The high point of the British competition ploughing season is the annual British National Ploughing Championships. Organised by the Society of Ploughmen and held at different venues each year, they are regularly contested by around 250 local ploughing champions. There are classes for conventional, reversible and horse-drawn ploughs, as well as expanding classes for vintage tractors and ploughs and vintage horticultural machinery. The Championships are also one of the few remaining events where steam ploughing equipment can still be seen at work. Probably the biggest crowd pleasers each year are the horses. Upwards of two dozen pairs of these magnificently turned out animals take spectators back to the days when farming was a quieter, gentler way of life.
There is much more to the British National Ploughing Championships than just ploughing however. Over 70 trade stands, craft stalls and working demonstrations provide a rich mixture of rural arts and crafts, and the chance to see the latest tractors and tillage equipment in action. A great occasion for all the family!
TOUR INCLUDES
- Return ferry crossings Dublin-Holyhead
- Luxury coach throughout with experienced Driver/Escort
- 3 nights hotel accommodation with dinner, bed and breakfast
- Entrance to the British National Ploughing Championships
- Visit to Cambridge Machinery Sale or Machinery Dealer &
- Farm Visit
HOTELS
Hilton Hotel, Nottingham
COST
€395 per person sharing
€69 single supplement
<< back |
ITINERARY
SATURDAY 9TH OCTOBER
After local pick ups we drive to Dublin for the ferry to Holyhead and continue across England to our hotel in Nottingham. There will be rest stops en route and we arrive in time to relax before dinner in the hotel this evening. (Dinner, B&B)
SUNDAY 10TH OCTOBER
Enjoy a full English breakfast then we set off for a day at the British National Ploughing Championships. As well as the competition ploughing we will see working demonstrations of new equipment from such companies as Same Deutz, Lamborghini and Massey Ferguson, as well as vintage and classic tractors demonstrating ploughing and cultivating. There will also be Steam Traction ploughing using the winch system with two steam traction engines. After a full day to take in all there is to see, we return to the hotel for dinner. (Dinner, B&B)
MONDAY 11TH OCTOBER
This morning we plan to attend the October Cambridge Machinery Sale at Cheffins sale grounds in Sutton, near Ely. At the time of going to press the October sale date is not finalised, so should there not be a sale today we will visit a large secondhand machinery dealer in Grantham in the morning, followed by a farm visit in the afternoon to a local agricultural contractor/ cereal farmer. (Dinner, B&B)
TUESDAY 12TH OCTOBER
We leave Nottingham this morning and return to Holyhead for the ferry to Dublin and onward transfers. |