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Fenland Fair - Stow c-u-m Quy


Old Boggy
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Does anyone attend this ? 

We have been going for the last 10 or so years and can fully recommend it for a good day out. It's not massive by Game Fair standards but is original, has plenty to occupy the kids with the clay line, archery and air rifle plinking, plus there is a small funfair for those so inclined. No gunmakers row but plenty of stands to interest pigeon shooters, fishermen plus gun dog scurries etc. Oh and there is a popular bar serving Greene King beer and my particular favourite, Adnams Broadside. 

Well worth a visit in my view.

OB

Not sure why the word C-U-M was originally edited out, it is after all Latin for the word 'with'. 

Shouldn't have to spell out words using hyphens, but hey, that's this PC world for you !!

Edited by Old Boggy
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I enjoy the Fenland show. It doesn't have as much shopping as the Countryman fairs - Kelmarsh felt like mostly shops this year - but it has pretty much everything else. I take my family on the Monday, shoot the clays, maybe help out at the Shotgun & Chelsea Bun Club tent. We like the displays and the old fashioned fun fair. My dad likes to walk around the old vehicles. Another couple of years and I'll be able to give you a tour of them myself! No boot sale so far as know. Check out the stoat racing !

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9 hours ago, TIGHTCHOKE said:

Looks interesting, although it is another of the chain of country fairs and will be more like a boot fair.

Such a shame you have to pay £12:50 to get in, whereas most boot fairs are about 50p!

Not quite like a boot fair Tightchoke. I`ve yet to visit a boot fair where you can participate in clay pigeon shooting, archery, fly casting practice, air rifle plinking and visit stands of interest to wildfowlers, pigeon shooters, fishermen, stickmakers etc. etc. along with many interesting demonstrations in the two arenas.

Give it a go Tightchoke, you may just enjoy it. Not sure whether `Way out in the fields` is local to Cambridgeshire though.

I must admit that the entrance fee does seem to have increased this year. Thought it was £9 last year. Still worth it in my opinion.

OB

Edited by Old Boggy
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hello, i much prefer these shows but very seldom have one in the VALE area,   as a side note  many years ago at a similar fair i met a nice chap stick dresser/ maker, he used what is known as bog oak, long buried oak trees were coming to the surface almost black and although very hard to cut and carve  he made some wonderfull sticks, is this bog oak still being found Fenland members ??

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It is a good fair far more country orientated than some and far smaller. I go most years and thoroughly enjoy it.

If you like to dabble at the clays, clay snooker, pool shoot with payouts every couple of hours, usually a flush stand for pairs and a 40 bird sporting. Last year they built a platform to shoot down on a low going away clay and a rabbit pair as well as sitting on a bale in a hide pigeon decoying, so they put in some effort to make it a bit more than the normal. There was also some laser shooting as well as the black powder boys. Cartridges are available on the day.

The main show ring usually has the hounds, birds of prey, gun dog demos - it also had a deer tracking demo last year as well as carriage driving - always something going on. BASC and BDS were there. BASC had there ever popular taste of game tent with venison cookery and deer butchery demos.

As said not too many stalls selling things but if you need a new coat or cartridge bag you will usually find something.

Couple all of that with meeting old friends and the day soon goes by. 

Getting out at the end of the day usually takes about 20 minutes so not bad.

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7 hours ago, oldypigeonpopper said:

hello, i much prefer these shows but very seldom have one in the VALE area,   as a side note  many years ago at a similar fair i met a nice chap stick dresser/ maker, he used what is known as bog oak, long buried oak trees were coming to the surface almost black and although very hard to cut and carve  he made some wonderfull sticks, is this bog oak still being found Fenland members ??

Yes, I have got a stick made from bog oak from the Fens which I bought at the Fenland Fair about 8 years ago made by a stickmaker by the name of Towner. Apparently the bog oak is supposed to be about 6 to 8 thousand years old and you would think that it would be fossilised but it still very flexible. The late John Humphreys, who I knew quite well, showed me a glass topped table/ display cabinet that he had made from bog oak that graced his living room and housed lots of shooting related ephemera. It certainly was/is a cracking display.

I think that that they are still dredging bog oak up, but perhaps someone more local would confirm that.

OB

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As an aside, if anyone is interested and is attending the Fenland and is not in possession of a game book, I can fully recommend 'The Country Sportsman's Record Book & Journal' conceived by the late John Humphreys and recently reissued by his widow Angela. This is beautifully illustrated by John Paley with little quotes and anecdotes featured on each page. In my view, everyone should record their days in the field and this is the perfect way to do it. Copies are being sold by Denis Moules who can be found on the pike fishing stand near the river at the Fenland. I think that they are selling for about £34 which sounds expensive but well worth it for the illustrations alone. 

I bought a copy in 2001 and wished I'd started one sooner.

If anyone would like a copy and is not attending, I can always buy the odd one and post it on. 

OB

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from not been for about 10yrs  for health reasons from memory a cracking weekend traction engines shire horses and  Suffolk punches etc  vintage tractors steam engines stationary engines vintage cars etc   40 bird clay shoot  food stalls to die for etc   loads to see for everyone  not a car boot highly recommended  loads to see and do from some one on a three and a half  hour round trip and if I can make it this year ill be there  down to earth country fayre

??

Edited by Saltings
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On ‎17‎/‎08‎/‎2018 at 19:10, Wymondley said:

I'll be there, I've been the last few years and found it a great day out.

We shot  the clays last year, only  40 birds but some good stands.  I fancy a go on the black powder guns this  year if the queues aren't too long.

So, definitely worth  going.

 

Hope you manage to try a black powder gun most likely it is a branch of the MLAGB  who are really sociable guys .Shooting a muzzle loader  is not has  bad  has it looks it is a good sport 

Feltwad

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Well we're already down here for the wk end and doing the fair tomorrow looks like we're going to get wet.  It's all part ov the day looking forward to it

3 minutes ago, moxey said:

Well we're already down here for the wk end and doing the fair tomorrow looks like we're going to get wet.  It's all part ov the day looking forward to it

Ps is ther a shooters car park. Please 

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Guest topshot_2k

We've been going for the last few years, its a good show and has plenty to offer. Clay shooting is usually 40bird sporting, two man flush and clay snooker. Plenty of trade stands and displays to look around too.

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Very wet there today so attendance was predictably down.

Still, had a good time and did reasonably well on the clays considering it was chucking it down when we shot.

Missed out on the muzzle loaders again!

I think the  weather should be better for those going tomorrow.

 

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A lousy expensive 40 bird clay shoot , no pool shoot, a moderately entertaining 2 person flurry, loads of stuff not to buy, an interesting game cooking demonstration and to top it all off £12:50 to park the car and £12:50 for my passenger!

I will take my own advice next time I even consider going to one of these awful set ups.

Edited by TIGHTCHOKE
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I thought it was a great clay shoot - probably because I had a lucky day and hit more than usual, I agree the set up was a lot less interesting than last year. Also scored more on the snooker than I usually do as sorted out the reds a bit better. Met lots of friends and enjoyed some of the displays in the main ring, all in all a good day out will probably go again next year.

Going to the Hoxne charity clay shoot next Saturday as still need more of a warm up for the game season.

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