Really looking forward to going to Crufts this year, anybody here going? Any tips would be appreciated for a first time visitor
Wear comfy shoes, and take plenty of money Crufts is HUGE, and there is a lot of walking around to do - and the stalls, well, kiss goodbye to quite a bit of money as there will be some irresistible offers there
Comfy shoes are a must, like Azz said its huge and you'll probably cover miles over the day. Take your own food or a snack as its pretty pricey in there. If your planning on doing Discovery Dogs try do it early as it can get very crowded later on in the day. Don't drink loads as the toilet queue gets rather long and you'll loose valuable shopping time Oh and take loads of pics and post them on here
Wife keeps nagging me to go but don't really do crowds, will watch this thread with interest. Are they're any days quieter than the others?
Being the old old person that I am, I've been to Crufts at Olympia, Earls Court and the NEC. The NEC is a lot less claustrophobic! Still very crowded though, and really tiring - and, as has been said, dress comfortably and take lots of money! Once year, at one of the London venues, I went with a friend who had the cheek of Old Nick. She signed us into the Overseas Visitors' Lounge, using her Canadian friend's name, where we were entertained in comfort.
It It will all depend on what day and time you leave...Thursday and Friday won't be as bad as sat and Sunday... A tip for you is to leave before 4pm, because this is the time exhibitors can leave with their dogs, so you will see a mass evacuation , and that will clog up the buses and leaving car parks .
Traffic has never been a problem for us, even when going on the busiest days at the weekends. However, you do end up a long way back from the NEC in the car park. Regular shuttle buses run throughout the day to carry you back and forwards when you want to drop off some shopping etc. We always bring our own food and head back to the car around lunchtime to enjoy our sandwiches and drinks before starting back up again. As already mentioned, comfy shoes are a must! There is very little in the way of seating areas so you'll be on your feet all day. We haven't sat down once on any of our visits apart from when we eat our lunch back at the car, and the first year I unfortunately was wearing trainers that rubbed on my little toe and by the end of the day I was in agony! Lots of money needed too!
I haven't been to Crufts for the past few years but agree with everything that has already been said. Comfy footwear has to be the top priority! Your own food/drink is a good idea. I always tried to decide what I wanted to buy before going and then avoided spending lots of money on unnecessary items just because ... (it didn't always work though!). Try to find out what (if any) classes you want to watch and roughly what time they are on to avoid disappointment. There are also some great working dog demos, but they are on at certain times and there is limited seating, so try to plan what you want to see in advance. If you have never been to Crufts before then it is hard to imagine just how huge the show is. You can walk around all day and still not see everything in all the halls. It is also usually very busy, but the weekend days are by far busier than Thursday/Friday. Enjoy!
