if your thinking of going to this event, you need to be in harrogate by 7am! or you will be stuck in traffic! its clearly sign posted as you get near harrogate, with police on hand to give directions and marshalls nearer the show grounds. car parking is free. and if your thinking of staying over, hotel and B&B prices go up for this event in harrogate. so might be better to book outside of harrogate and drive in entry to show grounds is early, we've been in as early as 8am, but the stalls dont open till 9am close at 5pm you can get tickets at morrisons super markets (could be just the ones in york area and nearer event days) and on line which will save you some money! it is a full day event! so check the weather reports, take senisble clothing and foot wear! sun block, insect bite stuff etca pack up, as i find that the food and drinks on sale although good, can be very costly! the show grounds can get packed so bear that in mind when taking push chairs or very small children. or if you have low mobility. as some of the terrain can be steep and rough ground to go over!its a military operation for when we go as a family. but with saying that it is worth the effort! you will find craft stalls galore, all kinds of foods on offer, with samplers. hospitality from major super markets and banks, wine stalls, best one being the brown brothers! 3 bottles for £10.00! (2008 prices) even harvy nichols has a stall! with samplers of there wines and spirits!outdoor clothing stalls, charity stalls, tractor stalls etc all things farming and some nothing to do with farming! and thats not all! the black sheep beer tent is good as they give generous samples of beer and the other beer tents that litter the show grounds. beer tasting at 9am may seem early, but one must have priorities right! they have show events throughout the day. gun dogs, ferrets, falconary, fly fishing demonstrations etc in one show area. which is fab for children as they can see the animals, touch and handle some. (if you are very anti hunting, then this is not for you, they do not have hunting demonstrations! but these are working animals, and in the demonstrations they will explain how the ferrets are worked, how the dogs used to be trained etc) and they have other events, like the young handlers, which to my shame i found highly amusing as some poor child tried to keep his ewe in check to show to the judges. this ewe was having none of it! it knew its strength over the child and blatantly laid down and refused to move! other then bleeted what sounded like a haha make me! as the frustrated child pulled away trying to get the ewe to stand! i was also amazed at the grooming these ewes got before entering the ring, brushed, so there wool was all fluffy and knot free, even a kind of hair spray is applied, hoofs polished to a high gleam and oiled then theres the stables for the horses, some will have notices warning you, that horse will bite, on the whole my son, who is not over confidant of animals found this a safe way to pet, these animals, even the big cart horses! and the horses loved the attention! though beware of the sneezing horse! funny to see but not when it happens to you! the cow sheds smelly, but in a healthy country way, massive animals, some bigger then small cars on the road! sheep and goat pens are my fav! as goats are cheeky and most don't mind people giving them a scratch, behind their ears or horns. happily taking dried grass off children and adults. i missed out on the pig pens this year, but like any other year think the review would be smelly. they have a honey section, where there are bee hives surrounded by high nets, and a lovely man that explains how bees work, how to keep bees and have a working bee hive behind glass so you can see the little creatures busy at work, and if the times right, even a waggle dance? other demonstrations are, horse shoeing, sheep sheering, tree climbing, chain sawing etc different parts of the show ground at different times and the horse arena, for show jumping and other horsey events the army section is fab, as all the rides were around £1.00! (2008 prices) great for children and adults to go down a 100ft zip wire, do an assult course, paint ball etc found this section was best left till last, something to let the kids look forward to after trailing around all day. this year there didn't seem as much going on as the previous years when i've been. it was still hard to take everything in, in a day though. son loved it as always. its a full day of walking, sight seeing, food sampling, dodging people to get to where you want to be and most importantly, wine and beer sampling! there is alot more i haven't put in, as there is literally so much to do and see! toilets are easy to find, but expect queues, though they are maintained so they don't run out of tissue paper, but best to pack some in your bags, just in case? bins are emptied regularly, but its so busy, its hard for the marshalls to keep up. bargain read more