Newmarket's Sport of Kings

1 Start at Palace House, where the tourist information centre is housed in a wing of Charles II's palace. Walk up Palace Street towards a white house with shutters. This is Nell Gwynne's House, where the King installed his favourite mistress.
Turn right along High Street towards the clock tower. Before reaching it, turn right along Rous Road, passing some attractive gabled cottages. At the end of the road, turn right into Old Station Road and walk past the Rous Memorial Cottages, formerly almshouses for retired jockeys.

2 Across the street you see Warren Hill and the famous 'gallops' where the horses train each morning. The training grounds are closed to pedestrians until 1pm each day but after this time you can follow the exercise track on the left to Moulton Road. Before 1pm, you will have to return along Old Station Road and take the alley between Nos 13 and 15, emerging on Moulton Road opposite the farriers Curtis and Sons. Turn left along Moulton Road to return to the clock tower.

3 Cross the road and walk down the right-hand side of High Street. After 200yds (183m), turn right along an alley into the Rookery shopping centre. On your left is the Bushel pub, where Charles II is thought to have attended cock fights. Bear left at the library and right across Market Place. Cross the road just beyond a relief sculpture of a horse, and bear right along The Watercourse on a horse way behind a large white house. Behind the high wall to your left is the Hastings Centre, an equine swimming pool and therapy clinic. Turn left when at a junction and climb to the top of the street. Turn left and walk downhill as far as the Methodist chapel. Cross the road here and turn right on another horse way to St Mary's Church. Bear left through the churchyard and keep straight ahead on Fitzroy Street, passing the Memorial Gardens, a theatre and a real tennis court. At the end of the street, turn left into Black Bear Lane past a large horse requisites shop opposite the entrance to Fitzroy Stables.

4 Turn right up High Street. When you reach the Cooper Memorial drinking fountain, fork right along Birdcage Walk to arrive at Newmarket Heath, with views of the Rowley Mile racecourse and Millennium Grandstand. Cross the main road to enter the cemetery and follow the path to the left, passing the chapel and leaving via the main gate. Cross Dullingham Road and walk down High Street to the next corner, where you will see Queensberry House, headquarters of the British Bloodstock Agency. Turn right and then left along a private road, passing Gibson Saddlers, suppliers of racing silks to the Queen.

5 At the foot of this road, a short detour right leads to Tattersalls, the leading equine auctioneers. Otherwise, turn left to High Street and turn right at the traffic lights. After the post office, you come to the Jockey Club, where the rules of racing are administered, and the National Horseracing Museum. Just beyond the museum, turn right towards Moons toy shop and go left along a passage to the start.