall – the grounds surrounding it are far bigger than I expected.
The venue is set up in a way to help people have space, and it works. Does it still feel busy, yes, but not to the point where I felt uncomfortable – and I never waited longer than a few minutes to get a drink.
This is a good thing if you visit on a particularly busy day like I did on Ladies Day as people really spread out. But even if you stay mostly in one place, there's a lot of walking involved – to get to the track, the bar, the toilet, food etc – so flat shoes (even for the journey home) are a must.
I wore some Nobody's Child espadrille wedges at the start of the day, and switched into a pair of Fairfax & Favor Brancaster sandalswhen I started becoming aware of the balls of my feet. I also took both as I simply couldn't choose between the two – they both looked beautiful with my outfit, and fitted the event perfectly.
3. Flip flops are available
If you're planning to wear heels, trust me when I say at some point during the day you will want to switch to flats. Even in the most comfortable wedges or heeled shoes, it's a long day on your feet and you're going to want to feel that 'ahh' moment of taking them off well before you get home.
If your bag size doesn't allow for a change of footwear, there are shops in the Queen Anne and Windsor Enclosure (the latter of which is accessible to everyone) where you can buy flip flops for £10. I visited the shop around 5pm and they had sold out hours before. The very kind shop assistant I spoke to advised buying them sooner rather than later if you think you're going to need them.
However, it is also worth noting when I left the grounds to go back to the train station, there were multiple people on the streets outside selling flip flops for £5 – so even if you can get some inside the venue, you shouldn't have to suffer all the way home.
My Royal Ascot outfit
Being new to fascinators, I wanted something quite minimal and easy to wear for my first Royal Ascot outing. And this beautiful piece from Accessorize really fit the bill - it looks so much more expensive than its modest price tag. It was easy to take on and off throughout the day if I want to adjust, and it wasn't so big it hindered my view of anything (or anyone else's, hopefully).
I wore this absolutely beautiful cross-back Nobody's Child midi dress and I cannot tell you how many complements I got on it throughout the day - starting at the train station first thing in the morning. It's simple elegance, with the cross back giving it a surprise element of detail – perfect for a sunny day at Ascot.
These timeless shoes have become one of summer wardrobe staples. The neutral colour means they work with so many outfit variations, the soft sheep leather makes them really comfortable to slip my toes in and there was zero bruising or blisters
I opted for this beautiful shell detail clutch to carry my essentials around in on the day. It fit everything I needed - phone, purse, lip gloss, powder foundation, phone charger - with ease. The texture of the shells elevated my simple dress and shoes, and went perfectly with my ivory fascinator.
I started the day wearing wedges, but switched to my go-to occasion footwear - the Brancaster sandals - for the latter part of the day to save my feet and style. These finely crafted sandals are truly a thing of beauty, and complemented the neutrals tones of my accessories beautifully.
With the temperature in the early 30s, I did need a jacket for Ascot. But I did have this stunning piece from the Poppy Delevingne collection at Nobody's Child on standby if I had. The yellow and white complemented my dress and accessories well, and the intricate embroidery would elevate even the most casual of looks.
Must-have Royal Ascot accessories
For just under £8, you get six pairs of heel protector in 3 different sizes to cover a variety of shoe sizes. These simple items feature a practical anti-slip design, not only keeping you safe from sinking (and falling over), but also your shoes from potential damage. They also work wonders for reducing the noise of heels on concrete too, should you want to.
If I had been prepared properly, I would have taken along one of these cooling handheld fans to Royal Ascot. If its warm, this is an essential item with so much of the day''s events outside. If you want one with more features and settings, I put 4 handheld fans on Amazon to the test, with surprising results.
For an extra phone juice boost, this little Anker portable charger is ideal. As chargers go, it's one of the smallest, and is much more likely to fit in a small clutch bag without too much hassle. This little gadget was an essential for me to capture all the highlights and memories of the day.
4. It's very exposed
The occasion of Royal Ascot saw me looking at all manner of beautiful outfits to possibly wear - including this knockout deep green Reiss suit – and while this is absolutely the place to go all out with your individual style, it's vital to pay attention to the weather too.
Royal Ascot has been particularly hot this year. It was a little over 30 degrees on Ladies' Day, and it was sweltering - which wasn't the best wearing a very light coloured dress. Outside the front of the grounds, there is very little in the way of shade, and so wearing something cool that had a lot of coverage was vital.
The area where the Royal Procession takes place there is little to no shade, and to get to a good view you need to be there at least an hour before as it fills up quickly. So depending on what the weather is doing, be prepared to be out in the elements for a good period of time, and pack accordingly.
When I visited, lots of people were much more prepared than me and had their very own handheld fan - it was the must-have accessory of Royal Ascot this year.
5. Avoid the photo queues
As I walked into the Queen Anne enclosure I was immediately greeted with a Royal Ascot sign, beautifully decorated and designed for people to have their picture taken infront of. Keen not to miss my moment, I joined what was a significant queue of people wanting to do the same. It moved fairly quickly, but I was there for a good 10 minutes in one of the most exposed parts of the venue, in 30 degree heat.
Happy to finally get my photo, I continued exploring the grounds, only to find another sign just a minute away, and another, and another. And a few were nicer than the original one I had taken a photo with and so I was left with the dilemma as to whether to queue again.
It's easy to get swept up with the crowd and the excitement when you first get in. But I would encourage anyone going to first have a wander of the grounds and take a look at all the photo opportunities, on offer to help minimise queueing.
You might want to do all of them as part of the experience, just bare in mind you'll be lucky to find one, certainly at the start of the day, without a large queue of people wanting to do the same. Alternatively, wait until early evening when people are otherwise occupied or leaving as the queues were significantly shorter then.
6. Where to spot a famous face
Royal Ascot is renowned for attracting famous faces. And while there are VIP areas, I saw a lot of celebrities among the crowds in the first few hours of the gates opening. Various press outlets were set up just inside the gates and waiting for celebrities to wander by to speak to. Lady Victory Hervey and ITV's Charlotte Hawkins were just a couple among the crowds on Ladies' Day this year.
Each day Royal Ascot has special trophy presenters - Jerry Hall and Ralph Fiennes were at Ladies Day 2025 – and it wouldn't be a surprise to see them throughout the grounds too. My experience was everyone was very happy to chat and have photos taken, so if you're into a bit of celeb spotting - this is a good place to people watch, especially first thing.
7. Don't sink in the grass
If you want to get up close to all the action, you can't avoid walking on grass, which, if you've got a skinny heel on is potentially going to be a problem. I watched a couple of women having their photo taken on the grass, and one being caught before falling mid snap as her shoe sunk into the mud.
Good news is there's an easy, cost-effective way to solve this problem – a clever heel trick we first saw on Zara Tindall last year. The King's niece wore these simple high heel protectors while walking on the grass, instantly solving the problem.
7. There is free bag storage
I have been caught out before on long days out like this, opting for what I thought would be comfy heels, only to end up in agony by the end of the day. Travelling to the event on the train, I didn't have the option to store a change of clothes and shoes in the car so I wanted to take some with for the journey home.
There are cloakrooms available at the Royal, Prince Anne, Windsor and Village enclosures, which are open until 21:00 and offer lockers to store any belongings you don't want to carry around all day – at no extra cost. I packed a little clutch inside my bigger bag, transferred what I needed for the day, and left all the other items secure until I picked them up on departure.
8. Consider a portable charger
This will really depend on how heavy your phone use is, but if, like me, you get caught up taking multiple photos of, well, everything, you might want to consider taking a small portable phone charger. Even on the journey up to the event I was taking pictures, messaging people etc, so by the time I got there I was already down to 70 percent. And it wasn't long after my 'low battery' notification popped up.
I would have missed at least half the day in photos, not to mention not having my phone to check train times home, without the portable charger I took. If you can fit one in, I'd highly recommend it.
9. Getting there
If you're planning to travel to Ascot by train, it's worth noting the approx 10-minute walk from the station to the racecourse isn't the easiest. There are shuttle buses for anyone with mobility difficulties, but they are small and were very busy, so be prepared to wait if this is something you might need.
There is a fairly lengthy and steep hill to walk up to the Queen Anne Enclosure, which is something to consider if you're not able to walk easily.
