A Sunday at Ham Polo Club, the picnic version

Day Guide · England · London

By Kat · 23 August 2026

“Do you wanna go see some people hit some balls around on a horse?” That was the pitch to my mates for Ham Polo Club, in Richmond. It’s been on my bucket list since I came across it about twelve years ago.

Think of it as the races, but way cheaper. Getting properly dressed up with your friends is not something you get to do often and this is the excuse: get fancy, sit on a lawn with a picnic and a bottle and watch some sport. Girls in dresses, boys in suits, the whole lawn has made the effort and it’s £25 a ticket.

Plan the picnic like you mean it, because it’s half the day. Bread from Lockdown Bakehouse, a feta and pistachio dip, easy but high quality and something sparkling to open the second you sit down. Mine was a Chapel Down sparkling rosé, everyone cheersed and we took photos before the first chukka.

Then stay for the polo, which is the bit you don’t expect to love. Ours was a championship: four matches of about an hour each from 12:30, breaks and a bit of ceremony between, running till about six. It’s faster than you think, the commentators are hilarious and at half time everyone’s up off the blankets stomping divots back into the pitch. I was yelling.

Give yourself the whole morning, because making it all fresh takes longer than you think. I’d done the shopping the day before, was up early to pull it together and still ran late because of the effort. Gates open at 11 and you want to be settled before the first match at 12:30.

The season runs May to September. If you’re reading this in the off season, put it on next summer’s list. It’s already on mine.

What to wear

Go properly. A dress for the girls, linen or a shirt with dress trousers and proper shoes for the boys. The photos come out better for it. Some people got away with shorts on the grass, but the Clubhouse has its own dress code, so dress for it from the start if you want in later. Overdressed beats underdressed every time.

The receipt, if you want it: the pink Sophie Dress with Gold Fleck. Right at home in the Clubhouse, a little much on the picnic side. I felt really pretty, which was the point.

Before you go

Get there before the first match, because the lawn fills fast. I turned up after it and only had a spot because my friends held one. Then pack for a hot day of sitting still.

• Sunscreen. Slip, slop, slap is the slogan every Australian grew up with: slip on a shirt, slop on sunscreen, slap on a hat.
• Water for the day. Plenty of it, the lawn is hot.
• A hat for the sun side. A shawl too if your shoulders want covering later.
• Something to keep it all cold. Ice blocks, an esky, wine sleeves all work. I had a cooler bag with some ice and it wasn’t enough in the heat.
• Picnic blankets. No one’s sitting on the bare grass. Some people brought folding chairs, I didn’t want the effort of carrying them.
• The picnic and the wine, which get their own section below.

Getting there and the gate, 11:00

Train or tube to Richmond, then a bus or a short Uber. Driving is fine too, parking’s free and you can picnic beside the car. We had no car between us, so it was an Uber to the gate. My friends did it cheaper on the train.

Be settled by 12:30. We rolled up at 12:34 to a full lawn and got away with it, because the final was running late and my friends had held a spot under the Argentinian flag, one of them being Argentinian. Don’t count on either the late start or the held spot.

Pick your side before play starts, because you stay put once it does. Take the shady side if you can get it. We sat in the sun and it was properly hot all afternoon.

The polo itself, 12:30

The final’s due at 12:30, the sub final at 2, then club matches into the afternoon with the timings called over the commentary. Ours was the Roehampton Cup, Great Britain’s oldest polo trophy per the club’s own site. You’ll be shouting by the second match. It’s faster than you realise live and the commentators don’t stop.

Get out on the pitch at half time for divot stomping. Put the turf back down with your feet, everyone does it and it takes a few minutes. I did mine in sandals and a dress.

Stay for the presentation on a finals day. We saw the Roehampton Cup winners up with the trophy. The score is the one thing I cannot tell you, for reasons the Pivot explains.

The picnic and the wine, about 13:30

You carry what you bring, so plan the load as well as the menu. I’d packed quite a picnic and the guys met me at the entrance to help carry it.

Six bottles between the group, kept cold, was the right number. Ours:

• A Provence rosé
• A pinot grigio rosato
• A Marlborough sauvignon blanc
• A Chapel Down English sparkling rosé
• An Alsace pinot noir
• A Californian pinot noir

Bring the picnic out during the second match. Ours was ham, cheddar, pickle and chutney; pesto chicken, mozzarella and tomato; brie, fig and rocket, on Lockdown Bakehouse sourdough, plus the dip, cheese, crackers and olives. Hundred percent recommend.

Budget for the picnic, not just the ticket. About £45 a person got us all the wine, the Clubhouse bottles too, my figure from memory. Go potluck or bring your own, it flexes to whatever your group wants. Unlike travelling, the cost isn’t fixed.

The Clubhouse, about 16:00

Don’t plan on the Clubhouse, but say yes if it happens. We thought we only had picnic tickets, so the plan was the last match then home or a pub. Then someone in a little buggy came round inviting the picnic guests in after the last official game and kept coming back to remind us, which was kinda funny.

Inside is proper shade, live music and a bar, exactly what you want after a couple of hours in the sun. We had two more bottles in there, including a Corbarol rosé at £32. There’s a bar and food trucks on the other side too, though we’d brought enough.

For the full version, a Clubhouse Day Pass is £70 a person and tables need booking by the Wednesday before.

The finish, 19:00

Plan for a full day, there’s no rushing off once the last match ends. We were still on site into the evening, then an Uber home, the whole group wine soft.

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