Pembrokeshire County Show

One of the largest agricultural shows in Wales, and the day the whole county turns up in one field outside Haverfordwest. This is a working agricultural show first and a visitor attraction second, which is exactly why it is worth going to.

The livestock lines are the real event. Welsh Blacks, Holsteins, Welsh Mountain and Lleyn sheep, heavy horses, pigs, goats and poultry, all being washed, clipped and walked around in white coats by people who have prepared for this for months. Judging runs from early morning. Get there before ten to see the lines at their best.

The main ring carries showjumping, heavy horse turnouts, a display act of some kind and the grand parade of prizewinning stock, which is the single best twenty minutes of the day.

Everything else. Food and drink halls full of Pembrokeshire producers, a machinery field the size of a small town, forestry, crafts, a horticulture tent, dog shows, sheep shearing and a trade area selling everything from fencing to hot tubs.

The honest bit. In a wet August it is a mudbath. The showground is grass, parking is grass, and cars getting towed off the field by tractors is a normal end to a wet show day. Wear boots, take waterproofs regardless of the forecast, and accept it will be slow getting out at the end.

Practical. Cash is useful though most traders take cards. Signal is unreliable with that many people on one mast. It is a long day for small children — the food halls and the small animals are the pressure valve.

Dates are announced well in advance by the Agricultural Society.