Best Show / Gamefair ?

[greenshank1]

Where’s the best show of gamefair for wildfowlers and wildfowling interest ? 
I don’t mean the biggest just recommendations on good friendly shows  or fairs that have wildfowling clubs or punts or something of interest 
I was at Scone on Friday and it genuinely had absolutely nothing related to wildfowling . 

[Ferretlurcher1970]

Think the problem is it's a relatively minor field sport in the UK, shows charge a bloody fortune for a stall and is just not worth it. Tidepool is about the best for kit

[Dave at kelton]

1 hour ago, greenshank1 said:

Where’s the best show of gamefair for wildfowlers and wildfowling interest ? 
I don’t mean the biggest just recommendations on good friendly shows  or fairs that have wildfowling clubs or punts or something of interest 
I was at Scone on Friday and it genuinely had absolutely nothing related to wildfowling . 

Big problem minority sport. I was at Scone yesterday. Northern Shooting Show usually has a bit if fowling stuff as does The Gamefair (formerlyCLA) but I haven’t been to the latter since pre covid

[Ferretlurcher1970]

Couple years ago went to one show stall the size of a car footprint 900 pound, add on fuel , food etc. You really have to turn over some cash to make it worth while. Plus people go to the shows try it on, then buy off the internet.

[greenshank1]

3 hours ago, Dave at kelton said:

Big problem minority sport. I was at Scone yesterday. Northern Shooting Show usually has a bit if fowling stuff as does The Gamefair (formerlyCLA) but I haven’t been to the latter since pre covid

Is the Norrhern Shooting show better than Scone ?

[Dave at kelton]

19 minutes ago, greenshank1 said:

Is the Norrhern Shooting show better than Scone ?

Certainly for shooting stalls. Don’t have the displays in the central arena, or fishing, but it does what it says on the tin. I like it.

[Gerry78]

My friend went to the game fare last week at Shanes castle just outside Belfast he informed me it was a disgrace not one gun stall no Wildfowling clubs More interested in selling cars,windows etc thankfully I didn’t go Greenshank I regret to say do agree with some of the posts Wildfowling minority sport in fieldsports community but I still love it 

[greenshank1]

10 hours ago, Gerry78 said:

My friend went to the game fare last week at Shanes castle just outside Belfast he informed me it was a disgrace not one gun stall no Wildfowling clubs More interested in selling cars,windows etc thankfully I didn’t go Greenshank I regret to say do agree with some of the posts Wildfowling minority sport in fieldsports community but I still love it 

Yes 

Scone is still a good day but it had Bentleys and old E types and hot tubs for sale 😂

 

 

 

[Gerry78]

1 hour ago, greenshank1 said:

Yes 

Scone is still a good day but it had Bentleys and old E types and hot tubs for sale 😂

 

 

 

😭😭

[nic]

used to be the West of Englands show was good with about 4/5 club stands plus tide pool and chris green giving demos.... lost since covid though

 

[marsh man]

Not much help to greenshank due to the distance involved but our two fairly local ones have a large tent run by the Fenland Wildfowlers , one I went to at Holkham Game And Country Fair had one of the finest display of Punt Guns you are ever likely to come across , another good one was The Fenland Fair , this one also had a wildfowling tent and in the display ring they had a gun dog competition against most , if not all the fowling clubs in East Anglia

Now I find the one at Sandringham cover all my needs , easy to get to , lovely clean grounds , not to big and not to small , entry fee not to bad and free car parking .

[greenshank1]

23 hours ago, marsh man said:

Not much help to greenshank due to the distance involved but our two fairly local ones have a large tent run by the Fenland Wildfowlers , one I went to at Holkham Game And Country Fair had one of the finest display of Punt Guns you are ever likely to come across , another good one was The Fenland Fair , this one also had a wildfowling tent and in the display ring they had a gun dog competition against most , if not all the fowling clubs in East Anglia

Now I find the one at Sandringham cover all my needs , easy to get to , lovely clean grounds , not to big and not to small , entry fee not to bad and free car parking .

They sound perfect 👍 hope you enjoy them .  

[Manish]

Marsh man I know fenland wildfowlers will have a stand at Sandringham. I helped out on the stand yesterday at the Cambridge ****ry fair. Had a few antis that made me chuckle they get all wound up when you keep calm. I'll see you at Sandringham mate

[marsh man]

8 hours ago, Manish said:

Marsh man I know fenland wildfowlers will have a stand at Sandringham. I helped out on the stand yesterday at the Cambridge ****ry fair. Had a few antis that made me chuckle they get all wound up when you keep calm. I'll see you at Sandringham mate

Nice one Manish , I have never been to the Cambridge Fair , is it a new one ? , I did hear the old Fenland Game Fair have called it a day , I used to go to that one every year and found it a very friendly and compacted fair , same as the one at Holkham , that started off alright but as the years went on it started to fall to pieces , now I believe it is back to every two years .

All the best    MM

[Pushandpull]

The final Holkham Fair was in 2020. It was once THE place to go in Norfolk, although every two years, before the other shows started. When Andrew Cuthbert stopped running it, things changed. Those who were fortunate enough to attend the Friday night supper in the Wells WA tent beside the lake, with big guns etc. provided by John Yates and the late Mike Townsend, will have special memories. Quy (Fenland) Fair was again largely the work of one man, Malcolm Hall, and he is very old now - we all have to stop some time. John Humphreys was a great front man, and when not commentating used to walk about like the squire of Bottisham, chatting to everyone. When you got up for your your tea and bacon sandwich on Sunday morning there were always cocks crowing on site, which made it feel very "country".

[marsh man]

4 hours ago, Pushandpull said:

The final Holkham Fair was in 2020. It was once THE place to go in Norfolk, although every two years, before the other shows started. When Andrew Cuthbert stopped running it, things changed. Those who were fortunate enough to attend the Friday night supper in the Wells WA tent beside the lake, with big guns etc. provided by John Yates and the late Mike Townsend, will have special memories. Quy (Fenland) Fair was again largely the work of one man, Malcolm Hall, and he is very old now - we all have to stop some time. John Humphreys was a great front man, and when not commentating used to walk about like the squire of Bottisham, chatting to everyone. When you got up for your your tea and bacon sandwich on Sunday morning there were always cocks crowing on site, which made it feel very "country".

Reading your post brought back many happy memories from the early ( local ) game and country fairs , we used to go to Holkham every year and after a while I believe it was every two years , I can well remember Andrew Cuthbert running around with his plus fours on with the bright Red socks , these were also worn by his top helpers , time moved on and it began to go downhill with stalls and stands that had little country connections .

We also went to the Fenland and if I am right the very early ones were at a different venue to the later ones , I liked the smell of the old belt driven Ransons combine harvester and the dust going everywhere around the area , one year on the Fenland W A stand they had Douglas Mc Dougall who wrote Goose Fever talking about his trips up north with BB , at the time he looked poorly with part of his leg missing , come to think of it I might have got mixed up with him being at Holkham on the Fenland stand , no doubt you will put me right , I went to the Fenland just after John Humphries died and his photo was on the front cover of catalogue , as you say he would have a yarn with anyone , I asked him once about when he brought his band on the Broads , his ole eyes light up and I think the memories made his day , Happy times indeed . 

[enfieldspares]

I used to go to Weston Park. I went last time for free. And thought that too much money to have paid.

[Pushandpull]

Holkham Fair didn't actually start at Holkham, but up the road at Bayfield Park (I was there) before the previous Earl Leicester invited Mr. Cuthbert to move to his back garden.  Fenland were not there in the earlies, but took over the "pigeon shy" from Norwich WA more recently, then had a small stand.

Malcolm Hall and John Plant (I think) started the Fenland Fair up the road at Swaffham Prior before moving to Stow-***-Quy. I recall that Fenland WA had quite a lot of folk back then getting in touch because they thought we were running it. I think the club were there every year, including back in the day being asked to open proceedings by firing a punt gun in the main arena - provided by Houseboat who used to post here.

I rather think you would have seen Douglas McDougall at Holkham, as he had no contacts in FWA to my knowledge but did know John Yates, mentioned above, who lived in the same village.

Hope this gets the history right !

[Manish]

On 08/08/2022 at 21:40, marsh man said:

Nice one Manish , I have never been to the Cambridge Fair , is it a new one ? , I did hear the old Fenland Game Fair have called it a day , I used to go to that one every year and found it a very friendly and compacted fair , same as the one at Holkham , that started off alright but as the years went on it started to fall to pieces , now I believe it is back to every two years .

All the best    MM

We were the only shooting related stand there. I have a feeling it might get better as time goes on but given the fact that you get liberal middle class white people that tell ethnic minorities such as my self how I should feel then scream about equality going there you might not get as many shooting related stands. Who knows .

Anyway im looking forward to Sandringham

[Big Mat]

I always liked the Fenland Game fair, I'd been visiting since I was a kid. Its a shame it went, especially as it nearly always fell on my mums birthday so I could take her out for the day 😂 

I thought Sandringham was abit pants last year, we'll see if it's any better this year. 

[marsh man]

On 09/08/2022 at 14:45, Pushandpull said:

Holkham Fair didn't actually start at Holkham, but up the road at Bayfield Park (I was there) before the previous Earl Leicester invited Mr. Cuthbert to move to his back garden.  Fenland were not there in the earlies, but took over the "pigeon shy" from Norwich WA more recently, then had a small stand.

Malcolm Hall and John Plant (I think) started the Fenland Fair up the road at Swaffham Prior before moving to Stow-***-Quy. I recall that Fenland WA had quite a lot of folk back then getting in touch because they thought we were running it. I think the club were there every year, including back in the day being asked to open proceedings by firing a punt gun in the main arena - provided by Houseboat who used to post here.

I rather think you would have seen Douglas McDougall at Holkham, as he had no contacts in FWA to my knowledge but did know John Yates, mentioned above, who lived in the same village.

Hope this gets the history right !

Many THANKS for the update , at 75 my memory is not as sharp as in the past , now I only remember what I want to as there is very little room left in the memory box for the run of the mill memories .

Houseboat could have been the chap I had a yarn with when he had his double punt on display outside one of the stands , he said it was 24 ft long , easily the biggest one I had seen , he told me it need to be that big as he was often in the North sea and it can get a bit rough out there as I can well imagine for a gun punt as I spent a while with Offshore Marine on one of there supply boats in all the weather conditions , he also said he had a rescue helicopter hover above him once to see if he needed any help , I wished him luck and to make sure he kept his head above water .