Free entry on the Friday, under 12s free all three days and free parking at Heckfield. Every price, the display times and the Malthouse Lane one-way order.
Hart’s biggest event of the summer runs from Saturday to bank holiday Monday, and the cheapest way in is to turn up on the Friday. The organisers of the Wellington International Horse Trials and Country Fair say the eventing can be watched free on Friday 28 August, with no ticket required, though there are no attractions and only limited traders that day.
The event is at Highfield Park, Heckfield, on the Wellington Estate. Heckfield is in Hart district, in the Hartley Wintney ward, so this is a local event in the proper sense rather than a day out somewhere else.
It also comes with a road change. Hampshire County Council has made a temporary one-way order on Malthouse Lane in Hartley Wintney for the duration.
The practical detail
- Dates: Saturday 29, Sunday 30 and bank holiday Monday 31 August 2026
- Gates: 9am to 6pm each day
- Where: Highfield Park, Heckfield. Public gate is Gate One, RG27 0LP
- Parking: free on site
- Dogs: welcome, and must be on leads
Public entry and parking are both off the A33 Basingstoke Road, through Gate One, which opens at 9am and runs a one-way traffic system. The organisers say all public visitors must come in that way. Gate Two, RG27 0LE, opposite The New Inn in Heckfield, is for competitors, grooms, horseboxes, traders, hospitality guests and disabled ticket holders. Yellow AA event signs mark the approach.
What it costs
Prices are the organisers’ own, taken from the event’s ticketing site. The lower figure is the advance price, the higher one the full price.
| Ticket | One day | All three days |
|---|---|---|
| Adult, 18 to 64 | £23.50 (£28.50) | £35.75 (£41.25) |
| Senior, 65+ | £22.75 (£24.00) | £34.65 (£36.50) |
| Student, with valid ID | £22.75 (£24.00) | £34.65 (£36.50) |
| Young person, 12 to 17 | £22.75 (£24.00) | £34.65 (£36.50) |
| Child, 11 and under | Free | Free |
| Carer | Free | Free |
Children’s and carers’ tickets are free but must be booked alongside a paid ticket, and carers need supporting evidence at the booking stage. An event programme is £5, sold as a voucher to swap on site. A few attractions cost extra on top of the gate price: Hobby Horse UK, Mad Hatters Pottery and the Mini Rovers in the Kids Zone. Clydesdale carriage drives and the float fishing sessions must be booked in advance.
What is actually on, day by day
The sport runs across all three days, and the arena displays are different each day. If you are picking one day, that is the thing to choose on.
Saturday 29 August is the dressage day in the Main Arena, at FEI one, two and three star level, with BE100 and BE105 showjumping in the National Arena and cross-country from the same classes. Have-a-go dog shows run from 11am to 4pm.
Sunday 30 August is the busiest for displays. The National Arena has:
- BMX display at 10.30am, 1.25pm and 3.35pm
- Shetland Performance Display Team at 11.05am and 2.40pm
- falconry at noon and 2pm
- hound parade at 12.40pm
The Main Arena has FEI one, two and three star showjumping, and the Pony Club Arena hosts the Garth South Pony Club show, with a fancy dress parade at 1pm.
Monday 31 August brings Heart of Horsemanship, at noon and 2.05pm, alongside Shetlands at 10.30am and 3.35pm, BMX at 11.25am and 1.30pm, and falconry at 12.50pm and 2.55pm. The Main Arena runs Intermediate, Open Intermediate, Advanced, Novice, Open Novice and seven-year-old showjumping.
Every day carries live music from James Lainey, a circus performer, face painting, a bouncy castle, giant games, tractor trailer rides, street food and the trade village.
The road order that goes with it
Hampshire County Council has made an order under section 16A of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 for the event. Malthouse Lane in Hartley Wintney, between Basingstoke Road and Bar Lane, becomes one way northbound only. It runs from Friday 28 August, 06:30 to 18:30, for four days or until the event ends. The alternative route is the B3349, The Causeway and the A33.
That is not the same road as the public entrance, which is off the A33 further north. It is worth knowing if you live in or drive through Hartley Wintney across the weekend, because it will be in force whether or not you are going.
The rest of the district’s live closures, including Church Road in Fleet and West Street in Odiham, are on our Fleet roadworks and travel page. There are no National Highways closures on the M3 between junctions 4a and 5 this week.
What it means for you
- If money is the constraint, go on the Friday. The organisers say the eventing can be watched free on 28 August with no ticket, but you will not get the country fair, the displays or most of the traders.
- If you have young children, the bill is smaller than it looks. Under 12s go free, parking is free and the dog is free. An adult and two primary-age children costs the price of one adult ticket.
- Book before you go. Every advance price is lower than the full price, by £5 on an adult day ticket and £5.50 on an adult weekend ticket.
- Come in off the A33. Gate One is the only public entrance, it opens at 9am and it runs one way. Gate Two is not for general visitors.
- If you want the displays, Sunday and Monday are the days. Saturday is the dressage day and has no arena display programme.
- If you live in Hartley Wintney, Malthouse Lane runs one way north from Friday between 06:30 and 18:30.
Sources
- Wellington International Horse Trials and Country Fair for the venue, the Highfield Park description, the eight courses and competition levels, gate times of 9am to 6pm, and the Gate One and Gate Two access arrangements.
- The event timetable for the day-by-day arena schedules, every display time quoted, and the daily attractions.
- The event’s ticketing pages for the 29 to 31 August dates, every price quoted, the free child and carer tickets, the £5 programme, free on-site parking, the dogs-on-leads rule and the free Friday arrangement.
- Hampshire County Council public notice, temporary one-way system, Malthouse Lane, Hartley Wintney for the northbound-only restriction, its dates, its hours and its alternative route.
- Heckfield’s district and ward were confirmed against the Office for National Statistics postcode directory, which places RG27 0LP in Hart district, Hartley Wintney ward.
Times and attractions are the organisers’ own and they say arena times are approximate and subject to change on the day. Confirm before you travel.
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