End of summer agricultural Moreton Show
I love a farm show and we’re lucky as there are plenty around us. The first Saturday in September is always Moreton Show, on the edge of the town. It’s a good sized show, easily manageable with small children, and we quite often see people we know there. This year we weren’t going to go, but then that morning, N announced we were, so we had to quickly drive there to get in before we were in the bad traffic hold ups and parked miles away.
Needless to say we were still several fields over and not far from the main road. It always seems to be such a long trek around the field and over the railway bridge to arrive at the show. Definitely one for comfy shoes rather than flip flops. Not that many wear those at agricultural shows.
We’ve generally stopped going as a family – we used to get given tickets from people we knew on stands, but it’s got really expense for a local country show. There’s no concessions pricing either, so it’s £18 for an adult on the gate, and not far off that for children. The price wasn’t stopping people going though, it was still just as busy as it always is.
Most of the show is stalls, whether general country shopping for clothes, equipment, garden furniture and decoration or other rural lifestyle products. Then there are the vehicles and agricultural stands. I managed to get N to watch some of what was in the main ring first and wander round before we had to look at tractors.
From equestrian events in the ring – show jumping and mounted games, to smaller rings with dog and duck rounding up, terrier racing and local dance groups, there’s lots to see. It’s a bit frustrating that we only found the big map of the event at one entrance we found. We didn’t see one at the entrance we came in, which meant we just meandered around, not knowing what was on in the rings until we came across a board at the ring itself. It would be much better to have a map and sign you can photograph at entry rather than having to spend a fortune on a show guide you’re never going to read.
We spent a bit of time perusing and commenting on the toy stall, watching the wall climbers and the dancers. N doesn’t like being approached by people from stands asking if he’s interested in doing their activities – it’s not really my thing either but his face is a picture of horror sometimes when random people talk to him.
There’s always lots of activities for you to try. N wanted to go on the go karts again, but at £4, it must be pretty dull for him as they don’t go fast, and it’s just round and round the circuit, the same every event we go to. Instead I managed to get him to try the archery. Much better value at £2 for 5 arrows, a bargain compared with places like castles we visit. He loved it and was so chuffed to hit the edge of the yellow bullseye and the red.
Next stop were the tractors. First the vintage displays. N isn’t always that fussed, but he loved the John Deere without tyres, and with its own hard ‘spikes’ on the wheels. And he always wonders how uncomfortable it would be sitting on the old tractors without the comfy seats from the modern versions.
Then we headed off to the tractor stands so he could find people he knows to see if they’d let him sit on their tractors. He was disappointed one stand was too busy to ask to get on the Fendt tractor, but at Murleys he’s always telling them he’s trying to persuade his dad to buy a New Holland tractor (not much chance of that), so they were happy to let their little mate sit on the biggest tractor.
N might have got bored of farming on the tractors over the summer with his dad, but he’s quite happy to do so under his own steam. He was quite partial to the small New Holland baby tractor too – seems to think he’ll be able to rip around the lawn on one like that. Fat chance!
I dragged him off to see some of the animals. I’m amazing that he never wants to look at them given he’s a farmer’s child, but he did laugh at a goat we saw having a chomp. And the cows were looking as spectacular as usual. Although N was disappointed we couldn’t spot any Simmentals.
A brief lunch of hot dog for N and toastie for me (talk about a bun fight for seats!), and we were back to the show tent to see the entries for the competitions. I do love a flower and produce tent, and Moreton Show always have some great exhibitors.
From crazy food sculptures, to floral displays, from crafts to photography. And not forgetting the giant vegetables. It was boiling in the tent and busy. I was offered some dahlias by a prize winner as I was photographing them, if I was back at closing to pick them up, but unfortunately we were heading off then. Maybe next year I’ll have to remember to try and enter the photography competition.
After the trek back to the car park field, we then spent 15 minutes looking for the car. N had got mixed up with the number row we were in so we wee looking quite a few rows away. Phew, didn’t want to be there all day untl other cars started emtying out!
We had a great time at Moreton Show again, and I’m sure we’ll be back there again in future.
Did you go to any agricultural shows over the summer?
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