Not what it was.

[Kingnewport]

Been going for years and again this year, i think its getting smaller and the going the way the CLA ran it. Charging people far to much for stalls and the Internet. Back 10 years ago it was brilliant but no so much now . Was probably there for 4 hours and left .

 

[Flash G 74]

Hello, A friend always went to the Frampton Fair, A true Country day out, September 14 th this year

 

[Koenig]

Agreed, the Stalking Show is good in my opinion, but I don’t bother with the others anymore.

Bargains used to be had, sadly I think extortionate pitch fees have seen the end of them, poor parking with disinterested students as marshals, then rows of tat with knock off chinese chainsaws and hot tubs give everything a dodgy car boot aura. Even county shows have gone the same

 

[VSS]

Hello, A friend always went to the Frampton Fair, A true Country day out, September 14 th this year

I have heard that that is a nice event.

 

[Flash G 74]

I have heard that that is a nice event.

Hello, I have never been but my friend use to help on the stand of local Wildfowlers, If anyone thinking to go in the Abingdon area happy to cover costs

 

[8x57]

Hello, A friend always went to the Frampton Fair, A true Country day out, September 14 th this year

I've only been to Frampton the once and that was several years ago. Not a huge country fair but all the family enjoyed the day.
I was really looking forward to seeing the punt gun fire but unfortunately it was only a single puny shot, so a bit of an anti-climax after the huge build up they gave it.

weston park late 80,s and 90,s, was a fantastic weekend, park where you wanted, £1 for hog barm with loads of onions and crackling, brilliant great stalls selling everything for us, at great prices, then taken over by the pikeys doing there early xmas shopping, then a fairground, it went downhill rapid, last time i went i was on my way home in less than an hour, i think organizers and a few traders got greedy, in the end nobody had anything for sale, its like going in your local gunshop and they charge you £30 to go in and shop?, nope i wont go another ill save my money its a shame, i looked forward to weston park sad.

You're talking about the days when the gunmakers row was lengthy, and the all day queue outside Reloading Solutions to buy bullets and primers never seemed to shorten. It went downhill when the likes of Reloading Solutions and others stopped attending, and when additional security became a major concern for all stallholders.
I never went with the intention of looking for a bargain but somehow I always went home spent out with a car full of bargains.

 

[enfieldspares]

I went some years ago, before covid even perhaps, to the Sandringham Fair and enjoyed it. A number, not many, but some shooting stalls and enough "pay and play and have a go" clay and air rifle stands at reasonable prices to enjoy. And given the venue the "unwelcome elements" were not present. Not at all expensive either although it is still a ninety mile drive from home out and ninety miles back. If it were bit, say, thirty miles away I'd be a regular visitor to it.

 

[Basil H]

A lot of the non-commercial stands at Sandringham (e.g. wildfowlers) are are invited free of charge - so there are many interesting rural types to meet. If you are working on-site it is a very pleasant place to camp or just sleep on the stand for a long weekend. The nicest one (also f.o.c. to many of us) was the Fenland Fair, with Malcolm walking round to give out his souvenir brasses to each stall. Plus of course dear old John Humphreys, who lived just up the road, doing much of the commentary and having the craic with one and all. Our club used to open proceedings at one time with a punt gun shot.
The early Game Fairs were nearly unique at the time and there was a feeling of togetherness, of so many like-minded people gathered together. Now there are country fairs cum Sunday markets somewhere nearly every weekend.

 

[8x57]

I went some years ago, before covid even perhaps, to the Sandringham Fair and enjoyed it. A number, not many, but some shooting stalls and enough "pay and play and have a go" clay and air rifle stands at reasonable prices to enjoy. And given the venue the "unwelcome elements" were not present. Not at all expensive either although it is still a ninety mile drive from home out and ninety miles back. If it were bit, say, thirty miles away I'd be a regular visitor to it.

One that we found particularly pleasant and enjoyed was the game fair in Oxfordshire (Chipping Norton way?) organised by Shooting Times about 10 years ago. It was well set out, not too expensive and apparently well organised. Unfortunately it didn't look to be well attended, in fact the attendance was very thin on the ground the day that we attended. I would imagine that the organisers struggled to over their costs, if they did at all, because it hasn't been repeated.

 

[Flash G 74]

One that we found particularly pleasant and enjoyed was the game fair in Oxfordshire (Chipping Norton way?) organised by Shooting Times about 10 years ago. It was well set out, not too expensive and apparently well organised. Unfortunately it didn't look to be well attended, in fact the attendance was very thin on the ground the day that we attended. I would imagine that the organisers struggled to over their costs, if they did at all, because it hasn't been repeated.

Hello, Cannot remember those , Was that in the 1990s

 

[8x57]

Hello, Cannot remember those , Was that in the 1990s

It was a one off and was never repeated as far as I know.
I can't remember the estate it was held on but I seem to think that it was in David Cameron's constituency. It may have been a bit longer than ten years ago.

 

[grauerjager]

I use to enjoy the South if England Show (Ardingly), and would sometimes attend all 3 days but always the Thursday and Friday.

I've not been to the show for some 10-years and have no intention of breaking my promise to myself to keep it that way. I understand the show now runs from Friday to Sunday which speaks volumes.

K

I used really enjoy aedingly and their autumn fair. It's now pretty much a horse show so I haven't been again. Shame as it was reasonably priced, could run the dog in the scurries and there was plenty of stuff to see and do.

 

[NickJ]

I see some light fingered scrote had it away with a top end thermal scope fromTJs

Not just there, reports of terrible theft across numerous stands and in the car parks. Travelling types suspected..

 

[NickJ]

Yesv we all remember the good old shows. When they were Game Fairs. We used to get deals on the last day or afternoon. Now it sickens traders to see someone try on , or check a piece of equipment, then brazzingly go to the front of the stand and check the internet for it cheaper. Basically using it as a "try before you buy". The Moy fair used to be the best. All the keepers would get there. All the stands were shooting related. Onjce puchases made , it was off to the beer tent to catch up with folk. It would be the last blow out before the grouse season started. Now unfortunately the shooting stands are very few and far between. To the extent that they have dropped the title , Game Fair, to the public acceptable " Country Fair". Many folk would not miss a Moy fair, now most avoid it. If I wasn't working on the CIC measuring table , at the SGA stand, I doubt I would be there myself. There is a saying that is banded about a lot these days from us "older " worthies. We have seen the best of it. And we can't see it ever coming back! J

Ah yes, Moy on a Friday back in the late 1980s was a joy

 

[NickJ]

It sounds like virtually no stall holders or public I have spoken to will be going back next year so maybe this will cause a reset, possibly a new organising body - it sounds like it is much needed

 

[jb1]

It sounds like virtually no stall holders or public I have spoken to will be going back next year so maybe this will cause a reset, possibly a new organising body - it sounds like it is much needed

BASC will be there and those who have FREE entry, Oh and plenty of the "Do as you likey's"

 

[VSS]

Not just there, reports of terrible theft across numerous stands and in the car parks. Travelling types suspected..

Sad to say it, but I suspect a significant proportion of the thieves are from within our own ranks

(Although I don't doubt for a moment that there will also be plenty of outsiders attending these events purely for the purpose of theft).

 

[Howzat]

I think the Oxfordshire game fair may have been the first deer stalking show which was held at Cornbury Park, not a huge success.

 

[8x57]

I think the Oxfordshire game fair may have been the first deer stalking show which was held at Cornbury Park, not a huge success.

Going back at least twenty years there were two Deer Stalking fairs held on I believe successive, but could have been a couple of years apart.
The one was on Cornbury Park the other was on another estate possibly in Berkshire if not also in Oxfordshire? I went with the family to both and we enjoyed both of them but I don't think that either was a commercial success.
I have particular memories of the one because Guy Wallace asked my young daughter if she would show my GWP in the ring. At the same show there was a demonstration of deer butchery which my daughter who was about 11 or 12 at the time was most interested in watching, but was astonished while watching that a big strapping lad next to her fainted when things got slightly gory. His mates with whom had obviously been to the beer tent with previously took the micky out of him relentlessly.

Both these deer fairs were years before the Shooting Times game fair that I mentioned before.

 

[Ozalid]

Look, lets face it, its 2025, men are dressing up like women and vice versa, kids have turned into zombies with their faces stuck in their phones watching porn, its woke this and woke that (I'm still not sure what that means) people who like guns, shoot game and follow country pursuits are treated like pariahs, you cant say faggot or a posse of armed police will come and arrest you, so why are we surprised that game fairs are spiralling down in popularity, they are the past, society has changed and they simply aint getting the footfall, which is why the prices are so high, reminiscing about how great it was 50 years ago is pointless, we cant turn the clock back no matter how much we all would like to, this country is f*****, successive governments or all colours have screwed us and that's all there is to it. If my missus would agree to it, I would sell everything and be off tomorrow, but she won't leave her darling grown up children, so I'm f****** too.
Merry Christmas!