Game fair has anyone been?

[Dolomite]

Has anyone been this year, was it as good as they billed it to be?

Reading a few articles and seen a few pictures and videos from yesterday. Looking more like a show that puts the shooting and countryside sports community more under the spotlight for some very positive aspects and some negative.

 

[topcat2006]

I've been the last couple of years. Huge sections with "country pursuits" in including hunting, fishing and shooting. Seemed to be areas of the show where it was all about which stand could have more expensive items on than the other. However I would like to point out I don't take part in any of these sports so I have as much understanding as to why they were so expensive as when I look at why a baby suit can be worth £50.....

An enjoyable day out but can quickly be expensive. A better family day out is Country file live.

 

[Paddington]

Haven't been for years but used to be a good day out. Chris Packham has been banned from this years but will probably be at Countryfile live, if that helps your decision.

 

[Doing it for the kids]

Went yesterday. Very good.

No traffic, easy parking, lots of signs to show you where you are etc. once inside.

Very well organised, lots to see and do.

On the way out we noticed not a single bit of litter around. Granted a few kids were walking about picking up but us country folk are so much cleaner than our urban counterparts

 

[pycoed]

Yes, the Countryside Marches were probably the only demos in London where the place was cleaner after the demo than before!

 

[holwellcourtfarm]

Went yesterday. Very good.

No traffic, easy parking, lots of signs to show you where you are etc. once inside.

Very well organised, lots to see and do.

On the way out we noticed not a single bit of litter around. Granted a few kids were walking about picking up but us country folk are so much cleaner than our urban counterparts

Shame there's so much on the commuter roads just outside the site

I say that as a neighbour to the site!

 

[BBC]

An enjoyable day out but can quickly be expensive. A better family day out is Country file live.
[/QUOTE]

I’m sorry, but at £32 per adult and £16 for children, or £80 for a family (2+2), not forgetting the £6 for the privilege of parking there, Countryfile Live can hardly be described as cheap!

 

[Wolds Beef]

Why do you southerners get it!! I used to enjoy the Game fair when it came North to Lincolnshire/Yorkshire. We could show life existed in the North as well!!
WB

 

[HolzKopf]

Why do you southerners get it!! I used to enjoy the Game fair when it came North to Lincolnshire/Yorkshire. We could show life existed in the North as well!!
WB

You'll have to put up with a new high speed rail line between Leeds and Manchester instead - and better buses

 

[BenB]

I went on Friday, worst bit was the traffic, 3 hours to get home across 2 counties, got to love the M25 and M4! Much prefer when they have it at Ragley.

Free entry as a BASC member is great. I enjoyed the show, but it's still not a patch on the old CLA, a fraction of the size.

 

[topcat2006]

An enjoyable day out but can quickly be expensive. A better family day out is Country file live.

I’m sorry, but at £32 per adult and £16 for children, or £80 for a family (2+2), not forgetting the £6 for the privilege of parking there, Countryfile Live can hardly be described as cheap![/QUOTE]At no point did I say it was......

 

[Doing it for the kids]

I’m sorry, but at £32 per adult and £16 for children, or £80 for a family (2+2), not forgetting the £6 for the privilege of parking there, Countryfile Live can hardly be described as cheap!

At no point did I say it was......
[/QUOTE]

Countryside live is awful. There is nothing to buy there other than fair ground rides and fast food now. All the stalls felt like goldfish in a bowl last time - no one spent a £1 on anything outside the bar.

Only good thing is the interactive area where a few animals get to be prodded by kids who assumed food is born in a pack with cooking info on. Adams farm made a good effort to educate Them but the type of person that goes there looks to be very different to the game fair sadly.

 

[topcat2006]

At no point did I say it was......

Countryside live is awful. There is nothing to buy there other than fair ground rides and fast food now. All the stalls felt like goldfish in a bowl last time - no one spent a £1 on anything outside the bar.

Only good thing is the interactive area where a few animals get to be prodded by kids who assumed food is born in a pack with cooking info on. Adams farm made a good effort to educate Them but the type of person that goes there looks to be very different to the game fair sadly.[/QUOTE]Interesting you say that. We were there for the duration last year and camped.

My 12 year old and 9 year old and wife had s whale of a time and really enjoyed it.

Yes there were specific sections where timeliness was the key in order to get round before it was too busy but they would go again.

 

[Pieces_of_Eight]

I suspect the two events are aimed at completely different audiences.

The old CLA Gamefairs were enormous and spectacular, to the point of diseconomies of scale, but were very enjoyable.

The last one I went to was Belvoir Castle in 2009.

Might go again if it was within an hour's drive and a month earlier

 

[Brisel]

Why do you southerners get it!! I used to enjoy the Game fair when it came North to Lincolnshire/Yorkshire. We could show life existed in the North as well!!
WB

...Except when it got cancelled due to bad weather. The CLA lost money on all of them & lost even more when they had to cancel - in their wisdom, they didn't bother taking cancellation insurance cover.

Hatfield & Ragley seem to be ok for traffic, other than the usual problems with the M25 and Birmingham! The Hatfield site was designed to attract Londoners as there is a main line rail station within a 10 minute walk of the show site, something they've never had before.

 

[Highland Mule]

Why do you southerners get it!! I used to enjoy the Game fair when it came North to Lincolnshire/Yorkshire. We could show life existed in the North as well!!
WB

Close enough to the "North" for you?

Family Friendly Event Inverness | Moy Country Fair | Scotland

5 - 6 August 2022. The Moy Country Fair is an annual gathering in Inverness-shire that celebrates countryside pursuits.

www.moyfieldsportsfair.co.uk

 

[steveR]

Why do you southerners get it!! I used to enjoy the Game fair when it came North to Lincolnshire/Yorkshire. We could show life existed in the North as well!!
WB

Im surprised they haven't gone North again...

I had a freebie for this year, but had too much going on. However, my daughter joined BASC this year, and proceeded to go 3 days running! Her Partner's parents have a house 15m drive away which made for an easy commute ;-) Very positive reports from her, although the day on Friday was a bit wet

 

[steveR]

You'll have to put up with a new high speed rail line between Leeds and Manchester instead - and better buses

Nah... Jacob Rees Mogg is handling that project, and he is going to have a 2nd canal put in instead, as its more in keeping with his viewpoint!!

 

[steveR]

I went on Friday, worst bit was the traffic, 3 hours to get home across 2 counties, got to love the M25 and M4! Much prefer when they have it at Ragley.

Free entry as a BASC member is great. I enjoyed the show, but it's still not a patch on the old CLA, a fraction of the size.

True, but still a lot to see and more...manageable, somehow. Ragley is lovely, but crap access for leaving... I try to get away by 3.30, but rarely manage it!

 

[Chris F]

Another show this year I haven't managed to get to.