Review of 'Countryfile Live 2016'

https://www.countryfilelive.com/

We have been great fans of “Country File”, a BBC current country affairs television show on BBC 1 every Sunday night. Over the years of watching the program we have become attached to the presenters and learnt so much about rural affairs. When we heard that there was going to be a “Countyfile Live” show at Blenheim Palace this year we could not resist and purchased tickets as soon as they were available (though note that we heard while attending that many people attending received free tickets).

They parked us in a large field near to the palace which we then walked about 10 minutes to get to. On earlier days there were reported big traffic problems so we arrived about an hour or so before the gates opened which turned out to be a great idea. We also pre-purchased a show guide which was useful but a bit clunky to be using on the day so we got a free fold-up map to the enormous site from one of the information booths which was easier to carry.

Woodworker

They opened the gates about 30 minutes early but only allowed us access to the first “In the Beginning: Rural Crafts” which turned out to be very interesting. A number of small rural crafts groups that were there demonstrating and explaining what they did. We visited a booth showing the difference between the different styles of hedges around the country, another demonstrating thatching, another talking about wood carving and a booth where I spent a good amount of time listening to a gentleman showing me how horn canes are made/carved. In each of these areas the people were very happy to explain what they were doing and very eager to encourage people to get involved either there at the show or by joining their organisations. A few items were also for sale.

The Crowds

The main gates were opened and the crowd on this Saturday of the show (probably the busiest) surged forward. The area to the right as we entered was called “Food Heroes” (“Food Market”) which had a number of stalls selling, obviously, food though I did notice that a large proportion of stalls were selling burgers - Not necessarily a bad thing but a bit of variety would have been nice. The nearby tent contained organisations selling other food items such as sauces, pasta, chocolate, etc. There were a good variety here including our favourite the Garlic Farm from the Isle of Wight!

One of the things about the show was that there were talks throughout the day with various people but including the famous presenters. We saw two talks, one with farmer Adam Henson (from the “Adam's Farm” section of the show) and Ellie Harrison, the other talk later in the day was with old-hand presenter John Craven.

Talk - Adam Henson and Ellie Harrison

In these talks it was refreshing to hear more about the individuals including their commercial and non-BBC work. With Adam we learned more about his father's passion for rare breeds and his “Farm Park” you can visit (Adam Henson's Cotswold Farm Park). A very interesting, fascinating individual who dominated the talk with Ellie with his in-depth understanding of rural affairs and his love of what he does.

John Craven

John Craven's talk focused on his long history in the radio and television beyond CountryFile. I found it interesting to hear how he was involved with some of the great comedians of British television and how his initial experiences were in shows aimed at Children.

The two talks we saw were in “The Big Barn” - A purpose built timber framed building with seating spilling out into the space in front of it. Despite having tickets anyone could attend these events though those of us that DID have tickets had first choice of seats. Many of these events were very crowded and it was well worth the time to arrive early.

Adam's Farm

After hearing Adam's talk we made a bee-line for a section that had a number of his animals (and others): “Adam's Farm”. Here there was quite a focus on the children with the ability to touch pet any you wished (with copious washing stations throughout). Here they also discussed the business side of animal farming including one area that showed how a full-automatic modern milking machine worked.

As mentioned earlier, there were plenty of places to eat on site including “The Craven Arms” (named after the presenter)…

Pub

And other areas serving up fast food from the countryside but also from the big city…

Eating Area

Chips...from London!

There were a few other sections devoted to the more serious aspects of farming including one that we spent some time in, “Farming in Action” with actual new farming equipment from manufacturers displayed around the outside and antique equipment being demonstrated in the middle. I spent some time watching the bundling of hay into bales by a 100-year-old machine.

Farm Equipment

Farm Equipment

This was more than a show for people from the big city wanting to learn more about rural life. This show tried very hard to also appeal to those from the countryside with various animal shows and events including a show we watched with children racing horse carts around a ring in the “Equine Village”.

Racing

The tall “Camera Tower” at the far end of the site immediately adjacent to the palace gave us a great view of the massive show around us…though lots of steps up…

View from Tower

Our final event of the day was to see the “Main Arena Show” which was, supposedly, a celebration of all that is CountryFile. It was a bit overdone and corny but certainly fun as it ended with a barrel race of two teams headed by two random CountryFile hosts

Show

In summary, it was an expensive ticket but certainly worth the hassle of getting there and parking. Very well organised and we will be definitely looking to attend when it returns in 2017. It had pretty much anything you can think of in a country show and much more. I learned a lot and we had a lot of fun. The people running the booths were also very helpful and talkative so we took our time to do exactly this - From the people at the “National Trust” serving up coffee to the ladies performing acrobats on top of horses - All were more than interested to share their story and tell us more about what they do.

Visiting again we would make sure to arrive early and bring sun protection (it was very hot)/rain gear as you are very exposed out there. We will also want to get tickets for the various events again as it did allow us early entry to get seats. Perhaps we might get fewer show tickets next time to allow us to better explore the enormous area.

Signpost

Rating: “Nearly perfect, but not quite”

Review Date: 2016-08-06



Blenheim Palace

Location: Woodstock (England)

Address: Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, Oxfordshire OX20 1PP ENGLAND

Public Transport: NRLOGO Oxford Parkway NRLOGO Bicester

Telephone: +44 (0) 1993 810530

URL: http://www.blenheimpalace.com/

blenhem2.jpg Ancestral home of the Duke of Marlborough and famously the childhood home of Winston Churchill, Blenheim Palace is a beautiful stately home in the Oxfordshire countryside (see my Oxfordshire page) surrounded by wonderful parkland and a scenic lake.

Though you can take public transport the easiest way to get here is by car (parking facilities available) or by tourist coach. The house is definitely the highlight but the grounds certainly deserve a lot of your time as well as the formal gardens around the house.

See my information page here.