Need an excuse to go to crazy places in your campervan? Here are 10 madcap events you’d be mad to miss…
Words ❚ Nick Harding
Got a campervan? Feel like going a bit crazy? Admit it, everyone one of us has our little quirks. Total them all up and it’s no wonder we Brits are renowned worldwide for our eccentricity.
Where does it come from? Who knows? Who cares? It’s a mad, mad world out there…
Meanwhile, sit back. Here’s your starter for 10 events that might just make you think again about your next campervan trip. We’ve toured the counties and shires on your behalf, to bring back news of the most bonkers experiences for the rest of the year – and into next.
If you do fancy visiting any of the events mentioned here, do check out local campsites and parking at the event itself, including genning up on any road closures. Read on, you crazy diamonds.
THE EVENT World Peashooting Championships
THE LOCATION Witcham, Cambridgeshire
THE DATE 13 July
Shelled in 1971 and taking place the second Saturday of every July, on the green (oh, yes) in the village of Witcham. It all sounds so easy – just blow a dried pea through a straw (or similar) at a target.
The organisers say, now that they’ve notched up a half-century, they’re moving into a “new era”, without any irony, adding, “We’re going back to our roots”, admittedly with a new category: Traditional Peashooting. That’s an antidote to the onwards march of technology, which has even seen laser-guided shooters. As well as adults, there are youth and junior events, needless to say called Petit Pois. Online registration is now open and all proceeds go to Witcham’s village hall.
More information at worldpeashoot.com
THE EVENT Wells Moat Boat Race
THE LOCATION Bishop’s Palace, Wells, Somerset
THE DATE 26 August
Unhampered by its Smallest City in England status, Wells in Somerset also hosts the annual Moat Boat Race at the Bishop’s Palace, adjacent to the cathedral.
The rules are strict. If you’re going to enter, you’ll need to build your own raft, for starters, with the provisos that it must be “home-made, and the only permissible means of flotation will be oil drums or similar containers, plastic or metal. All drums or barrels must be clean and decontaminated. The decking should be wooden, and any sharp corners must be padded.” Also, you are not allowed to “streamline” your raft…
If you’re
