British ploughing visits new county

  • This year’s British National Ploughing Championships & Country Festival are to be held in the county of Derbyshire for the first time in the events’ 71 year history
  • The Duke and Duchess of Devonshire have kindly given permission to hold the event on the Chatsworth Estate on land near Glapwell, North East Derbyshire on 8th and 9th October 2022

Space for trade stands, shopping stalls and agricultural machinery demonstrations is available to book with many companies finally getting back to normality after two very difficult years.

Ploughmen and women from all over the country are sending in their entries, again looking forward to a full calendar of ploughing matches.  Around 250 are expected to take part, competing in one of fifteen different ploughing classes over the two days – including world style conventional and reversible, vintage classes for trailing, hydraulic and classic ploughs, horticultural ploughing, crawlers, tractor high cut and magnificent heavy horses.  There are also tractor club classes for Ferguson, Ford & Fordson and David Brown.

In six classes, the top 10 competitors from the first day will take part in a ‘Plough-Off Final’ on the Sunday to find the British Champion in each section and the qualifiers who will take part in the World and European Ploughing Championships next year.

For visitors to the event there will be something for everyone alongside the ploughing competitions – from steam ploughing engines, vintage tractors and machinery displays and working vintage demonstrations.  Machinery manufacturers and local dealers will have an area for demonstrating the most up-to-date machines they have for sale and for those farmers who want to shop or browse, there will be agricultural trade stands with everything from tractors to tools.  For families who visit, more shopping will be available with plenty of shopping stalls and country crafts.

The 250 acre site at Glapwell is looking good and is very easy to find, just a few minutes from junction 29 from the M1 motorway.  After a recent site visit, Sue Frith, Chief Executive of the Society of Ploughmen who organise the event said, “There is a lot of interest and excitement about the Championships this year.  The only thing is, when we mention Chatsworth, people ask if we will be ploughing in the Park!”

Main sponsors of the Championships are Bridgestone/Firestone and further support has been promised by Aztec Oils, Cereals Event, A R Demolition and CBS.