DETAILS AND
DIRECTIONS for fairs calendar
click here
NOTE: this is
an old page which I have decided not to maintain.
It was last updated in 2006, I checked it at the end of 2007
and it still seems accurate.
By 2008 or 2009 the directions may have changed,
if you're reading this in 2010, please email to remind me
to delete this page.
The following directions
are written from my own experience, telling you what I see
as I drive and giving you what I consider to be the best
route. These are NOT computer-generated directions,
which can, at times, be quite bizarre.
If you have a better suggestion
for a route or wish to tell me about roadworks, diversions
etc that I don't yet know about, email me on raffi@quicktest.co.uk
I start my journey in South
Hertfordshire (on the Northern tip of London) but for the
sake of these directions I shall start you off at the nearest
motorway. The numbers on the left are mileages, set
your trip meter to zero where it reads 00.0
I have also included the
size of the fair, as counted by me, often quite different
from the size advertised by the organisers.
Here is a useful link, it gives real-time travel information
including the messages on the motorway message boards at
this very moment. Click on BIRMINGHAM, click on TRAFFIC
(or you could choose Rail, Car Parks or Bus & Metro):
http://www.help2travel.co.uk Unfortunately, this site only covers the West Midlands
area of England, it would be useful if it covered all of
the U.K.
Fair: Birmingham Venue: St Martin's Market Times: 7.30am to about 11.30am (no trade preview,
everyone goes in together, including the stallholders) Location: Edgbaston Street, St Martins Size: Out of 300 indoor stalls 200 were occupied
in November
BY CAR:
M1 - M6
M6 Junction 6 - A38M towards central Birmingham
As you go down the sliproad get into the second lane
and stay there
Keep your eye on the overhead gantries, exit after you have
seen 'End of Motorway' sign and get into far left lane,
to the red doors of the fire station to the Give Way lines.
At the Give Way lines by
the red doors of the fire station set your trip meter to
zero
Turn left, stay in left
lane, then:
0.6 Moor Street car park (market straight ahead,
not far to walk)
0.7 follow left at lights then get into RIGHT
lane
0.85 fork right at lights
0.9 Moat Lane car park
0.95 fork left at light, market on right
ON FOOT: the market entrances
are opposite Debenhams and Borders
If you have a better suggestion for a route or wish to tell
me about roadworks, diversions etc that I don't yet know
about, email me on raffi@quicktest.co.uk
When you email please tell me your first name and the place
(nearest town) you start your journey.
Fair: Newark Venue: Newark & Notts. Showground Times: Monday 7.30am to 6pm, Tuesday 8am to mid-afternoon
On the Monday trading outside starts at about 6am
and ends whenever it gets dark, inside trading 7.30pm
prompt, fizzles out at about 5pm. On the Tuesday outside
sellers tend to pack up between 1pm and 3pm and inside sellers
between 2pm and 4pm - most have gone by 4pm. Location: Newark-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire Size: too large to count, perhaps 3,000 perhaps
3,500, probably not the 4000 the organisers claim.
From A1(M) Northbound from London
The landmark I use is the
Hatfield Tunnel at Junction 3, because it is difficult to
miss, a tunnel 0.7 mile long that takes you underneath
he town of Hatfield, not far North of London / M25.
As you enter the tunnel
set your trip meter to zero.
108.0 exit, signposted NEWARK / A46 (Note this is the second
exit to Newark)
108.7 second exit A17 towards Lincoln
108.8 turn left (careful if dark very sudden turning)
Entrance on left
If you have a better suggestion
for a route or wish to tell me about roadworks, diversions
etc that I don't yet know about, email me on raffi@quicktest.co.uk
Could anyone give me a similar landmark / mileage from Edinburgh
or Newcastle?
ALTERNATIVE ROUTE:
John from Chesham writes: if you live West of the
M1 and North of Hemel, go M1 instead.
Route is M1 J22 onto A46 and it's A46 all the
way to the showground, distance 120 miles (2.5 hours fast)
KEMPTON Organiser's web site www.kemptonantiques.com Fair: Kempton Venue: Kempton Park Racecourse Times: 6.30am prompt for everyone, packing starts
midday (earlier outside if the weather is bad), most have
gone by 1.30pm. Location: Sundbury, Surrey by J1 of M3, less
than 10mns from J12 of M25. Size: Main hall 160; other halls 50; outside
varies from 200 (e.g. in bad weather) and 350 (in the summer)
= up to 550 total.
In September I counted 355 outside stalls, the organiser
says this is about 'full capacity', he had to turn away
ten latecomers.
Directions
to Kempton from M25
M25 J12 onto M3 / Sundbury
M3
J1 / Sundbury
At
the traffic lights at the end of the sliproad be in the
middle lane, careful, difficult roundabout, stay in the
lane marked A308 KGSTON
You will pass under the motorway,
then take the exit signed Hampton Court Palace
and Kempton Racecourse.
Now
look at your mileometer, entrance is on left after 0.3mile,
(it appears very suddenly, your cue is: keep looking ahead
to your left and you will see the struts that hold up the
Grandstand).
Directions from Kempton to Sandown Park
The Kempton fair often
clashes with the Sandown fair, Kempton starts at 6.30am,
Sandown starts at 1pm, the two are very close, here are
directions, 15mns in light traffic, 30mns in heavy traffic.
0.0Turn left out of the main gate (Grandstand entrance) [you are on the A308 towards Hampton]
5.2at big junction (a squiggle followed by roundabout)turn right A307
Esher, Sandown Park
5.9entrance on right
If you have a better suggestion
for a route or wish to tell me about roadworks, diversions
etc that I don't yet know about, email me on raffi@quicktest.co.uk
Fair: Alexandra
Palace Venue: Alexandra Palace Times: trade 10am, public 11.30am, ends 5pm, Location: Alexandra Park, North London (by Muswell
Hill)
SOUTHBOUND FROM NORTH OF
LONDON
Being in London there are many routes, this is my route
from Junction 2 of M1.
(which is also the junction of A1 and A41 known locally
as 'Fiveways Corner')
My colleague always used to go M1 J1 - A406 but now
goes my route:
M1 Junction 2 onto A1 (no choice)
At the second traffic lights (less than a mile) set
your trip meter to zero and (at this junction): 0.0 Turn left, signpostedA504 Muswell
Hill, E Finchley 0.7 turn right signposted E Finchley A504
(the landmark at this turn is the big NO ENTRY sign.
You can turn right here, on the other side
of the traffic island) 3.6 at roundabout 3rd exit (= ahead) signposted Alexandra
Palace 4.0 turn left at lights signposted Alexandra Palace
(you are now in Alexandra Park) 4.3 if you are a buyer turn right into the car parks,
there's a free shuttle bus to Alexandra Palace at the top
of the hill 4.7 if you are a seller turn left, the stewards will
guide you to the nearest car park for your stall
If you have a better suggestion
for a route or wish to tell me about roadworks, diversions
etc that I don't yet know about, email me on raffi@quicktest.co.uk
When you email please tell me your first name and the place
(nearest town) you start your journey.
Fair: Ardingly Venue: South of England Showground, West Sussex Location: B2028 by the village of Ardingly, close
to the Brighton end of the M23 Size: I started to count but my clicker (tally counter)
broke down half way, I estimated about 650 exhibitors.
A man giving out leaflets (a good way to count) says he
took 1600 leaflets and ran out.
One of us must be wrong! I'll have another go at counting
next time.
MOTORWAYS:
M25 Junction 8 onto M23 towards Gatwick
M23 Junction 10
SUMMARY: from J10
of M23 follow signs to Wakehurst Place and S. of Eng. Showground
(A264 towards E Grinstead then B2029 towards Ardingly),
the showground is next to Wakehurst Place.
DETAIL:
0.00
At roundabout at J10 of M23 follow A264 E GRINSTEAD
- also signed WAKEHURST PLACE 0.6 Ahead
at roundabout (still A264 towards E Grinstead) - also
signed WAKEHURST PLACE 2.1 3rd exit
at roundabout = B2028 ARDINGLY - signed WAKEHURST
PLACE and S OF E SHOWGROUND 7.5 (You will
pass Wakehurst Place on right)
8.2 Buyers' entrance
on right
8.7 Sellers' entrance
on right
NOTE: if you approach
from the other direction, along the B2028 from Crawley,
the sellers' entrance will be on your left shortly after
leaving the village of Ardingly and the buyers' entrance
after another 0.5 mile
If you have a better suggestion
for a route or wish to tell me about roadworks, diversions
etc that I don't yet know about, email me on raffi@quicktest.co.uk
When you email please tell me your first name and the place
(nearest town) you start your journey.
Fair: Shepton
Venue: Bath & West Showground
Location: on A371 in Somerset between Shepton Mallet and
Castle Carey. Nearest town on A303 is Wincanton.
M25 Junction 12 onto M3 towards Southampton
M3 Junction 8 onto A303
(a long exit slip)
00.0
At the end of this long sliproad, at the END OF MOTORWAY
sign (and not before) set your trip meter to zero
58.6
Exit. Signs read WINCANTON A371 and Royal Bath
& West Showground and SHEPTON MALLET [etc] A371
At the roundabout at the
end of the exit sliproad, 1st exit (or if you want to pop
into the supermarket, 3rd exit)
then ahead at roundabout (no choice)
then right (= 2nd exit) at roundabout.
Now it's easy, just stay on this road, the A371
70.2
Entrance on left (known as Yellow Gate)
70.5 Main entrance on left - NOT IN USE!
(if you get to this gate, turn round and go back).
If you have a better suggestion
for a route or wish to tell me about roadworks, diversions
etc that I don't yet know about, email me on raffi@quicktest.co.uk
Fair: Sandown
Venue: Sandown Park Exhibition Centre at Sandown Park Racecourse
Times: Trade midday, public 2pm, ends 6pm.
Location: Esher, Surrey
Size: (October) 370 tables
The racecourse and Exhibition
Centre is well signposted from Junction 10 of M25, but just
for the record, here is the stretch from the M25:
0.0 M25
Junction 10: at traffic lights at end of sliproad and 1st
exit A3 LONDON
4.1 at
the roundabout, left lane and first exit A244 ESHER
5.9 at
the traffic lights turn right A307 LONDON
(the No Entry
sign is just to stop you turning right onto the wrong side
of the road, you can turn right, please believe me)
6.2 entrance
on left
If you have a better suggestion
for a route or wish to tell me about roadworks, diversions
etc that I don't yet know about, email me on raffi@quicktest.co.uk
BRUNEL
Fair: Brunel Venue: Brunel University Location: Kingston Lane off A4020 in Uxbridge (West
London) close to the London end of the M40 Size: Clock and Watch Fair by Horological Fairs,
132 exhibitors on 153 tables (counted June 2003) - we exhibit
here on a very occasional basis Size: General Fair by DMG: 74 exhibitors on
95 tables (counted May 2003) - these fairs now canceled
M40 Eastbound towards London.
First exit after the motorway has run out and has
become A40
At roundabout at end of sliproad take 3rd Exit signposted
Uxbridge
Follow the signs to the fair very carefully as you go through
Uxbridge - about 5mns from motorway.
An alternative route is
the local cut-through from Ruislip, Pinner and Harrow via
Ickenham to the M40, like this:
Traveling south you pass through the centre of Ickenham
on Ickenham Road / B466.
The landmark at which to set your trip meter to zero is
the junction of Swakeleys Road (you would turn right here
for M40) with the 'funny hut' opposite on the left (looks
like a mini-bandstand, it's actually a pump).
0.00 DO NOT turn right here but continue ahead. Ickenham
Road changes name to Long Lane then B466 changes number
to A437 - all same road.
2.40 you run out of road, turn right onto Uxbridge Road
/ A4020 towards Uxbridge
3.15 turn left (fair should be signposted)
3.25 turn right into Brunel University, aim for the stewards
who will guide you to the nearest car park.
It
is important before traveling any distance to check with
the fair organiser to confirm dates and times,
QUICKTEST cannot accept liability for any errors and/or
omissions or any loss, damage or costs
incurred by anyone acting on the information in this web
site.
