My regular look ahead to events happening next month that would probably be in my events guide, if only they weren’t happening outside the psychological barrier of the M25 motorway.
Possibly more timely than usual if you want to escape the Olympics.
| National Sheepdog Trials | 2nd-4th Aug |
| English round for the national championship leading to the UK finals later in the year. | Carnforth, Lancashire |
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| Pickering Traction Rally | 2nd-5th Aug |
| Steam rally and fair with music festival. | Malton, Yorkshire |
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| Gloucestershire Steam Extravaganza | 3rd-5th Aug |
| Steam Engines, Rural Crafts, Aircraft, Trade Stands, Animals & Rare Breeds, The wonderful Traditional Fun Fair and Vintage Transport and Machinery of every size, type and description you can think of. | Cirencester, Gloucestershire |
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| Brigg Horse Fair | 4th Aug |
| It’s a traditional but unofficial forum for travellers to parade and trade their steeds in the time-honoured fashion, with hundreds of people going along to watch. | Brigg, North Lincs. |
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| World Hen Racing Championship | 4th Aug |
| Held for 20 years, this is an annual sporting event where the hens have to race along a 20 metre race track. | Bonsall, Derbyshire |
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| St Wilfid’s Procession | 4th Aug |
| The traditional St Wilfred’s procession makes its way through Ripon, accompanied by floats, morris men ending at a town fair. | Ripon, North Yorks. |
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| The Steam Fayre and Vintage Rally | 4th-5th Aug |
| Gleaming engines, powerful steam engines, tractors and road rollers, vintage cars and motorcycles, fire engines, buses, commercial and military vehicles all on display. | Norton Fitzwarren, Somerset |
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| Prescott Speed Hill Climb | 5th-7th Aug |
| Around 250 Pre-war sports and racing cars will be in action over the weekend at the historic hill climb venue in Gloucestershire. | Gotherington, Gloucestershire |
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| Glasgow International Piping Festival | 6th-12th Aug |
| The world’s largest festival for bagpipe musicians. | Glasgow, Scotland |
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| Egton Bridge Gooseberry Show | 7th Aug |
| The oldest surviving gooseberry show in the country, established in 1800. Gardeners enter their biggest gooseberries into one of four classes: red gooseberries, yellow ones, greens and white ones. | Whitby, Yorkshire |
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| Coldstream Civic Week | 9th Aug |
| A ride to the Flodden Memorial to commemorate the dead of 1513. Wreaths are laid, a short service held and an oration delivered by a guest speaker. Friday evening sees a torchlight procession and firework display. | Coldstream, Scottish Borders |
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| Eastbourne International Airshow | 9th-12th Aug |
| Four days of action packed flying on Eastbourne seafront. The Red Arrows leading a packed programme of Royal Air Force, Royal Navy, British Army and civilian aircraft. | Eastbourne, Sussex |
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| Bristol International Balloon Fiesta | 9th-12th Aug |
| Annual festival of giant balloons, with their famous Nightglow, where 30 or more balloons will glow in time to music and fireworks on two evenings. | Bristol |
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| Shrewsbury Flower Show | 10th-11th Aug |
| Stunning floral displays, show jumping, medieval jousting, motorcycle displays, music, fireworks and special guest appearances. | Shrewsbury, Shropshire |
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| Combined Ops | 11th-12th Aug |
| Over 300 military vehicles from just before WW2 to modern wars, along with aircraft, including aerial displays. | Maidstone, Kent |
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| Cowes Week | 11th-18th Aug |
| Up to 40 daily races for around 1,000 boats at the largest sailing regatta of its kind in the world. | Isle of Wight |
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| Kettlewell Scarecrow Festival | 11th-19th Aug |
| Around 100 scarecrows appearing in gardens, open spaces, hidden corners and even on rooftops dotted around the village. | Kettlewell, North Yorkshire |
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| Robin Hood Festival | 13th-19th Aug |
| A week long celebration of the legend of Robin Hood, it features entertainment for all the family. | Sherwood Forest, Nottinghamshire |
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| British Fireworks Championships | 14th-15th Aug |
| Two evenings of entertainment culminating in spectacular fireworks displays from six companies seeking the title of British Firework Champions. | Plymouth, Devon |
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| Birdfair | 17th-19th Aug |
| Described as the birdwatcher’s Glastonbury, Birdfair encompasses the whole spectrum of the birdwatching industry whilst at the same time supporting global bird conservation. | Rutland Water, Rutland |
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| Race the Train | 18thAug |
| Sporting event where runners try to beat a preservation train running along the rails by racing it along local roads and footpaths. | Tywyn, Wales |
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| International Birdman Festival | 18th-19th Aug |
| The Birdman is a flight competition for human powered flying machines held each summer. | Worthing, West Sussex |
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| International Lighthouse Weekend | 18th-19th Aug |
| Many lighthouses and places of associated interest will be open to the public, and there will be special events at lighthouses and lightvessels both at home and abroad. | Various locations |
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| Annual Opening at Frogmore House | 18th-20th Aug |
| Frogmore House, set in the private Home Park, is renowned for its beautiful landscaped garden and 18th-century lake. | Windsor, Berkshire |
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| Whitby Regatta | 18th-20th Aug |
| Yacht racing, rowing races and various free forms of entertainment, finishing with a prize presentation and firework display. | Whitby North Yorkshire |
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| Bosworth Commemoration | 19th Aug |
| The Society visits Bosworth for its annual commemoration of the Battle. A service is held in Sutton Cheney church to honour the fallen in the battle and is attended by Society members from around the world. | Bosworth, Leicestershire |
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| Orange Rolling in Totnes | 21st Aug |
| The odd spectacle of watching people race and chase oranges down a steep high street in Totnes, South Devon. The tradition reputedly dates back to the day Sir Francis Drake bumped into a delivery boy, causing him to spill his fast-moving fruit down the hill. | Totnes, Devon |
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| St Bartholomew’s Bun Race | 24th Aug |
| Children run around the church of St. Bart’s and are given a bun especially baked for the occasion. The biscuit bears the date 1190 but it is more probable that the founding of St. Bartholomew’s Hospital was in 1217 to commemorate the defeat of the French in that year. | Sandwich, Kent |
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| Wallace Day Centenary March | 25th Aug |
| A march by locals to the Wallace Memeorial where wreaths are laid to the memory of the great warrior. | Elderslie, Renfrewshire |
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| The Burning of Old Bartle | 25th Aug |
| The ancient ritual of Burning Bartle takes place every year, when a larger than life figure is paraded down the village main street accompanied by repeated chants of the Bartle doggerel. When Bartle reaches ‘his end’ in Grassgill, he is set alight, accompanied by songs and cheers from the assembled masses. | Leyburn, North Yorkshire |
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| The Saddleworth Rushcart | 25th-16th Aug |
| Procession around the local area with a two-wheeled cart filled with rushes, in a slightly conical shape thirteen feet high weighing about two tons to the local Church. Some 150 men pull on the "stangs" fixed to strong rope which, in turn, is fixed to the cart. | Saddleworth, Yorkshire |
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| Treefest | 25th-27th Aug |
| Medieval archery and displays, , wood carving, woodcraft demonstrations and sales all part of the International Year of the Tree. | Westonbirt, Gloucestershire |
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| Military Odyssey | 25th-27th Aug |
| Said to be the largest collection of military re-enactors from ancient greek to modern times in mock battles and displays | Maidstone, Kent |
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| Cheshire Game & Country Fair | 25th-27th Aug |
| Two arenas have a full programme of events, with everything from scurry racing and fun sheepdog and ducks to majestic falconry and coordinated Gundog displays. | Knutsford, Cheshire |
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| Portsmouth International Kite Festival | 25th-27th Aug |
| Annual festival with everything from classic kites to modern inflatables. | Portsmouth, Hampshire |
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| World Bogsnorkelling Championships | 26th Aug |
| Annual "sport" which involves trying to swim through the marshy bog with just a snorkel for air supply. | Llanwrtyd Wells, Wales |
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| The Uffington White Horse Show | 26th-27th Aug |
| Annual country fair, with stunt horsemen, falconry in the shadow of the famous bronze-age chalk cut horse. | Uffington, Oxfordshire |
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| Shrewsbury Steam Engine & Vintage Vehicle Rally | 26th-27th Aug |
| Over 1,000 exhibits will be appearing within the popular Rally area, covering 45 acres of parkland. In additon, olde-style fair and trade stalls. | Shrewsbury, Shropshire |
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| Bourton Football in the River | 27th Aug |
| A football match between six-a-side teams played in the middle of the shallow river, playing in usually knee-high waters. The event is over 100 years old. | Bourton, Gloucestershire |
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| Gravy Wrestling Championship | 27th Aug |
| A wild and whacky wrestling competition in a pool full of Lancashire Gravy. Contestants must wrestle in the Gravy for 2 minutes whilst being scored for audience applause, and various different moves. | Rossendale, Lancashire |
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