God Speed the Plough

These farmers know what it takes to plough a good straight furrow. Whether using horse or tractor, the men battling for the British ploughing title are the best of the best.

Ross on Wye in Herefordshire was the location for the 1974 British Ploughing Championships. Sue Jay visits the town and finds Ross in full carnival mode with its population doubled by an influx of visitors and competitors. She even has a go at ploughing using a pair of shire horses and finds out that there's much more to this rural art form than walking in a straight line across a muddy field.