This week is the week of the Royal Welsh Agricultural show. For anyone who lives in rural Wales it is a highlight of the year, if any schools have not yet broken up for the summer holidays there will be a notable level of absenteeism! Farming families strive to get the hay crop in in time this year it would have been easier than for about the last 6 years thanks to 4 weeks dry weather and take a weeks holiday to camp on site or nearby.

For anyone not wanting to go to the show, its worth avoiding Builth Wells, which can be difficult as Wales' 2 major north south trunk roads cross here, traffic gets waved into car parks, I once over heard some poor Japanese tourists ask if this was the way to London after they had been herded into a car park, I dread to think how long it took them to get out!

The first Royal Welsh Agricultural show was held in Aberystwyth in 1904, and for the first half of its history the show was hosted by different counties at different locations around Wales each year. The tradition of the show being 'hosted' by different counties has continued, but since 1963 the show has taken place at Llanelwedd, across the river Wye from Builth Wells. In 2013 Anglesey is the 'featured county'.

http://www.rwas.co.uk/fifty-years-at-llanelwedd/

http://www.facebook.com/RoyalWelshAgriculturalSociety

I'm not sure if BBC iplayer works outside the UK...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/search?q=Royal%20Welsh%20Show%20(2013)

And for more tv highlights there's S4C http://www.rwas.co.uk/television-highlights-1/

Its not just an Agricultural show for farmers, anything and everything to do with the countryside is there, from falconry displays to fishing demonstrations, crafts, vintage machinery, an incredible variety of food to sample, I always look for ostrich burgers, venison, wild boar as well as Welsh lamb and beef... and fabulous farm cheeses and Ice cream, so its a glorious and tiring - family day out.

There are always a wonderful variety of displays in the main ring, http://www.rwas.co.uk/whats-on/ . One of the highlights is the pony club games, there are always some stunning performances by specialist display teams. Wednesday is Welsh Cob day, there's always a big cheer as these hefty horses thunder around the ring.

A wide range of organizations which work towards looking after the countrysides from various standpoints are represented in the countryside area. http://www.rwas.co.uk/countryside-care-area-1/

Anyone will say you need to spend all four days there to get around half of the displays, trade stands and activities, to sample just some of the food on offer, to watch performances in the various rings or to see the huge variety of animals shown.

If you plan to travel to Wales in the future, consider a day at the show, but plan your accommodation well in advance! Cambrian Safaris could of course provide or arrange transport from accommodation in the Aberystwyth area! At other times of the year, the Spring festival, also known as the Smallholdings and Gardens Show is held on the 3 ^rd weekend in May and the Winter fair is at the beginning of December.

See http://www.welshbreedsnews.co.uk/albums/Royal%20Welsh%20Show%202012/ for more images like the one below!