63rd British National
Ploughing Championships
Llanwarne, near Hereford,
Herefordshire, HR2 8JH
12th & 13th October 2013
By kind permission of Mrs I E
Williams & Family
More
than 230 top ploughmen from all over
Britain
will compete this autumn in the 2013 British National Ploughing Championships
at Llanwarne, near Hereford
by kind permission of Mrs I E Williams and family.
Two
busy days - Saturday and Sunday, October 12th and 13th - will be packed with
competitions for many types of plough and styles of ploughing, and will climax
when the two top ploughmen are selected to represent
England
at the 2014 World
Ploughing Contest in France next year.
The
site, which is located approximately 8 miles south of Hereford (on the A466
Hereford to Monmouth trunk road) covers 200 acres and has
excellent facilities for competitors and public, with easy access by road and
plenty of car parking space. Main
sponsors of the Championships are Goodyear and Firestone, and we expect
upwards of 15,000 spectators spread over the two days of the Championships.
The
Championships are returning to Herefordshire for the first time in
twenty-seven years and we
are delighted to be invited back to the county this year. Already the
Championships have attracted considerable interest in the immediate area and
surrounding counties and we are looking forward to a first class event.
Visitors
will see not only the highly skilled competition ploughing and an extensive
trade stand area but also attractions such as vintage tractors, ploughs and
equipment; steam ploughing engines; a craft marquee with
a wide variety of stands; and demonstrations of the latest tractors, farm
machinery and equipment under working conditions.
On
the first day the ploughmen will compete in two classes: reversible and
conventional. Those who qualify will
go through to the finals on the second day to find the two national champions.
The first day also sees the final of the National Young Farmers' Ploughing
Championships, the David Brown Ploughing Championship, horticultural (or garden
tractors), high cut tractor ploughing and horse ploughing.
On
the second day, lovers of classic machinery and equipment will enjoy three
classes for vintage tractor ploughing - with trailing ploughs, hydraulic ploughs
and classic ploughs - and
75 area champions competing for the honour of being the British Vintage
Champion Ploughman and going on to represent England in the European Vintage
Ploughing Championships next year. There will also be horse ploughing, the Ferguson
Ploughing Championship, horticultural ploughing and high cut tractor ploughing.
One
of the major “family” attractions will be the horse ploughing with around a
dozen pairs of heavy horses at work each day.
Magnificently turned out with ornate brass and leather harness, these
true farm ‘workhorses’ will be seen competing to produce the best general
purpose ploughing on the first day and the stylish traditional ‘high cut’
work on the second day.
There
is a unique vintage display this year, themed "From Potato to Crisp"
which will show various machinery used for potatoes over the years and also will
include (weather permitting), lifting potatoes and making them into
crisps. Potatoes were planted by local school children earlier in the year
so they can learn about the process of how they get into the packet.
Admission to the event is £10 per day for adults, £5 per day for children
over 11, free of charge for children under 11. Free car park.
Full catering facilities are on site for sit down meals or mobile
outlets. Also licensed bar.
Dogs are allowed, but must be kept on a lead at all times.
Location
of the site - please click link to Google Maps
Main sponsors of the 2013 event are:
With further support from:
EVENTS PROGRAMME
FRIDAY 11th
OCTOBER
7.30
pm Service of Dedication and Blessing of the
Plough
at Llanwarne Parish Church
SATURDAY
12th OCTOBER
9.00
am Machinery
demonstrations begin
Parade of competitors
(classes 1, 2, 3A, 3B, 4A, 4B & 7)
9.30 am Horse
ploughing commences (class 6)
10.00 am Tractor ploughing
commences (classes 1, 2, 3A, 3B, 4A, 4B, 5, 7 and 8)
(10.20 – 11 am Halt whilst
split openings are judged)
2.00
pm Tractor ploughing ends
(classes 1, 2, 3A, 3B, 4A, 4B, 7 & 8)
3.30 pm Horse and
High Cut tractor ploughing ends (classes 5 & 6)
5.00 pm Machinery
demonstrations finish
Announcement of results and
presentation of trophies (approximate time)
5.30
pm Close down
SUNDAY
13th OCTOBER
9.00 am Machinery
demonstrations begin
9.30 am Horse
ploughing commences (class 13)
9.45 am Parade
of National Championship Finalists and competitors in classes 10, 11 & 15)
10.00 am Short Service at
Society of Ploughmen Headquarters
High Cut tractor ploughing commences (class 12)
10.30 am Tractor ploughing
commences (classes 9, 10, 11, 14 & 15)
11.00 am National
Plough-Off Finals commence
(
11.20 – 12 pm
Halt whilst split openings are
judged)
3.00 pm National
Plough-Off Finals end
3.30 pm Horse
and vintage ploughing ends (classes 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 & 15)
5.00 pm Machinery
demonstrations finish
Announcement of results and presentation of trophies (approximate time)
5.30 pm Close
down
