A major show at the same venue we visited in August 2023 Site address is Ushaw Historic House, Ushaw Moor, Durham City. To register for this show please use this link https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSenXOXpVMLskPYNHrAgCgtD6MpK0rAMiq5Q6RHmWHS92XNAvg/viewform?usp=header Use postcode DH7 7DW when navigating with SatNav. This will take you to the main visitor entrance which is also our entry point for LHE. The entry point for plastic-camp is approx 250m further up the road. Do not use the postcode that a web-search will produce as the site is so large the generic postcode will take you to the wrong entrance. what-three-words for the main entrance is nowadays.huddled.typified what-three-words for the plasti entrance is chugging.voice.flipper - but this is not yet fully confirmed. Directions :- If coming from the North use the A1(M) to the turn off for the A167 (the old A1) at junction 63. Follow the A167 south through several roundabouts (past Chester-le-Street). Keep going till you get to the outskirts of Durham City. The turnoff you need is just after a blue footbridge ; you turn right. The venue is brown tourist signed, and the roadsigns point to “Bearpark, Ushaw College”. If coming from the South use the A1(M) but you have a choice turn-offs ; you need to get onto the A167 south of Durham City. Sat Navs will probably take you via the A177 from junction 61. This takes you through Bowburn and around the south side of Durham City. Across the city may be busy so an alternative is to leave the A1(M) at junction 60 and use the A689 to the first roundabout where you can join the A167 North. Which ever route is used turn right (North) onto the A167 and follow this till you get to Nevilles Cross (as in battle of 1346) ; go straight over the Nevilles Cross cross-roads still going North and you need the next junction left, just after a Sainsbury’s Local shop on the left. The venue is brown tourist signed, and the roadsigns point to “Bearpark”. Once off the A167 : Follow the road through the village of Bearpark and keep going till you get to the house. The main public and LHE entrance is easy to find as it's signposted. The Plasti-camp entrance isn't as obvious but is only approx. 250m further up the main road. Traffic on the main road can be fast so please take care when turning in, and especial car when leaving site. In site the roads are not very wide so take it slow. The speed limit on site is 10mph, but the potholes in the drive will punish anyone flogging it. The plasticamp entrance is up a narrow road and then turn left into the camping field.. LHE access is off the main driveway and through the disabled public car park. Access to the LHE is via the lower (3rd) parking row. Once unloaded LHE cars should go and park in plasti-camp. DO NOT PARK IN THE DISABLED OR PUBLIC CAR PARKS. Display your Viking Vehicle ID card in the windscreen, Camping :- Note that the event finishes on the Sunday and as usual people can stay over till the Monday morning. . • Arrivals for LHE and plasti-camp camping is allowed from noon on Friday 26th. • Camping is allowed until 11am Monday 29th. Other Information :- The site is only 4miles or so from one of the suggested locations for the Battle of Brunanburgh (AD 937) ; where Dere Street crosses the River Brownie there was a Roman fort. We will therefore be reenacting this battle. Authenticity standards for AS 937 apply - refer to the Authenticity Dept's information. A precis of the applicable standards is included at the bottom of this information. The site is also only 6 miles from Durham City centre with the Castle and Cathedral as the main visitor attractions. The tombs of St Cuthbert and the Venerable Bede are in the cathedral ; so is St Oswald's head ! The cathedral museum holds St Cuthbert's tomb relics including the famous episcopal clothing with the best example of English tablet braiding in existence. Ushaw House has St. Cuthbert's episcopal ring (but unfortunately it is not at present on display). For local shops the closest and easiest to get to are in Bear Park. Out of the main gates turn left / East and follow the road for about 3 miles. There is a Morrison's Daily small supermarket on the left / North side of the main road though the village. There is a pizza take-away next door and another small store opposite. There is also a Co-op about the same distance away in Ushaw Moor. If you want a larger shop then there is a Sainsbury Local at the junction of the Bearpark road and the A167. There is also full shopping centre called the Arnison Centre at Pity Me, DH1 5GD about 6 miles away. This has the usual out of town range of shops including a Sainsbury's. LHE and the battlefield are to be located on the main show field - known as "the Bounds", which to put things into context we only managed to half fill with 120 tents in 2023. There is plenty of room. The plastic camping is on a grassed field approx. 250m from the LHE/Battlefield, on the other side of the main house. Note that this is a field, it's not a bowling green, but is in comparison better than the LHE at Battle Abbey. There is a permanent cafe within the main house buildings. This only tales card payments - no cash. The intention is that a 2nd cafe overlooking the LHE will be open from around 8:00 am for bacon butty and mug of tea/coffee breakfasts. At present this in not fully confirmed. The venue has arranged this specially for us so please avail yourselves of this facility. Unfortunately there is no similar arrangement for evening meals, although there may be food concession vans there during the day and the events manager is trying to get them to stay till say 6:00 - 6:30pm. It will be obvious if they have not stayed - as they wont be there. Water is available from two outside taps located on the main house. This is a tad of a hike for people in plastic-camp but this cannot be helped. It's probably about the same distance as you had to walk at Whitby. Open fires are allowed in the LHE and plasti-camp but must be on our usual raised fireboxes, be manned at all times, be fully extinguished overnight, and you must have a water bucket at hand. i.e. Our usual rues. The client is supplying approx. 2 ton sling bags of wood for the LHE and 1 ton bag for the plasti-camp. If the firewood runs out then we are allowed to go foraging for wind-fall in the woods. Wood for the LHE will be located adjacent the wall around to the north side of "the Bounds". Wood for the Plasti-camp will be dropped in or near to the field. During the day we can use the public toilets in the main building ; this is locked after public hours. For overnight toilets : There will be 6 portaloos provided for each camp. For the LHE these will be in the car park to the right when facing the buildings, through the stone gateway and out of sight of the general public. For the plastic-camp we are at the mercy of where the suppliers are prepared to drive to with the delivery truck. These toilets are no-where near where the public are going so should remain for our exclusive use. Portaloos are being cleaned once a day, Skips will be located at the entrance to the LHE car park and close to the plasti-camp and everyone should put their rubbish in them irrespective of where they camp. Alternatively take you rubbish home with you. Do not leave it in heaps on the campsites or fill waste bins till they overflow. There is a bar on site !!! This is located in the room that had the large cafe in 2023, with the cafe having been relocated to other rooms to the right of the main entrance. This bar has just been installed so I don't have any other information at this time other than its a bottle bar - no draught beers.. There is a door entry system to get through the locked front door to get to the bar after closing time. There may be a mobile bottle bar on site after hours. Note that at present there is no special provision for campers and caravans, which must also use the general plasti-camp. Registration for vans is required as whilst the camping field is huge it is sloping and we may need to allocate flatter bits near the entrance for vans. Caravans and campers will be located within the general plasti-camp and will be on grass. If we have issues with vans there is a fall back option but the parking site is fairly remote so will only be used if absolutely necessary. Watch the society online media for any updates on the location of parking vans. Vehicles may enter the LHE to unload but need to be removed to the plasti-camp as soon as possible, and cannot be brought back onto site until the end of the show. Late arrivals vehicles must be off the LHE site by 9:00am on Saturday and should not return till the public have left site on Sunday - probably at about 5:30pm. There may be vehicular restrictions if the ground is very wet. Anyone with LHE needing to leave earlier than Sunday evening should include this information in their booking so that they can be suitably located and not leave a big hole in the LHE after they have gone. For the time being the timetable is the usual major programme with the show ground open to public at 10:00 am, so the LHE needs to be authentic by 9:30 am each day. Show closes at 5:00pm each evening ; we should remain authentic if there are public still present. The site opening times are different on the venue website but the site opens earlier than their usual time when events are on. Running Order / Programme as Follows :- 09:30 - LHE etc. authentic / all vehicles off site 10:00 Event starts : LHE opens to public 10:45 - Muster for skirmish 11:00 Skirmish followed by circles 12:00 Kiddie-Vike 1 12:30 - Arena lunch break (1 hr) 13:30 Archery / weaponry displays. 14:00 Hrothgar’s story (or similar) 14:30 Kiddie-Vike 2 15:00 Acting (in LHE ?) 15:30 - Muster for main battle 15:45 Main battle followed by refight(s) 17:00 Event closes : LHE closes to public 17:30 - or sooner if no public - LHE etc. in-authentic Anything listed after a dash - is for our own use re organisation and will not be published. Additional Events :- Combat Training - TBA Archery Training - TBA Alley/Ollie Brawl - TBA Authenti Checks - TBA Acting Rehearsals - TBA LHE/Craft surgery - 10:00 at Northumbria LHE camp on Saturday. Sunday only if needed. ALTHING - Saturday evening 18:30 hrs. Location to be advised at the show. -------- Ushaw 2025 authenticity guidelines: The main battle will be Battle of Brunanburh, so the show dateline will be 937AD. This battle, is King Æthelstan leading the “English”, so mostly Saxons against the “unholy alliance” which is the combined armies of Olaf (Norse Irish), Constantine (Scots) and Owain (Strathclyde Welsh). This is a battle of four Kings, and their armies, each would have had a hearth troop. In terms of kit one side should look very Saxon and the other should look Viking//Hiberno Norse//Gaelic//Brythonic. Please leave your Eastern//Norman kit at home With this dateline, Dane axes may be used by Viking//Hiberno Norse characters only. For the LHE women can wear hangerocs - Also see https://ushaw.org/whatson/vikingweekend/ Nearest A&E is the University Hospital Durham - 4-5 miles away in the city centre.