Stratford Show ?

[Ambilkate]

Hi All,
We have never done the Stratford Show. So could some of you funster answer a few questions please? It falls this year on Amanda's 30th birthday. Would like to know what the facilities are ie, ehu, marquee function room, is town within walking distance as sometimes Amanda is reliant on her mobility scooter also If we book for the week are we still with fun? Can anyone advise please?

Kath & Bill

 

[Jim]

Its a great week Book with Fun. to get into town Amanda would need to go through the kiss gates and we would need to lift her chair over a gate. we are parked close enough to the gate to get help though. I've lifted a few over. Yes the marquee will be up, and its just 15 min into town.

 

[hilldweller]

is town within walking distance as sometimes Amanda is reliant on her mobility scooter
Kath & Bill

It's not far but the short route is rough path and up steps to pedestrian bridge. A scooter would have to take a longer route on the roads.


Have a look...
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=Str...n-Avon,+Warwickshire,+United+Kingdom&t=h&z=16

 

[GJH]

I don't think the path should prove too rough for a scooter. When you come to the footbridge there is a good path up past Lucy's Mill House which brings you out near the theatre and is actually a shorter distance into town than using the footbridge. We went that way last year on our bikes.

 

[hilldweller]

I don't think the path should prove too rough for a scooter.

Your opinion counts for more than mine, we didn't make it last year, unfortunately.

Looking forward to this year.

PS What's the big bloke doing against the side of that tent ? Answers on a post card.

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[Theonlysue]

stratford show

Its a great week Book with Fun. to get into town Amanda would need to go through the kiss gates and we would need to lift her chair over a gate. we are parked close enough to the gate to get help though. I've lifted a few over.

Sometimes the shed next to the gate is unlocked, so you my be able to drive through if the doorway is wide enough, S

 

[Dodgey]

I don't think the path should prove too rough for a scooter. When you come to the footbridge there is a good path up past Lucy's Mill House which brings you out near the theatre and is actually a shorter distance into town than using the footbridge. We went that way last year on our bikes.

Spot on Graham, we did that, mind you we completely failed to register the right turn up towards the theatre so ended up [STRIKE]lost[/STRIKE] touring round Stratford for a while:thumb:

For those biking it, loads of places to lock 'em up too.

 

[slobadoberbob]

I have been there many times BUT

I have done Stratford on Avon show on and off for 20 plus years. So I speak from experience.

It is a no no for scooters... the kissing gate will not allow a scooter through and the organisers will not open a gate half way down the site..have asked direct and through Jim in the past .. the road journey is the best part of 1.5 miles both ways. Town is great if you can get in... We now take a car on the trailer so we can get in to town.

The site is not friendly to scooters as the grass is long and uneven and where motorhome fun park is a long way from the show... water is OK as they have a bowser where we park... the beer tent is the opposite of the show ground to where we are. However we did have our own this year.. Smudger managed the site as I did, so if you are prepared to, then as a placs to go fine.. but it is just the getting in to town I had a problem with..... we are in France this year and will not be doing it. But yes I would if I was here as it is the people and the social side I now go for... not the show... which has got smaller and smaller each year.

If you can do without the town then it is OK given the covenant's mentioned. There is the usual store (expensive) on site... but someone was always going in to town by car or bike and was willing to bring back items.

I would have hoped Stratford on Avon Racecourse would have given some thought to disabled peoples needs being considered.. has to be one of the worse race course sites for disabled people... and having done them all over theirs I speak of experience. Even the roadway inside the track is very uneven and a nightmare for scooters. While the organisers have areas for disabled camping, it does not help the clubs much, and having used that as well in the past it is not very good either in my view... But funny enough our own area is very good and the grass was good and level...

Bob

 

[icantremember]

Spot on Graham, we did that, mind you we completely failed to register the right turn up towards the theatre so ended up [STRIKE]lost[/STRIKE] touring round Stratford for a while:thumb:

For those biking it, loads of places to [HI]lock 'em up too[/HI].

Quite right & here's one from last year

 

[Jim]

I have done Stratford on Avon show on and off for 20 plus years. So I speak from experience.

It is a no no for scooters... the kissing gate will not allow a scooter through and the organisers will not open a gate half way down the site..have asked direct and through Jim in the past .. the road journey is the best part of 1.5 miles both ways. Town is great if you can get in... We now take a car on the trailer so we can get in to town.

The site is not friendly to scooters as the grass is long and uneven and where motorhome fun park is a long way from the show... water is OK as they have a bowser where we park... the beer tent is the opposite of the show ground to where we are. However we did have our own this year.. Smudger managed the site as I did, so if you are prepared to, then as a pass to go fine.. but it is just the getting in to town I had a problem with..... we are in France this year and will not be doing it. But yes I would if I was here as it is the people and the social side I now go for... not the show... which has got smaller and smaller each year.

If you can do without the town then it is OK given the covent's mentioned. There is the usual store (expensive) on site... but someone was always going in to town by car or bike and was willing to bring back items.

I would have hoped Stratford on Avon Racecourse would have given some thought to disabled peoples needs being considered.. has to be one of the worse race course sites for disabled people... and having done them all over theirs I speak of experience. Even the roadway inside the track is very uneven and a nightmare for scooters.

Bob

Bob where we pitch is less than 75m from the smooth road that will take you all the way to the show. Walking around the show is on grass and it is a bit lumpy, but there are the normal number of mobility scooters who all seem to manage OK.

The rally starts Monday, but the motorhome show itself, which seems to get poorer each year is only held on the weekend. I look forward to this rally, you are there 5 days before the show starts, so in the mornings there is no rushing off so the community buzz is better than most, The proximity for a daily stroll along the river into Stratford is a big bonus. Looking forward to it already

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[hilldweller]

Some entertainment....

Link Removed

 

[stagman]

Hi All,
We have never done the Stratford Show. So could some of you funster answer a few questions please? It falls this year on Amanda's 30th birthday. Would like to know what the facilities are ie, ehu, marquee function room, is town within walking distance as sometimes Amanda is reliant on her mobility scooter also If we book for the week are we still with fun? Can anyone advise please?

Kath & Bill

The show has been goin downhill over the past few years , and last year was the pits the show was basically half the size or less than previous years it took us an hour to get round it all . I spoke to a few traders who actually only came towards the end as the organisers had offered substansial discounts for them to attend as the bookings were so low . Some traders were also packing up by lunchtime Sunday as the show had been a disaster. The only good thing about it is the Town is close by , but perhaps not that easy to get to on a Mobility Scooter .I for one with a few others will be spending the weekend somwhere far better but if you do decide to go have fun:thumb:

 

[Jim]

I think the boss had a heart attack before the show last year which messed up the organising a bit. There were not many traders at all, but then its been in decline for ages. If it's a motorhome show you want, Stratford is not it. If you want to spend a cheap sociable week parked with Funsters on the racecourse and enjoy the strolls into Stratford and a few beers in the funsters tent or under your awning in the evening, then its great.

 

[stagman]

I think the boss had a heart attack before the show last year which messed up the organising a bit. There were not many traders at all, but then its been in decline for ages. If it's a motorhome show you want, Stratford is not it. If you want to spend a cheap sociable week parked with Funsters on the racecourse and enjoy the strolls into Stratford and a few beers in the funsters tent or under your awning in the evening, then its great.

Yes would agree with that , also great if you don't want to spend much I struggled to find anything to buy , and that's saying something :thumb:

 

[slobadoberbob]

I agree the social side is good

I think the boss had a heart attack before the show last year which messed up the organising a bit. There were not many traders at all, but then its been in decline for ages. If it's a motorhome show you want, Stratford is not it. If you want to spend a cheap sociable week parked with Funsters on the racecourse and enjoy the strolls into Stratford and a few beers in the funsters tent or under your awning in the evening, then its great.

I fully agree Jim, I would only attend for the social side which was very good last year even if some of us froze out side the tent.... did we ever get the heater? The road you talk about runs over the metal bridge up through the ARVE and then you have to dog leg around the entrance and the food shop to get on the metal road pavement side and then back on the filed. Still a long way..

The show is worse than when we first went 20 years plus when it was in the early years of it's life. While I accept that some come for the week. Bill was asking about the buggy or scooter issues and if I was stuck on the site for a week it would not be a good break for me. Not everyone has a car with them or bikes and unlike a lot of us RV's Bill needs to make sure Amanda's scooter can be charged.. normally by Smudgers genny. Always issues for the
disabled camper.

I think MHF has a good encampment area myself and I really enjoyed the social side of it... but as far as a show is concerned it has to be one of the worse now and add the issues I was writing about exiting off the site in a scooter then that would for me being a disabled an issue.. hence we decided to head to France for June this year. Like others I found it hard to spend money last year in the show. Real shows like Malvern ...same sort of money wins hands down, even being relegated to the far corner of the show with the horse Sh** pile next to us.... and bad water facilities that worked when they felt like it due to no pressure... I want to be on the other side this year.. Bill (Landylover is used to it)... But the social side is the important issue for most of the events we attend. malvern having the best stalls by far really makes that a great show.. plus look at the entertainment at Malvern compared to Stratford! plus you had our Ukelele and singing at Malvern Jim...


You pay your money and decide... but Stratford on Avon is off my list of shows to do.

Bob:Blush:

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[Carol]

Have to agree for the show its self only a side line, but the meet itself with fun brilliant loads of space lovely river walks or bike rides town not to far away, last year seen RR scooting around on his mobility scooter quite a bit, so they are usable, if we were here would not miss it.

 

[slobadoberbob]

We have always managed to get about at shows

We have always managed to get about at shows... my scooter is a class III, if I recall same as Amanda's so we can do 8 mph so it can cope with most surfaces. Know Sue has a class one.. no suspension and little wheels.. have had to push her a few times (my bumper on her rear frame).... Shepton was the worst a few years ago when we tried to cut across some gravel... I managed, Sue bogged down. It is a case if there is a will there is a way.

As we have Ezzie in tow, the journey via the site road and then out on to the pavements would mean a 3.5 mile trip without doing anything in the town. While we do measure Ezzie's walk using a Garmin Oregon handheld satellite (with a bike bracket) we can measure distance as well as speed. So we do find longer trips in to town an issue not for the scooters that can do the journey a few times between charges, but with the dog it has some restrictions. While we have done 5 miles round trip in France, Ezzie is now nearly 6 and with her 76 kgs we do not want to put her under strain when we do not have to.

As said we had bags or parking room at Stratford in the MHF area, it is true to say it was not exactly full of motorhomes in the general fields, unlike we have seen it 20 years back. A mere shadow of what it was as a show years back. less campers, less trade. We all know the story.

But it was a great social meet and we had a good time despite the show. The raffle I will remember for many a year. We also had a great BBQ and even a great game of Boules in the near dark with a green jack on grass!!!! yes we still found it... But then to be honest we find most of the shows good for the social side.. just think of Lincoln last year... those there know what it was like...great.

Bob

 

[Dodgey]

All shows have the social side and some it's about the actual show as well, Stratford for us is almost purely a social, it's a relativly cheap week with, as other say, easy access to town, individual limitations accepted, and a simply show which does have the distinct advantage of not emptying your wallet, more beer vouchers:thumb:

We really enjoyed it last year frankley, really layed back and excellent company, and some good entertainment, Bob setting up

On the entertainment note, we so far haven't ever made the organised do's, to busy having FUN:thumb:

 

[Ambilkate]

Thanks for everyones input to this thread especialy the disability issues much appreciated. We do so enjoy the social side of the fun meets but if we are going somwhere for a week we would also appreciate seeing the town or village also.

All we need now is to see who else is going :thumb:

Kate

 

[pendy]

If you come back out of the gates there is a public footpath on the right that goes up between the trees, this goes straight through the housing estates and comes out on the island at the top of the road, it's 5 minutes into the town cent-re from there.HTH.

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[slobadoberbob]

that footpath has a staggered anti bike fence

If you come back out of the gates there is a public footpath on the right that goes up between the trees, this goes straight through the housing estates and comes out on the island at the top of the road, it's 5 minutes into the town cent-re from there.HTH.

That path goes through a staggered anti bike fence and it is not possible to get a scooter through it. Last year Niggle a local MHF member travels all the route on a bike for me and I looked at Google Earth... Niggle was very helpful and looked at how best to get into town.. the only real route is via the main road with a scooter.. that is a long haul in and out.

Bob

 

[slobadoberbob]

Si it would have ten faster if you and Sarah had not sat down

All shows have the social side and some it's about the actual show as well, Stratford for us is almost purely a social, it's a relativly cheap week with, as other say, easy access to town, individual limitations accepted, and a simply show which does have the distinct advantage of not emptying your wallet, more beer vouchers:thumb:

We really enjoyed it last year frankley, really layed back and excellent company, and some good entertainment, Bob setting up

On the entertainment note, we so far haven't ever made the organised do's, to busy having FUN:thumb:

My set up is an entertainment for many.. ask JIM, he finds it amusing also.

But it does not help when Si and Sarah (dodgey and mrs dodgy bring there love seat and large cups of tea and sit and watch with lots of helpful remarks.. add Rick (motor Romin) and Larrhy all chatting you do not get set up very fast... add sundry visits from other funster and yes it does take up to 5 hours to set my RV rig up.

But it is always good fun.

This year I regret we will be in France.

But will miss the good company.

Bob