National Ploughing Championships (12th - 13th October, 2013)
Ploughs Galore at Llanwarne

This is an extra to the series of pages I have uploaded to illustrate facets of steam rallies we have attended in our part of the UK. Such events occur all over the country in the summer months, they are easily found by using your favourite search engine and may have anything between a handful of steam engines and hundreds (as at the Great Dorset Steam Fair which could probably be fairly described as having an excess of riches). Click here for the index.

The British National Ploughing Championships are organised annually around the UK by the Society of Ploughmen (http://www.ploughmen.co.uk/) and in 2013 were held at Llanwarne in southern Herefordshire, just a stone's throw from our home. Yet again we hired a car, encouraged by the offer of a couple of passes which were otherwise surplus to requirements. Saturday was dry, at least until just after we left mid-afternoon and Sunday was dire. Sunshine was in very short supply but it was an interesting experience with a very different atmosphere from a typical steam rally.

Steam Ploughing

This was scheduled as a demonstration event, Fowler 14378/1916 and 15333/1919 were in attendance. Neither had come far being from Leintwardine in the north of the county and Hay-on-Wye across the border respectively. Both engines were in 'smart, working condition' and looked the part perfectly.

They were using a Fowler anti-balance plough, these have an adjustable centre of gravity which ensures that the currently ploughing end is pressed into the soil sufficiently.

There is an associated YouTube clip available http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9eFw8kgrfM.

		Fowler	14378/1916	FX 6738	Marcle Rally 2015 Picture  Marcle Rally 2016 Picture
		Fowler	15333/1919	AL 9855	Marcle Rally 2013 Picture  Shrewsbury Rally 2013 Picture  Hay Rally 2013 Picture  Marcle Rally 2016 Picture  Hay Rally 2016 Picture  Marcle Rally 2017 Picture

Other Ploughing

On the Sunday morning there was a grand parade of more than 100 tractors from the 1950s and 1960s, an astonishing sight.  However, I confess that for us, the main alternative attraction to steam was the horse ploughing. There were more than a dozen contestants in the two categories which were run separately on the two days. The human part of the team seemed to find it rather harder going than their charges. Naturally the horses were also much better turned out.