World Conker Championships

Tickets and taking part

The event page currently lists gate admission at £10 for adults, £5 for children and £25 for a family of up to two adults and three children. Recheck prices before travel. Adult competition registration includes event entry, but the homepage mixes 2026 availability messages with 2027 information, so confirm registration separately.

The story behind it

The championships were born of bad weather. In 1965 a group of anglers in Ashton, Northamptonshire, found it too wet to go fishing, so they settled for a conker contest at the Chequered Skipper pub instead, with a small collection for charity. The idea stuck, and the contest stayed in Ashton for more than four decades before outgrowing the village green. In 2009 it moved to a larger site at the Shuckburgh Arms in Southwick, near Oundle, where it is held today. The charity link has never gone away: the event has raised hundreds of thousands of pounds over the years, much of it for causes supporting people with visual impairments.

Parking

The organiser directs visitors to signed field parking at Southwick, PE8 5BL, and prohibits visitor parking in the village. Field access can be unsuitable for vehicles with low ground clearance. Contact the organiser before bringing a minibus or other large vehicle.

Access

The main venue is mostly flat grass, with conditions affected by wet weather. The organiser describes limited nearby disabled parking, an accessible toilet and free entry for accompanying registered carers. Confirm any individual access needs before travelling.

Taking part

Leave your hand-picked garden champion at home. The championships supply both conkers and laces, and under the published rules the nuts are drawn blind from a bag. You can reject a limited number of draws, but no adding knots or tampering with the lace. So the test is how well you play what you're given — not whose family heirloom has had the most secret time in the oven. Read the official rules; playground conventions don't count here.

A coin toss decides who chooses whether to strike or receive, and players take alternating sets of strikes. Watch the steward demonstrate what's expected, then do it their way, even if you played differently at school. Never grab either nut to settle a disputed hit — that's the umpire's job. Before travelling to compete, check that adult registration is open, because the website currently carries messages from different years. Bring a copy of your confirmation and arrive in good time to find the registration tent and collect your playing bib.

Where to watch

It's a knockout, so every match matters right away: one player goes through and the other is out of that contest. In the early rounds, players are sorted into coloured bib groups, and announcements tell competitors when to queue. As a spectator, that gives you something to listen out for while you pick a match to follow. The colour groups aren't national teams, though.

Stand well back from the playing space and give the striker's arm plenty of room. If you're cheering on a friend, keep bags, drinks and children outside the area where players are moving. Winners get a wristband to show they've made the next round, so they may need to get back promptly rather than celebrate at length by a food stall. The format page still mentions an earlier year in its timings, so go by the next event's joining instructions for exact calls and deadlines. You can follow the tournament perfectly well without trusting every old timetable on the site.

Eating and drinking

The food page describes local caterers and drinks linked to the Shuckburgh Arms. Its listings span pizza, a hog roast, paella and ice cream, but check them against the next event's confirmed traders. They give you a feel for the choice on offer rather than a promise of a particular menu, dietary option or price months ahead. If you have an allergy, ask each stall directly about ingredients and cross-contact.

One rule is very clear: only alcohol bought on site may be drunk in the event grounds. So leave the picnic bottle at home rather than planning to open it beside a match. If you're competing, keep your meal plans loose enough to hear the call for the next round, and have a friend mind your food while you play. Bring drinking water and snacks that sit safely in a small bag. A sit-down meal in the pub may need booking separately — a bar at the event doesn't save you a table inside.

Make a day of it nearby

Lyveden has an unfinished Elizabethan garden lodge and a rare garden landscape of terraces, moats and an orchard. The National Trust explains the religious symbolism behind Sir Thomas Tresham's project — a very different puzzle from judging a conker strike. Check the access information: parts of the grounds have grass and uneven paths, and mobility scooters are limited. Give yourself time to explore the landscape properly rather than treating it as a quick photo stop.

Burghley House, near Stamford, is another option if you're staying longer. Its state rooms, gardens and adventure play each have their own seasonal opening and admission. Pick the part your group wants and check the ticket carefully; a family after the play area may need a different plan from visitors who are there for the house. Save either attraction for another day if you want to follow the championships right through to the finals. Neither is included with event admission, and each deserves its own planned route and a look at its opening calendar.

Questions people ask

Where it is

Map pin shows the approximate area where the event happens. Open in OpenStreetMap ↗

Go straight to the source

Independent research. The organiser’s own information always wins — we have not visited or tested the journeys.

• Organiser event information ↗
• Organiser disabled access information ↗
• Organiser homepage with mixed edition information ↗
• Wikipedia: World Conker Championships ↗
• World Conker Championships: official rules ↗
• World Conker Championships: tournament format ↗
• World Conker Championships: food and drink ↗
• World Conker Championships: edition information ↗
• National Trust: Lyveden ↗
• Burghley House and Gardens ↗