Billing Off-road Show
If off-roading, real ales, quality food and camping are your thing, then the Billing Off-road Show was the definitely the place to be
It may have crossed the river to another location but the Billing Off-road Show is just as good
This picture: The Riverside and Lakeside course at Billing provide plenty of opportunities to get your Land Rover extremely wet and muddy
“Why is driving through water so much fun? Issac (and I) enjoy it so much that I do the long water run several times”
This is a show like no other. You can climb out of your tent, hop into your Land Rover, then in less than a minute, be on one of the finest offroad tracks in the whole of the UK.
We own Land Rovers because they can go just about anywhere. The Billing Off-road Show is exactly what it says on the tin: an opportunity to take your Land Rover off-road in a fun and controlled environment. It does not matter whether you drive a Series I or the new Velar Range Rover, all are welcome here. Even if it does not have the Green Oval...
After collecting my event programme at the gate, I head straight to the off-road course, where I am met by the friendly Charlie Thorn and his Camel Range Rover. Charlie and his team do a thoroughly professional job of marshalling the off-road course at Billing. In fact, they have been doing it for as long as I have been coming to shows at this venue.
The day before my visit (the Friday) the original Riverside course was opened to the public for the first time in ten years and punters had to pay £10 for two laps, which took them around 40 minutes to complete. I instead had to take the Lakeside course which takes you through the massive lake that tends to dominate the 100 acres of green countryside where the show was taking place. This was the first time taking my Defender 110 with its factory-fitted petrol BMW engine off-road. I used to have a 90 with the same engine and it was great.
The course is as simple as just following the track. I easily negotiate my way through the forest. My four-year-old son Isaac is sitting up front next to me in his special seat; he squeals with delight as I take the big 110 over the obstacles. There are a series of optional dog legs which take you over a muddy and rocky section. I engage low range and lock the centre diff. It normally makes life much easier. The M52 engine has more than enough bottom end grunt and we gently bounce over the rocks.
Soon we are at a short water crossing with a steep entrance and exit. Some of those in front of me enter and exit the water at high speed, I do exactly the opposite and enter as cautiously as a springbok taking a drink at a crocinfested river. I struggle at the exit and the wheels spin a little before biting. I should’ve engaged the centre diff again. A 50 metre water section follows, it’s only about knee-deep and we literally cruise through. The long lake water section follows. It’s my favourite part of the course. I keep the wooden poles to my left. Why is driving through water so much fun? Isaac (and I) enjoy it so much that I do the long water run several times. The marshals give us a big smile each time we pass them.
Finally we decide to push on. Another forestry section requires precision driving, unless you want to damage your Defender. It’s at times like these that I miss the 90. Most others peel off to do the infamous mud run. I stop to watch a few of them but decide to give it a skip. My Defender has spent its life in the Kalahari Desert, so I’m not sure what it will make of the mud. After about 30 minutes we reach the end of the course, fortunately the £15 fee includes a second run and so we go and do it all over again before parking up with the other day visitors.
After a few minutes my wife Alison declares that she likes this show. That’s praise indeed for someone who does not normally camp or attend Land Rover shows. So I ask her why? “It has a nice family feel plus there are loads of things for the kids to do.” I think that it may have something to do with the Drover coffee Defender that she has just spotted. I prefer the stand serving the wood oven pizza while Isaac only has eyes for the various fun options for kids.
There are more than 50 trade stands to stroll past and I manage to find some new mats for my Defender. One of the biggest attractions at the show is the Challenge South West demo area, where for only £20 you can have a passenger ride in one of their beefy challenge trucks. Organiser Richard Arrowsmith has kindly given them a huge field in which to build an exciting course which includes some jumps and driving over the back of a truck. This is the first time ever that passengers have been able to take a ride in challenge trucks at a Land Rover show. It proved to be a popular option.
I can now see why my wife likes this show. They have got the simple things right. Quality food, local ales, live music, good camping facilities, something different (challenge truck passenger rides) and a legendary off-road course. I will definitely be back in 2018.