Last Sunday, we went exploring at Countryfile Live 2016 at Blenheim Palace, thanks to Blacks for the tickets, who also sponsored Explore Britain at the show. This was our first time and if you haven’t been before, you might be wondering what’s in store. This event explores every aspect of the British countryside through exciting live arena shows, talks, hands-on activities, animal displays, farming in action and shopping with more than 600 food and craft producers and even a great British pub garden.
We had to drive almost 2 hours to the location and we were very lucky that we didn’t get caught in traffic to get into the car park. The event was held in the grounds of the stunning countryside estate house Blenheim Palace! After making our way through the entrance, we found ourselves looking at those amazing the rural crafts and craftsmen working on walking canes and wheels. There was such impressive carpentry skills on display.
Next, we were off to check out the crafts stalls, food stalls and of course the fun fair. It was the first thing both of my children wanted to go! So we went on the big wheel and merry-go-round. We all had fun checking out the beautiful scenery while on the big wheel.
Later we went to the Farming in Action site to check on the huge showcase of farming machinery from old and new with around 60 working vehicles on show from ploughing through to harvesting. I was astonished to learn how farming has changed in the last 100 years and now they are using the latest computer technology to help the farmer, from tiny micro-chips to titan tractors. Ms C even got to sit in the latest tractors and get a feel for the machinery. This is a great place for children to learn about farming and for tractor fans!
Then we walked around checking out the street food and trying out new products. It was also a great place to try game meat! Mr C had a delicious venison steak burger and both children had hot dogs. There were so many different foods to try and gluten free food too. It was food heaven! Also not forgetting creamy ice cream and many more.
As I mentioned earlier, Blacks sponsored Explore Britain at the show, and they had an area providing a range of fun, informative talks and demonstrations encouraging people to enjoy the Great British outdoors. They were also doing demonstrations on how to pack- or not to pack- the perfect kit! There was also a 15% discount on their products.
As this was our first time, we could have been better prepared for the event, in terms of crowd, food and distance. Here are some of my tips: Always remember to pack bottles of water, baby wipes and a few snacks. I would recommend trying the food stalls instead of bringing your own lunch. There were hundreds of foods to try and it would be a shame not to try them! Remember to bring cash – there are ATMs but the one we saw had a transaction fee of £2.95. Wear comfortable shoes, hat/cap and sunscreen! It was very hot on Sunday and luckily we all had our sunscreen applied!
It was a fun day out and I would recommend a visit. There was a lot of camping and outdoor stuff, farm animals, farm machinery, street food and so much more! We all had a great time!
Disclosure: We were provided free entrance tickets to write about our experience.
