Lowther Game and Country Fair


Date: 9th-10th August

Location: Lowther Estate, Lowther, Penrith, Cumbria, CA10 2HG

Website: www.countrymanfairs.co.uk/lowther-game-and-country-fair


The Lowther Game and Country Fair takes place on the Lowther Estate situated amidst the beautiful Cumbrian countryside on the 9th & 10th August 2014. This exciting Country Fair brings together world-class sporting championships, top-class demonstrations and hundreds of quality exhibition stands for visitors to truly indulge in and experience. 


What is happening?

When you hear the name 'Cumbria' you immediately think of lakes and mountains, forests and fells.  Cumbria is the home of outdoor pursuits and the land of adventure sports. A predominantly rural county, Cumbria is home to the Lake District National Park, undoubtedly one of the most beautiful areas of the United Kingdom. The county has provided creative inspiration for generations of artists, writers and musicians. Now, the whole family can join in the atmosphere and be inspired at the Lowther Game and Country Fair!  Whether you’re here to compete in the world’s most prestigious field sports competitions for the biggest prizes available, or just to relax and enjoy the fabulous surroundings, there’s something to suit all tastes.

For the competitive field sportsman, the Lowther Game and Country Fair will be hosting world-class championship events in clay shooting, gundogs, airguns, angling and terrier and lurchers. Plus, the Mitsubishi Motors World Series Clay Pigeon Shooting and Gundog Championships offer the largest prizes ever seen in their sports including two brand new Mitsubishi vehicles and cash prizes worth over £100,000! If you’re new to country sports, you will find expert tuition and advice on how to get involved in some of the most enjoyable and rewarding pastimes. Plus, with over 250 retailers to choose from at the Game Fair, you are sure to find what you’re looking for. 

Why is it such a special event?


Visitors to the Country Game Fair will enjoy seeing traditional favourites from a prestigious list of events along with world-class displays that are both entertaining and educational. With such a wide variety of entertainment on offer, everyone will be able to take away something new from the Lowther Game and Country Fair’s Main Arena:
  • The game and country fair is proud to welcome back Ye Olde Red Tail Falconry, one of the most well known display teams in the UK. Ray and Wendy Aliker present a falconry display using music, costume and showmanship to illustrate the grace and majesty of the birds in flight. Marvel at the speed of the falcons and be amazed at Archie and Elsie the Vultures. Learn about Kestrels, Kites and the Snowy Owl as they glide effortlessly from above. Find out what it's like to be a mouse, as they fly Hibou, the European Eagle Owl – a truly unforgettable experience!
  • Returning to Lowther Game and Country Fair by popular demand is the famous terrier racing display by Cyril the Squirrel. These crazy canine stars run riot in the ring as they perform their hilarious display. They race on the flat and over jumps, also are occasionally joined by enthusiastic miniature jockeys! Witness the unique highlight of the show when these little daredevils perform the famous "Ring of Fire." For pure entertainment this display is top of the list. These tenacious little terriers will amuse and delight with their unpredictable antics as they race around chasing that elusive hare.
     
  • Discover the secrets behind one of the most skilled forms of field craft in the Country Fair Main Arena as Master Nets man Brian ‘Brin’ Brinded demonstrates the ancient art of long-netting. Long-netting is one of the oldest methods of controlling rabbit populations, and is considered by many to be the most efficient and humane way. Brin’s twice daily display shows the use of long-netting systems, with intrepid toy rabbits putting the nets to good use. Whether the terriers will co-operate as well is anyone’s guess! You’ll also get the chance to try long netting for yourself.
     
  • Lure Racing is fast, furious and involves beautiful sight hounds racing at astonishing speed, it will provide visitors to the Game Fair with a chance to see how fast these dogs can go. Great exercise and great fun, Lure Racing is a must-see event for all racing dog enthusiasts out there!
     
  • Marvel to the display of the Patanavac Gundog Display who been training, breeding, working and competing with gundogs since 1987. From their superb training ground in North Yorkshire they travel the length and breadth of the country performing gundog displays and demonstrations at Fair Shows large and small. The Patanavac display promises expertise as well as an insightful show into the wonderful world of gundogs. Great for the whole family and for those wanting to get the best out of their own working gundog.
     
  • We are delighted to welcome back to the Lowther Game Fair 2012 Thomas Longton and his sheepdog display team. Thomas will perform in Lowther’s Main Arena over the weekend, providing both an informative and entertaining display that includes sheep, geese and ducks. Thomas owns several working dogs and is the third generation of the Longton family to engage in the pursuit.
     
  • In conjunction with the Central Committee of Fell Packs, we are delighted to announce the re-establishment of the Lowther Hound Show at this year’s Game and Country Fair. Speaking on behalf of Countryman Fairs, Richard Walton says: “It is our intension to grow the Hound Show over the next few years whilst retaining the unique Cumbrian welcome visitors always enjoy!” In 2012 the Hound Show will take the form of an Open Hound Show for Registered Fell and Hill Hounds (Registered with either the Central Committee of Fell Packs or the MFHA), taking place on Saturday 11th August. 
     

What can we do there?


Gundogs
 

Gundogs play an important role in many shooting sports. Whether hunting and flushing game, or tracking and retrieving, gundog breeds come in all shapes and sizes, each specifically bred for a purpose. Despite having outstanding working pedigree, gundogs still like to have fun!

The Gundog Scurries and Working Tests provide exceptional have-a-go opportunities, and the Mitsubishi Motors World Series Gundog Championship rewards excellence with the world’s largest gundog prize fund!
 

  • The Mitsubishi Motors World Series Gundog Championship is one of the most popular competitions of all the championship events. Year on year it continues to draw in hundreds of handlers and their dogs, eager to take part. The only competition of its kind, this championship aims to discover the finest talent in the world of Scurry and Working Test handlers, and proves quite lucrative for the winning competitor too.
     
  • The Final will see the top handler in each discipline compete head to head in order to be crowned Mitsubishi Motors Gundog Champion 2014 and drive away in a brand new Mitsubishi ASX worth over £20,000! The 2014 Mitsubishi Motors World Series Gundog Championship is set to introduce an exciting new format too, opening the competition up to a much wider audience. The biggest change to the competition is to the qualifying stage on each day, with this year's events now set to put through qualifiers in both the Top Spaniel and Top Retriever categories, giving more handlers and their dogs a chance to take part.
  •  Mark n Blind is fast, fun and highly competitive. Designed to test your dog's natural hunting ability, Mark n Blind will challenge your dog to retrieve both a straight forward ‘marked' retrieve and one blind retrieve. To make this scurry a little simpler, the blind retrieve will be placed in the same place as the marked retrieve. However, all is not what it seems as the blind retrieve will actually be a tiny dummy! Great fun and highly competitive, Mark n Blind will give you and your dog the chance to show off your quality training, and of course be in with a chance of qualifying for the 2012 MMWS Gundog Grand Final too. Enter Mark n Blind to compete in the MMWS Gundog Championship, and you could be in with a chance of winning a brand new Mitsubishi ASX 2 worth up to £20,000! Mark n Blind is also open to all those who simply want to have-a-go! Just ask the stewards about entering, they’ll be more than happy to help!
  • Double Double is fast, fun and highly competitive. Designed to test your dog's ability to retrieve, this scurry will put your dog through it’s paces and challenge him/her to two straight forward ‘seen' retrieves. Double Double will test your dog's ability to fight distraction in the way of a double mark, including two low fences that will test memory and marking ability. Both dummies are to be picked in either order and the clock will be stopped in between retrieves. Great fun and highly competitive, Double Double will give you and your dog the chance to show off your quality training, and of course be in with a chance of qualifying for the 2014 MMWS Gundog Grand Final too. Enter Double Double to compete in the MMWS Gundog Championship, and you could be in with a chance of winning a brand new Mitsubishi ASX 2 worth up to £20,000!
     
  • We are delighted to announce the Short Fence Gundog Scurry will also be one of the gundog scurries at the Lowther Game and Country Fair. A skill often overlooked in other gundog scurries is the ability to leap over fences or into pens, which is an essential part of any gundog's repertoire. Out in the field, some of the obstacles faced can be quite difficult, and in some instances even dangerous to scale. However, the Short Fence Gundog Scurry is merely a fun representation, and is achievable by gundogs of all breeds and skill levels. It has been introduced along with the Hopping Hare Gundog Scurry in place of some of our more complicated gundog scurries. These are often favoured by more experienced dogs. This fast and furious gundog scurry is similar to the Long Retrieve Gundog Scurry, but we have added a small fence midway for your dog to jump. A dummy will be launched from a static dummy launcher and will land the other side of a low fence. Your dog must retrieve the dummy, jumping the fence on both the outward and inward journey. The Short Fence Gundog Scurry is a new addition to the portfolio of gundog scurries that qualify for the 2014 Mitsubishi Motors World Series Gundog Championship.
     
  • The Long Retrieve Gundog Scurry is all about speed at the Lowther Game and Country Fair. Although it looks easy, your dog needs speed, stamina and a good memory to mark the long retrieve and bring it back fast. This is one of the most visually spectacular of our gundog scurries, and gives you a great perspective on the vast distances over which gundogs are expected to work. As you would expect, this long distance gundog scurry usually favours the retriever breeds, simply because they have longer legs! However, some pretty fast times have been posted by tenacious spaniels over the years. It is also important to remember that the Mitsubishi Motors World Series Gundog Championship counts your qualifying times from across all of our gundog scurries, so every second counts!
     
  • In the Up and Over Gundog Scurry it’s a fast and furious scramble to bring back two retrieves over the obstacle course in the fastest time at the Lowther Game and Country Fair. The Up and Over is a little different to our other gundog scurries as it is run over a compact course, and usually only takes the fastest dogs a handful of seconds! This makes it a great scurry for novice handlers and younger dogs. The Up and Over Arena is approximately 6 metres wide by 12 metres deep. The ‘obstacles’ take the form of 4 straw bale “walls”, which are 2 bales high and span the width of the arena. Two ‘seen’ dummies are thrown in between these walls, and the dog with the fastest time for both retrieves wins. This frantic gundog scurry always attracts a crowd, and is also a favourite with none gundog breeds. Smaller breeds such as terriers aren’t well suited to our other gundog scurries, but their tenacious temperament usually sees them thrive in the Up and Over!
     
  • The Novice Gundog Scurry at the Lowther Game and Country Fair is open to ALL breeds of dog, not just gundogs. This scurry is run in the Partridge Pen Arena and involves two simple retrieves, which aim to encourage the novice dog and handler. Don’t worry though, the dummies will not be thrown into the pens, but will still use the features of the arena to make the retrieves more interesting for you and your dog. As with our other gundog scurries, there are prizes available for the top three places on each day. However, these are only open to novice dogs and handlers so you have a great chance of taking away a memento of your first competitive outing.
     
  • Gundog Working Tests are competitions that artificially simulate shooting day conditions, in order to assess the working abilities of gundogs. Gundog Working Tests are effectively a simulated Field Trial, although our Working Test has subtle differences from other gundog events. Field Trials have been developed to test the working ability of gundogs in competitive conditions, and resemble, as closely as possible, a day's shooting in the field including the use of live game. No live game is shot during a working test, but organisers can choose to use cold game. Countryman Fairs Working Test is different in that it involves a compact test area, and is timed, rather than judged. This takes away the subjective nature of judging, which would be difficult to apply over the shorter format. The working test is both fun and intense and really gives handlers the chance to show off the quality training that goes into a top class working gundog. Competitors can enter the Working Test to compete in the Mitsubishi Motors World Series Gundog Championship or simply enter as a have-a-go event.

Terriers and Lurchers
 

  • Countryman Fair’s flagship event, the Midland Game Fair, is home to the world’s premier event for earth and running dogs, The Countryman’s Weekly Champion of Champions. The Lowther Game and Country Fair offers 2 qualifying events for this prestigious Championship, one on each show day. There are a wide range of Terrier and Lurcher showing classes and field events, professionally organised by the Coursing Crew. Simulated coursing, hurdles, straight racing, 23" and under, over 23" and puppies and terriers. Entries will be taken from 8.30am to start as soon as first card is full. The full lurcher and terrier show will start around 1pm. The Terrier breeds were developed for hunting vermin of all shapes and sizes, and therefore priority was originally given to their working abilities rather than to appearance.  They are an extremely tough and hardy group of dogs, and generally small in size to enable them to work underground.  The term “terrier” derives from “terra”, the latin word for earth. 

Clay Shooting Festival

 

The Bramley Family has been running Doveridge Clay Sports for over 12 Years. Doveridge Clay Sports is one of the few CPSA Premier Plus Shooting grounds in the country, and has successfully hosted some of the worlds most prestigious clay shooting events including English, British and World Championships.  Clive Bramley will be setting the targets and running the 2012 Mitsubishi Motors Clay Shooting Festival at the fairs in the UK. 
 

  • Fast, furious and incredibly addictive, pool shoots are one of the most fun clay shooting activities. At the Lowther Game and Country Fair, Doveridge Shotgun Academy is pleased to present a 10 Target Pool Shoot, offering a variety of targets from four traps. The pool shoot is one of the simplest forms of clay shooting. The first three pairs of clay targets will be presented on report, meaning you must call for the first, and the second will be sent automatically when you fire your first shot. The next four targets are simultaneous pairs, with two targets sent at the same time. But don't worry, there's a handy board provided showing the sequence in which the targets will be thrown. If you straight, or hit all of the first 10 targets you will need to turn the sequence board and shoot an additional 10 targets in reverse, for no extra charge! Usually a score of 17 will be good enough to see you in the money! Cash prizes are paid twice per day, with 30% of the total income from the pool shoot going into the prize fund. Whether you are new to clay shooting, or a seasoned competitor, the pool shoot offers great fast-fire fun!
     
  • After the successes of the 2013 season, the Mitsubishi Motors World Series Clay Shooting Championship is very much welcomed back for 2014, with the same award-winning clay shooting line, a superb Mitsubishi L200 Trojan worth over £20,000 up for grabs and, as always, the chance to walk away with the 2012 Clay Shooting Championship title.
     
  • Clive and Louise Bramley of Doveridge Shotgun Academy will once again take the helm and bring the ground-breaking competition to the masses. Clive looks forward to bringing the championship back to the Countryman Fairs showground and encourages every age and ability to give the sport a go. The championship invites a broad cross-section of people, and as previous years have shown, winners are not always those that have racked up many years shooting on the Clay Line, with the championship witnessing a great deal of talent from new and improved shots. Qualifying rounds will be contested over a 50-bird sporting layout, with competitors shooting against those of a similar ability. Cash prizes will be paid out on each day, with a guaranteed £100 for the high gun in each lettered class (AA, A, B, C) - the remaining cash prizes will be subject to the number of entries per class. Sponsored prizes will be given to Ladies, Juniors and Veterans.
     
  • If you are new to clay shooting our 'Have a Go' lessons at The Lowther Game and Country Fair are just what you're looking for if you want some great fun! 'Have a Go' lessons are ideal for those who have little or no clay shooting experience - we have three different sessions available. The first is for children up to age of 14 years, giving you 10 shots.  The second being for anyone over the age of 14 years which gives you 15 shots and the third session again is for over the age of 14 years which gives you 25 shots. During the session each individual will be given a safety briefing and an introduction to the sport of clay shooting before breaking some clays! All equipment will be provided including shotgun, clays, cartridges, safety glasses and hearing protection. 'Have a Go' lessons from the Doveridge Shotgun Academy are a great way to take your first steps into the sport of clay shooting. Simply turn up, and 'Have a Go'!

 

Visit the website for Admission prices!


Disabled Access and information:
 

There is a dedicated disabled car park at the Lowther Game and Country Fair. To access the Car Park please follow the directional signs for disabled parking on the approach to Lowther Castle.

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