NORTH Northumberland will play host to a national ploughing competition as it celebrates its 70th anniversary this year.

The British National Ploughing Championships, organised by The Society of Ploughmen, will take place in Mindrum on October 10 and 11.

Farmers, ploughmen and enthusiasts will flock to the 200-acre site which has been offered by D Harvey & Son, less than two miles from the Scottish border, between Wooler and Kelso.

This will be only the third time which the event has been held in Northumberland over the past seven years, and it has only been held in Scotland four times.

Around 250 ploughmen and women from across the country are expected to take part in the competition which comprises of 20 classes over the two days, including the five Plough-Off Finals where the top ten competitors will battle it out on the final day for the prestigious title of Supreme Champion and go head-to-head in conventional, reversible, vintage trailed, vintage hydraulic and classic ploughing classes.

Other classes include horticultural, crawler, Ferguson, Ford and Fordson, David Brown, high cut, a new classic reversible and magnificent heavy horses.

Designed to be a perfect countryside day out for the whole family, the event will also include: machinery demonstrations, a wide range of agricultural trade stands and shopping stalls, steam ploughing engines, static vintage displays, and country crafts.

In a fitting touch, tractors and trailers will be on hand to transport visitors around the huge site. For more details visit ploughmen.co.uk