Suggestions for things to do outside London in August 2019.
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.
| National Sheepdog Trials 2019 | Various |
| Rounds for the national championship leading to the UK finals later in the year. | Various |
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| Yorkshire Day | 1st Aug |
| Celebrate all things Yorkshire when the UK’s largest county comes together to indulge in vast quantities of regional pride. | Yorkshire |
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| 12-hour lawnmower racing | 3rd Aug |
| As the name implies, a whole day of endurance racing on powered lawnmowers. | Five Oaks, Sussex |
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| St Wilfrid’s Procession | 3rd 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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| World Hen Racing Championship | 3rd 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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| South West Birdman | 3rd Aug |
| Lots of crazy people or so called ‘would-be aviators’ flinging themselves over the pier to see who can ‘fly’ the furthest or at least plummet hilariously into the waiting sea. | Ilfracombe, Devon |
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| 12-hour lawnmower racing | 3rd Aug |
| As the name implies, a whole day of endurance racing on powered lawnmowers. | Five Oaks, Sussex |
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| Weald of Kent Steam Rally | 3rd-4th Aug |
| Around 40 full sized steam engines, and a large selection of scale engines on display. | Woodchurch, Kent |
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| World Pea Throwing Championship | 4th Aug |
| People compete the throw three peas the furthest down a local lane. | Lewes, East Sussex |
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| Brigg Horse Fair | 5th 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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| Coldstream Civic Week | 5th-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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| Robin Hood Festival | 5th-11th 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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| Egton Bridge Gooseberry Show | 6th 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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| Bristol International Balloon Fiesta | 8th-11th 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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| Seeing it Differently | 8th-18th Aug |
| There will be a 50ft helter skelter installed inside Norwich Cathedral — to get up high to the ceiling and whiz back down again. | Norwich, Norfolk |
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| The Burry Man | 9th Aug |
| Follow the Burry Man throughout the streets of Queensferry as he drinks whisky and spreads good luck | Queensferry, West Lothian |
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| Shrewsbury Flower Show | 9th-10th Aug |
| Stunning floral displays, show jumping, medieval jousting, motorcycle displays, music, fireworks and special guest appearances. | Shrewsbury, Shropshire |
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| Portsmouth Kite Festival | 10th-11th Aug |
| Annual festival with everything from classic kites to modern inflatables. | Portsmouth, Hampshire |
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| Whitby Regatta | 10th-12th 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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| Cowes Week | 10th-17th 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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| Glasgow International Piping Festival | 10th-18th Aug |
| The world’s largest festival for bagpipe musicians. | Glasgow, Scotland |
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| Kettlewell Scarecrow Festival | 10th-18th 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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| Lymm Rushbearing | 11th Aug |
| A morris parade through the area, dragging a cart of rushes to be laid on the floor of the local church. | Lymm, Chester |
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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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| Eastbourne International Airshow | 15th-18th 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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| Marymass Festival | 15th-26th Aug |
| Marymass is a 12 day annual medieval festival and horse fair dting back to 1372, the festival now incorporates tradition with modern-day influence. | Irvine, North Ayrshire |
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| Nightgown Parade | 16th-18th Aug |
| A modern parade by women (and some men) in their night dresses through the town as a fundraiser for the RNLI. | Staithes, Yorkshire |
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| Birdfair | 16th-18th 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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| Imber Bus | 17th Aug |
| One day per year when a fleet of old buses carry people around the military Salisbury Plain to a deserted village – and beyond. | Warminster, Wiltshire |
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| Race the Train | 17th Aug |
| 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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| Lighthouse’s Heritage Weekend | 17th-18th 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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| Marhamchurch Revel | 19th Aug |
| Before the revel procession the Revel Queen is crowned by “Old Father Time” and mounts a white pony, which leads a band and a number of boys who carry bows of greenery cut from trees. | Marhamchurch, Cornwall |
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| Bosworth Commemoration | 19th Aug |
| The Richard III 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 | 20th 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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| The Saddleworth Rushcart | 23rd-25th 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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| 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 to mark the founding of St. Bartholomew’s Hospital. |
Sandwich, Kent |
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| Lee Gap Fair | 24th Aug |
| Lee Fair is reputedly the oldest charter fair still in existence, with a history dating well over 800 years. | West Ardsley, Leeds |
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| Wallace Day Centenary March | 24th 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 | 24th 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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| Military Odyssey | 24th-26th 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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| Eyam Plague Commemoration Service | 25th Aug |
| A village that lost a quarter of its population to plague has an annual commemoration. | Eyam, Derbyshire |
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| Bog Snorkelling Championships | 25th Aug |
| Bog snorkelling is a sporting event in which competitors complete, in the shortest time possible, two consecutive lengths of a water-filled trench cut through a peat bog. | Llanwrtyd Wells, Mid Wales |
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| The Uffington White Horse Show | 25th-26th 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 | 25th-26th 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 | 26th 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 | 26th 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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| World Haggis Eating Championship | 31st Aug |
| Part of the highland games, a high-speed Haggis eating contest that’s open to anyone. | Birnam, Perthshire |
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Unfortunately, the Red Arrows will NOT be at Airbourne this summer because someone decided they needed to be in the USA and Canada for 11 weeks (from 07/08/19 – 08/10/19).
This means, that after this weekend at Farnborough, they will miss all the summer Airshows around the UK!