Sussex columnist joins thousands of visitors at South of England Show – review and pictures

But that doesn’t mean I wasn’t up for learning more about the country way of life, so when I was invited to attend the South of England Show at the weekend, I was all in.

The South of England Show takes place at the South of England Showground in Ardingly for three days every summer.

It features more than 150 fun things to see and do, including a programme of agricultural and equestrian displays, country pursuits, live entertainment, rural crafts, horticulture, a funfair and a variety of food, drink, and shopping opportunities.

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I’d never been before, so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but my husband grew up in Wales and always attended the annual Royal Welsh Show, so he was excited to be taken back to his childhood.

First thing you should know is that the showground is HUGE! When I imagined a show celebrating the country way of life, I imagined a quaint little day out, with a few horses and cows dotted around.

Wrong! This is a big bash with all the bells and whistles – and everyone is invited. There were thousands and thousands of people there and I was taken aback by the scale.

(That means expect thousands of cars will be there, so definitely do take note of where you park. Aimlessly wandering around a vast car park when it’s 29 degrees is not advised!)

When we got our bearings, we headed straight to watch a display in the main arena by the Bolddog Lings FMX Team – a freestyle motocross stunt display show.

My children were mesmerised, while I was nervous for the team members – letting go of your motorbike to perform stunts while 40ft in the air is not for the faint of heart!

This was followed by a heavy horse turnout display. My daughter loved how smart the horses looked and she enjoyed guessing who was going to win.

Later, we enjoyed watching the showjumping, which was great fun. On what was a scorchingly hot day, the horses and their riders still gave it their all.

My children also loved how close they could get to the farm animals, and loved stroking the sheep, seeing the piglets and even holding some animals you’re less likely to see on a farm – like a tortoise.

For fans of cars, the classic cars were great and my son loved seeing all the steam engines, tractors and heavy machinery around the showground.

The kids were never going to let us leave without going to the funfair, so my daughter and I braved the Star Flyer chair swings which rose up into the air. We were so glad we did, as not only were the views over the showground great, there was a lovely breeze up there.

My husband and son opted for the bumper cars, which they loved.

There was so much more to see and do, but we ran out of time. We’d hoped to go to the Medieval re-enactment zone and to see the farriery show, but we didn’t make them. But there’s always next time.

So, will you find me in tweed and wellies wherever I go from now on? Probably not. But did we all leave with a greater understanding of the countryside and country life – we sure did.

If you fancy a taste of the country life, the Autumn show & International Horse Trials takes place on September 23 and 24. To book tickets, visit the website: www.southofenglandeventcentre.co.uk

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It would have been rude not to embrace the amazing weather at the weekend, so we visited our good friends’ house for a barbecue and ‘pool’ (very large paddling pool, but who’s really counting?!) party.

Tom is a great cook, so he put on an amazing barbecue spread, while my husband kept an eye on the children.

And us girls? Well, we perfected the art of drinking prosecco while horizontal on a sunbed. Because, sometimes, mums just need a day off. Cheers to that!