This weekend - Bank Holiday Sunday and Monday 6th & 7th May - will see the European Festival of the Plough at Lindholme, near Doncaster, South Yorkshire.

Very briefly, the event includes:

 24th European Reversible Ploughing Championships
4th Five Nations Ploughing Challenge.

Also included are:    

Steam engines
Heavy horses ploughing 
An 'ox' ploughing 
Vintage tractors ploughing 
Static displays of vintage tractors 
Trade stands
Crafts

Roads will be signposted.

Daily admission:   £5 per adult;   £3 per senior citizen/child.   Free car parking.

Event opens at 9.30 am.

Licensed bar and full catering available on site.

Click here for location of site

A little bit more information - 

The European Reversible Ploughing Championships are held in a different part of Europe each year, and the last time the Society of Ploughmen hosted it was in 1995 when it was held alongside the British Championships at Wellington in Somerset.  This will be the first time we have held the Five Nations Challenge.

Alongside the ploughing competitions, there will be magnificent heavy horses  ploughing; demonstrations of vintage ploughing by some of the most successful ploughmen in the past few years; static displays and demonstrations of tractors and equipment from the 20th century; giant steam engines; trade stands and crafts.  There will also be a rare opportunity also to see an 'ox' ploughing - all in all, a great way to see how farming has changed over the past few hundred years.

Part of the site will be on grass - the European Reversible Championships will plough stubble plots on the first day and on grass plots on the second day, and the trade stands will be sited on grass too.

The competitors in the Five Nations Challenge - one each in reversible and conventional ploughing from England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland - will plough only on the first day on stubble and their prizes will be presented in the evening.   Presentations for the European winners will be made on the Monday evening.

Ploughmen from 14 european countries will compete - Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, France, Germay, Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Wales.  Support from our sponsors and trade companies is tremendous and trade stand space is being snapped up.  

The Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council is supporting the event and after the 'Service of Dedication and Blessing of the Plough'  in Doncaster Minster at 6.30 pm on the Friday evening - where everyone is welcome - the ploughmen will parade through the town centre to the Mansion House, led by a pair of magnificent heavy horses. 

Anyone visiting the area can visit the website www.visitdoncaster.co.uk for information on accommodation and other attractions in the area.  

Click the logo for information                                         Click the logo for information/
 from Yorkshire South Tourism                                       accommodation on Doncaster