I’ve wanted to go to the CLA Game Fair for years, so jumped at the chance to go along when CLA invited me to go this weekend. Despite a horribly early rise to get to the airport, I found myself arriving at the Game Fair on a beautiful Saturday morning full of excitement of what I would see!
After absorbing the stunning landscape (I’d never been in Yorkshire before!) and the incredible drive up to Harewood House, I was actually really surprised at the sheer size of the CLA Game Fair. Having been to Badminton and Burghley, I was prepared for a sizeable layout but the CLA Game Fair was way bigger than expected! The setup was divided into sections for hunting, shooting, fishing and falconry with live demonstrations, shops and stands in each sector, which I really liked. The main arena, which had spectator friendly events in it all day, was in the heart of it all.
I managed to catch the Gundog display which was brilliant and I particularly loved the birds of prey display-the owls were so beautiful! But, I also loved the Country Living tent, main arena, Countryside Alliance tent and general atmosphere. There’s really plenty to keep you entertained!
There’s no doubt that the Game Fair is set up for some serious shopping, I couldn’t get over the amount of shops there were, including most of my favourites such as Fairfax & Favor, Katherine Hooker, Winnie Magee, Dubarry, HiHo Silver… I also discovered some fantastic new brands; World Secrets is incredible, The Pearl Tree had a really great selection of affordable freshwater pearls, Mackenzie & George was selling the most gorgeous leather belts and McKinley and Moth (pic above) pulled me in with felted dachshunds and hares! So cute!
My day concluded in a cup of tea and toasted tea cake in the midst of the pouring rain (I was snuggled up under cover, phew!) I also squeezed in a spot of shopping too and then grabbed a taxi back to the airport, happy and sleepy!
The CLA Game Fair
The CLA Gamefair really makes a wonderful day out for family or friends and is a must for any field sports lover, I recommend it fully! Here’s some tips if you’re planning to go next year:
Terriers & Tweeds Top Tips:
-Don’t forget waterproofs-it lashed when I was there and was saved by my Barbour, Rydale hat and Sporting Hares wellies!
-Buy a programme first thing. The CLA Game Fair is like a maze so you’ll need that map to know where to go!
-Bring a packed lunch. There’s plenty of places to sit and eat a picnic, plus it’ll save you money (which then can be used for shopping!!)
-Plan ahead, decide on what main events you want to see before you arrive and work your day around that.
-Give yourself plenty of time to get there and leave, traffic is congested!
-Bring your dog! This is a really dog friendly event, so if your dog enjoys social events bring him along!
