After a few years break we were pleased to be able to organise a return of scything competition to the Eastern counties. This event took place on 23rd July at Wandlebury Country Park on the Gog Magog Hills just outside Cambridge. The site has the remains of a circular Iron Age Hillfort as well as Read more about Cambridge Scything Festival 2023[…]
The Scottish Scythe Festival took place around the weekend of 24th June at Blackhaugh Farm in Perthshire. It was a hugely enjoyable weekend of scything with around 150 attendees overall. The 13 participants on the Improvers workshop on Friday led by Andi Rickard and John Grundy mowed one of the camping fields and they successfully Read more about Scottish Scything Festival 2023[…]
The Shropshire Hay Meadow festival took place on Saturday 15th July 2023 in Craven Arms. The event included competitions with both experienced and novice scythers taking part. As both the grass and weather forecast looked challenging the competition plots were reduced to 4 x 4 m (from 5 x 5 m). As it turned out Read more about Shropshire Hay Meadow Day – Scythe Competition results[…]
This year’s Northern Scythe Festival once again took place at Bell Sykes which has a very special series of flower rich Coronation meadows within the Forest of Bowland in Lancashire. Traditionally managed Northern Dales meadows like these offers some of the best mowing any scyther could ever wish for. Their structure and mix of wild Read more about Northern Scythe Festival 2023[…]
These are the results from the competitions held at the 2023 Green Scythe Fair at Muchelney in the Somerset Levels on Sunday June 11th. This year’s event built upon the successes of last years Green Scythe Festival, both for the individuals competing and for the community of scythers that come together to make it all Read more about Green Scythe Fair Championship Report 2023[…]
This year’s Northern Scythe Festival took place on a new site in the Forest of Bowland. The festival field was on a farm nestled up in the hills with great views out to the coast, including in the distance, Blackpool tower. The participants who came were treated to unlimited quantities of lovely lush Lancashire grass Read more about Northern Scythe Festival Results[…]
This year’s Green Scythe Fair and 16th West Country scythe competition was all good: the weather was good, the grass was good to mow, and gathering back the scythe community after three years absence, was more than good. There were smiles a plenty, and not just from winners of competitions. The standout image from the Read more about Green Scythe Fair Championship Report 2022[…]
ON July 24th we had a blistering hot day at Blackhaugh farm for this years festival, over 200 people came along! By 9.30 most of the competition squares had been prepared, the signs were all in place, structures up and the chairs and straw bales were ready for play and use. Food vans were up Read more about The Scottish Scything Festival 2021[…]
This Hay Meadow festival was held on Saturday 24 July 2021 behind the Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre (run by the Charity GROW COOK LEARN) where there are 30 acres of meadows beside the Onny river. The meadow selected for the festival and scything competition was uneven, lumpy ground with dense, wiry vegetation including dock, lady’s Read more about Shropshire Hills Hay Meadow Festival Report[…]
A report by Jim McVittie. The Site Peter Blackwell farms at Bell Sykes farm near Slaidburn in the Forest of Bowland AONB and thanks to the efforts of himself, his father and his grandfather has some of the best wild-flower meadows in Lancashire. Peter had allocated the whole of a four acre field which gently Read more about Northern Scythe Competition 2021[…]