We’ve just returned from our first experience of the Adventure Overland Show which is hosted at Stratford-upon-Avon racecourse. The event is a chance to come together with hundreds of other like minded individuals and check out all of the amazing vehicles on display. From overland Nissan Micra home conversions to imported US school buses and 4×4 Mercedes Varios there is such a fantastic range to checkout. Whether you own any of these kinds of vehicles or are interested in buying or building your own it’s a great event. We really appreciate all the hard work and planning that goes on for months behind the scenes just so we can rock up and enjoy ourselves. Also a big thanks to all the volunteers on site during the weekend.
As first-timers, we put together some information and some of our opinions on the event that might be useful if you’re planning on attending one of the next events, we’ve also put together a few fly over shots in a video below so you can see the scale of the event and the rough layout of the stalls and camping areas.
1. Despite all the incredible vehicles, the show is really all about the people. There didn’t appear to be a particular schedule or marked route for visitors to use. Instead, we walked back and forth over the same sections speaking to different people and returning at another time if they weren’t around their vans.
2. The Overland Adventure Show is for everyone. It doesn’t matter if you don’t even own a vehicle, have spent £250k on one or are mid-way through your build. Everyone was super friendly and willing to share information and experiences.
3. Pre camping was available for £10 prior to the event start. This was great value considering the use of (included) showers and toilets. There was also a really good crowd building up before the event opened up to the public so it was a chance to chill out and meet new people whilst things were calmer. There was also camping available on Sunday night after the show for those looking to extend the stay or get one last night together around a fire.
4. It is possible to walk into Stratford-upon-Avon from the event (around 1 1/2-2 miles depending on the route).
5. There are multiple supermarkets and major shops within a couple of miles from the event so you can top up on supplies easily before you park up for the weekend.
6. Multiple fresh water taps were available on-site, but it was not possible to drive your vehicle to these and they prefer to have all vehicles static during the show opening hours which makes perfect sense. Make sure you bring external water carriers and a means to get the water into your van or vehicle if you need to top up.
7. Elsan points were provided for black waste/toilet disposals for those using cassette style toilets and porta potties.
8. There is no electric hook up which is potentially more of an issue for the smaller vehicles or campers however everyone is super friendly so it would be easy to nab some power from a neighbour if needed.
9. Large bins were provided and distributed all around the site so you were never too far from somewhere to leave your waste. Unfortunately, there didn’t appear to be any split recycling.
10. Porta loos were installed around the camping fields, and also around the food area and trade stalls. These also included wider versions with disabled access.
11. If you have specific dietary requirements we would advise bringing your own food to the event and cooking it on site, the food stalls were fairly limited in terms of what was on offer.
12. Both the trade area and YouTube areas felt a bit fragmented and we felt like they could have been better integrated into the main event field. This is potentially where the event is split into two, the International campervan show and the Adventure overland show.
