Suggestions for things to do outside London in September 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.
| Brambles Bank Cricket Match | 1st Sept |
| Annual cricket match carried out at low tide on a sand-bank in the middle of the Solent. | Portsmouth, Hampshire |
|
|
|
| Chatsworth Country Fair | 1st Sept |
| The Country Fair hosts one of the largest Horse Driving meets of the year, one of the biggest hot air balloon lifts in the country after Bristol. | Chatsworth, Derbyshire |
|
|
|
| Faversham International Hop Festival | 1st Sept |
| Held on the 1st full weekend in September it sets out to commemorate the golden days of hop-picking when families would come to Kent and pass the evenings with music and stories. | Faversham, Kent |
|
|
|
| Shackerstone Family Festival | 1st Sept |
| For 25 years the Shackerstone Family Festival has taken over the village for the first weekend of September. It brings together a large number of different family attractions that are centred around the village. | Shackerstone, Leicestershire |
|
|
|
| The Burghley Horse Trials | 5th-8th Sept |
| Three days of horse events and shows. | Stamford, Lincs. |
|
|
|
| Sowerby Bridge Rushbearing | 6th-7th Sept |
| Rushbearing dates back several centuries to a time when rushes were simply a floor covering in churches. Each year, it was out with the old and in with the new. Over many years this tradition has gradually turned into a celebration and a holiday involving music, morris dancing and revelry | Sowerby Bridge, Yorkshire |
|
|
|
| The Braemar Gathering | 7th Sept |
| Commonly known as the Highland Games, international athletes will be among those taking part in the “heavy” and “track” events. | Braemar, Aberdeenshire |
|
|
|
| The Sheriff’s Ride | 7th Sept |
| The Ride dates from Queen Mary’s Charter of 1553 in which Lichfield was separated from Staffordshire and made a separate County with a right to appoint its own Sheriff. | Lichfield, Staffordshire |
|
|
|
| Great Yarmouth Maritime Festival | 7th-8th Sep |
| Two-day event on historic South Quay with ships to see, live shanty folk music, fun street theatre, exhibitions and demonstrations. | Great Yarmouth, Norfolk |
|
|
|
| World Bellyboard Championships | 8th Sept |
| Annual competition based on the earliest form of surfboarding. | Perranporth, Cornwall |
|
|
|
| Dwyle Flunking | 8th Sept |
| Teams of twelve players each take a turn to dance around the other while attempting to avoid a beer-soaked dwile (cloth) thrown by the non-dancing team. | Lewes, East Sussex |
|
|
|
| World Black Pudding Throwing Championship | 8th Sept |
| This annual competition between Lancashire and Yorkshire, which dates back to the 1980s, sees black puddings hurled at a pile of Yorkshire puddings on a 20 foot high plinth. | Ramsbottom, Lancashir |
|
|
|
| Carshalton Straw Jack | 8th Sept |
| A straw figure made from the previous year’s harvest is paraded around town then burnt at the end of the day. | Carshalton, Surrey |
|
|
|
| Malpas Yesteryear Rally | 8th-9th Sept |
| Annual rally since 1972 with steam engines, heavy horses, working demonstrations and rural crafts. | Malpas, Cheshire |
|
|
|
| Abbots Bromley Horn Dance | 9th Sept |
| The Abbots Bromley Horn Dance, performed at the Barthelmy Fair in August 1226, is one of the few ritual rural customs to survive the passage of time. After collecting the horns from the church, the Horn Dancers perform their dance at locations throughout the village and its surrounding farms and pubs. | Abbots Bromley, Staffordshire |
|
|
|
| St Giles Fair | 9th-10th Sept |
| The Fair evolved from the St Giles’ parish wake of the early seventeenth century, which later became known as St Giles’ Feast. It is now a large funfair in the town. | St Giles, Oxford |
|
|
|
| Blenheim Palace Horse Trials | 10th-13th Sept |
| Famous horse events with show jumping, cross country events and various country fairs and stalls. | Woodstock, Oxfordshire |
|
|
|
| Westmorland County Show | 12th Sept |
| The Westmorland County Show is one of the largest one day Agricultural Shows in the country and certainly one of the oldest. | Milnthorpe, Cumbria |
|
|
|
| Goodwood Revival | 13th-15th Sept |
| Well-known faces from most motor sport disciplines will be in action at this year’s Goodwood Revival, including Formula One stars, rally winners, endurance racing champions, tin top tearaways and top bikers. | Goodwood, West Sussex |
|
|
|
| Heritage Open Days | 13th-22nd Sept |
| Two weekends where thousands of buildings across the UK open to the public. | All over |
|
|
|
| Findon Sheep Fair and Village Festival | 14th Sept |
| Friday Night begins with a funfair on the green then a barn dance and curry in the marquee. Saturday is the fair itself, with craft stalls, sheep displays, sheep judging and other displays on the green. | Findon, West Sussex |
|
|
|
| Hop Hoodening | 14th Sept |
| Expect Morris men accompanied by the Hooden Horses and lots of hops from the local harvest. The Hop Queen will arrive amidst a bower constructed of hop-bines and everyone makes their way into the Cathedral | Canterbury, Kent |
|
|
|
| Newent Onion Fayre | 14th Sept |
| As the world’s only event of its kind dedicated to the onion family, visitors have enjoyed fun-filled fayres of live music, entertainment, street stalls and shows for centuries, and this year is hoping to surpass all others. | Newent, Gloucestershire |
|
|
|
| Sturminster Newton Cheese Festival | 14th-15th Sept |
| All the usual food and craft stalls will be there with a few new additions and lots of music on both days. | Sturminster Newton, Dorset |
|
|
|
| Egremont Crab Fair’s Gurning Contest | 20th-21st Sept |
| Egremont Crab Fair and Sports was established in 1267, which makes it one of the oldest fairs in the world. It combines ancient and traditional events with modern attractions – and the famous gurning contest. | Egremont, Cumbria |
|
|
|
| Duxford Air Show | 21st-22nd Sept |
| In an outstanding aerial spectacle, the very best historic and modern aircraft display in the skies over this famous airfield. | Duxford, Cambridgeshire |
|
|
|
| Grand Henham Steam Rally | 21st-22nd Sept |
| Steam engine rally and country fair with displays, rural crafts, helicopter flights and vintage fairground. | Southwold, Suffolk |
|
|
|
| The Berkshire County Show | 21st-22nd Sept |
| Country fair with horse driving, pig showing skills; taste Britain’s finest foods and watch cookery demonstrations; sample the best craft and watch traditional crafts in action. | Newbury, Berkshire |
|
|
|
| Annual Clypping Service | 22nd Sept |
| The clergy of St Mary’s Church will encircle the church and dance will walking around the church – part of a restored ancient tradition. | Painswick, Gloucester |
|
|
|
| Kendal Torchlight Carnival | 27th-28th Sept |
| Annual parade through the town lit by torchlights, and featuring traditional carnival floats and attractions. | Kendal, Cumbria |
|
|
|
| Burgess Hill Bonfire Society | 28th Sept |
| Several processions through the town with flaming fire carts (barrels), and a bonfire at the end along with fireworks. | Burgess Hill, Sussex |
|
|
|
| Southwell Ploughing Match & Show | 28th Sept |
| The show represents all the really important interests of agriculture from horse ploughing through the vintage years to the modern day tractor, a variety of livestock, static displays and trade stands. | Kneesall, Nottinghamshire |
|
|
|
| Stone Skimming Championships | 29th Sept |
| The championships are held every year on the last Sunday in September. Anyone of any age and any level of skill can enter. Each competitor is allowed 3 skims using specially selected Easdale slate skimming stones. | Oban, Argyll, Scotland |
|
|
|
| Trent Aegir | 30th Sept |
| The Trent Aegir is a naturally occurring tidal wave similar to the Severn Bore – and this date is the highest tidal wave of the year. | Derrythorpe and Gainsborough, Yorkshire |
|
|
|
