Spring is in the air! The days are getting longer (and will get even longer from March 27th once the clocks have gone forward – don’t forget to change yours!) and the car boot fair season is about to get well and truly underway!
Whilst there are some car boot fairs that continue right through the winter, many won’t start again until April or May. So if you’re looking for a bargain, or still don’t know what to do with those unwanted Christmas presents below is a list of car boot fairs in and around the Maidstone area and with a Maidstone postcode.
Plan your boot fair carefully and get ahead of the game! Look through the list and select the one that best suits you, then give your house a spring clean. There’s lots of fun to be had rummaging through old clothes, books you’ve read (and don’t want to read again!), toys the children no longer play with, unsolicited gifts and anything else that is surplus to requirement – you could be sitting on a small fortune!
The Addington Boot Fair at Meadow-Crest Farm, Addington ME19 5DD reopens this Spring on Saturdays. Prices for sellers range between £9 and £12 with arrival from 6.30am; the doors open for buyers at 7.30am with an entrance fee of about 50p. Refreshments and toilets are available and dogs are welcome at this popular and convenient outdoor location. For more details contact Joe McCarthy on 07795 967609, email joemccarthy1@btinternet.com or go to www.addingtonbootfair.co.uk.
The outdoor Car Boot Fair at Beechings Way, Gillingham ME2 4UX takes place every Sunday between April and July. Costs for sellers are: cars £9, vans £13, trailers £4 with arrival at 6am. Entry for buyers is also from 6am and parking is free. Refreshments (including doughnuts, ice creams and crepes), a bouncy castle and toilets are on site and dogs are allowed access. Full information is available by calling 07811 022987 or 07732 708025, email mariagreenfield@hotmail.co.uk , website www.greenfields-bootfair.co.uk.
Hempstead Boot Fair at Broomfield Farm (opposite Elm Court Garden Centre), Hempstead Road, Gillingham ME7 3QL is on Sundays from April until September. Last year all sellers’ vehicles were £7.50 with access to this outdoor event from 6am for sellers and buyers alike. Admission and parking for buyers was free and there were refreshments and toilets at the venue which has a “relaxed and friendly atmosphere”. More information is available from Lee Richman on 07827 887695, via email BroomFieldFarm@live.co.uk or on Facebook.
Opposite the Golf Driving Range on the A274 Sutton Road ME17 3NG is the Best Boot Fair. Starting on Sunday 8th May at 7am this boot fair, which has been running for 20 years, is held on Sundays either weekly or fortnightly throughout the summer. Costs are £9 for cars and £12 for vans. Admission is 50p for buyers. Toilets and refreshments are available and there is no unauthorised selling of food or drink. For more details contact 07761 155309.
Digressing from the Maidstone postcode, but very close to Maidstone, is the Staplehurst Car boot Sale. This takes place every Sunday 52 weeks a year in the British Rail Car Park on the A229 Hastings Road TN12 0QH. Starting at 7am and finishing at 2pm pitch fees are £5 and entry for buyers is free. On the last Sunday of every month is “Bikers and Burgers” when all you have to do is show your bike and get a burger! There are toilets and parking is free! Call 01474 709938 for more information.
In Maidstone itself, is the Maidstone Market Boot Fair at Lockmeadow, Barker Road ME16 8LW. This is undercover and so open every Saturday all year round from 7am-1pm. Pitches cost £13.50 and entry is free. There is also a Saturday market as well as parking, toilets and a cafe. Call 01622 602160 for more details.
A few suggestions to get you started then! But if you know of any other boot fairs then get in touch at maidstone@thebestof .co.uk or post a comment here.
So get searching for all those things you no longer want or need (but make sure they’re in reasonable nick!) to make this a profitable Spring/Summer. If you’re after a good buy, on the other hand, happy bargain hunting!
Until next time
India J