CHADLINGTON, OXFORDSHIRE – Jeremy Clarkson joined the organisers of Cereals 2026 at Chadlington Village Hall this week (February 24) to brief local residents on the comprehensive traffic and management plans for Cereals, the UK’s leading arable event, which will be hosted at Diddly Squat Farm this June.
The meeting attracted 60 residents and provided an in-depth look at how the Cereals event, which is exclusively for the farming trade, will be managed to minimise local impact during its build-up and two-day live window.
Jeremy was joined by his agent Charlie Ireland for the event which provided an open forum for residents to ask questions and better understand how logistics around the two-day event on June 10 & 11 this year will be managed.
Organisers confirmed they are working with a specialist transport and traffic management company, Last Mile, and Oxfordshire County Council to implement a Temporary Traffic Regulation Order (TTRO). Key measures include:
- One-Way Systems & Speed Limits: A temporary 30mph limit will be enforced on surrounding roads, alongside one-way systems to prevent gridlock.
- No Access via Chadlington: Event traffic will be strictly restricted from traveling through Chadlington village via "Local Access Only" signage and staffed control points.
- Easy Access to Free On-Site Parking: To prevent "blocking back" on the highway, all on-site parking is free. Vehicles will not be stopped at the gates for payment, ensuring a continuous flow of traffic onto the farm.
- Regional Bus Services: To reduce the number of individual cars, dedicated "Cereals Buses" will transport attendees from regional hubs around the country directly to the site.
- Timed Tickets: Tickets will be sold on timed entry to keep the road network moving during peak school drop-off, bus & commute hours.
Jeremy Clarkson, host farmer of Cereals 2026, explained the event is operated by a highly experienced professional team that delivers Cereals each year at different locations around the country without issue. He also emphasised the event’s importance to the local area and the national farming community.
He said: “We are hosting the event, but Cereals are the organisers and they know what they are doing. They’ve been doing this in rural communities for years and know how to manage the traffic to make sure the village and surrounding area is relatively undisturbed.
“This is an important event, not just for the agriculture sector nationally but for our local farming communities too. Farming is an industry that is in deep trouble. I have the honour of trying to put something back into this beleaguered world.”
Charlie Ireland added: “A huge amount of planning has gone into managing the traffic and visitors around the event and the traffic management team will be on hand throughout to address any issues quickly if they do arise.
“This is an event I’ve visited multiple times over the years. We’ve worked to make some critical changes and I’m confident the Cereals team will be able to minimise any impact on Chadlington and the surrounding area.”
Alli McEntyre, Event Director at Cereals, added: “We understand residents will have concerns about traffic, which is why we have designed a strategy that keeps traffic moving.
“Cereals is a trade-only event for professionals; it is not a public festival, which allows us to predict and control arrival times and vehicle volumes with high precision. The success of this event is hugely important to us and traffic management is of utmost importance to that success.”
In response to residents’ questions, the Cereals team confirmed:
- Access to Chadlington will be restricted to local traffic and residents will get full details of the proposed traffic plans via mail in the next two weeks.
- Local business traffic will still be allowed access to Chadlington and local businesses are also being encouraged to join the event if their product or service suits the farming community.
- The Cereals team will be working with local schools to minimise any impact on students travelling to the school or taking exams during the event.
- Any potential impact on local towns and villages is also being explored, roving teams will monitor traffic levels and signage to the event will extend out to major routes to minimise any disruption.
- The Cereals team is working closely with the council and emergency services to ensure public transport and critical support is unaffected by the traffic to the event.
Key Logistics and Dates
The event follows a strictly managed timeline to ensure the site is returned to its natural state promptly:
- Set-Up & Take-Down: May 26 – June 19. During this phase, heavy vehicles will access the site via the A361/Mill End and exit via Chipping Norton Road onto the A631. Event traffic will not use the Diddly Squat Farm Shop entrance.
- Live Event Days:
- Wednesday, June 10 (08:00–18:00): Approximately 14,000 trade visitors expected.
- Thursday, June 11 (08:00–18:00): Approximately 10,000 trade visitors expected.
Official Traffic Routing for Event Days On June 10 and 11, attendees will be directed via signposted routes:
- Arrivals: Visitors from the South (A40/Burford) will use the A361 to the South Car Park. Visitors from the North (A44) will be routed via Cox’s Lane and Old London Road to the North Car Park.
- Departures: South Car Park traffic will be directed back toward the A40; North Car Park traffic will be directed toward the A44 via Chipping Norton.
Full traffic maps and resident information can be found at: www.thecerealsevent.co.uk/attend/traffic-information Farmers can now register for tickets at www.thecerealsevent.co.uk and applicable trade can enquire online about exhibiting at the event.
This is a business-to-business event and so registrations will go through an approval process. Members of organisations including BASE-UK, Farmers Weekly, the National Association of Agricultural Contractors (NAAC), Young Farmers and the National Farmers Union (NFU) will be automatically approved and receive a discount with their membership number.
