What bargains can you get if you take just £10 to this giant County Durham car boot sale? We decided to put it to the test on its 2024 opening weekend - here's what we found.
As the old phrase goes - one man's trash is another man's treasure. For aeons, car boots have embodied this motto as locals gather everything from antiques, records, food and home goods and flog them for low prices out of their boots on a farm field.
This was the case in Seaham last weekend (March 23 & 24) as their self-proclaimed 'giant' car boot sale by Nobles Promotions made its 2024 return at Seaham Hall Farm's field off the B1287.
From 10am, eager sellers and shoppers flooded the field to set up their tables and bins, armed with cash to spend on nick-knacks and super steals. For the first time in many, many years, I was part of the crowd.
Armed with £10 and no expectations, my mission was simple. I wanted to explore the sale and see what bargains and steals I could find for low prices.
After paying the £5 entry fee as we arrived before 12pm, we were handed two orange tickets labelled 825 and 826, which I'm presuming meant that 800 shoppers had already entered the sale.
We took a left first, eager to at least glance at each stall to see what was on sale. First, we saw piles of teddy bears and DVDs sprawled across blankets.
Mugs and home goods were also a part of this particularly large stall, which had been unloaded from a van.
My £10 note remained intact until we stumbled across a stall further down that same row that was selling among other things a curious box filled with glass key chains for just 50p each.
A quick chat with the stallholder led me to find out that each was homemade as I rummaged through the tub which contained twists and drops of every bold colour and variety, some clear and speckled with vibrant dots.
I was sold - I found two that caught my eye. One clear with a purple spiral and one larger dark navy piece mixed with white. My first purchase was complete.
A few moments later, a large pile of records caught my eye. Having only just a few months ago jumped on to the trend of listening to and collecting records, I am always on the lookout to expand my musical horizons and collection.
Immediately, a rather retro-looking vinyl from the 70s with golden hits of The Beach Boys on it grabbed my attention. The only downside? It doesn't include Kokomo.
The man selling his collection was formerly a DJ, and had built up the impressive collection during his time holding events across the North East.
Despite the mild disappointment of not having my favourite Beach Boys hit, I parted ways with just 50p to secure the record and went on to find my next bargain.
For £3, I then found a 1920s-style chain purse at a man's stall who was selling antiques, that caught my eye as it sparkled in the sun.
Unsurprisingly, I was then drawn to yet another vinyl seller. This time, a 1966 record titled 'did someone say a party?' by Artie Shaw and his orchestra was a steal. That was another 50p gone.
My final few buys saw me pick up two pots for £1 each - one shaped like a pig and the other a shell. Lastly, a jewellery and knick-knack store saw me spend my last £3.
My haul of two pebbles, painted in funky colours for 50p each, three rings and a bracelet meant I had spent £10.
Overall, I'd say my trip to the car boot sale was very fruitful; I enjoyed the variety of stalls available and everyone selling their wares was very friendly.
Is it worth paying the £5 entry to get in before 12pm? I'd say yes - it got busier as the day went on and by the time we had finished up the queue was down by the cliffside.
Recommended:
- Nobles Promotions announce Seaham car boot return date
- Residents concerned over Seaham car boot sale traffic
You get the benefit of it being a bit quieter but also have a chance to snag the better bargains before everyone else.
So, the million dollar or, in my case, £10 question is: would I head back? I'm not ashamed to say that I thoroughly enjoyed the day out at the car boot, and it was great to see the local community out in force supporting each other.
If you love a bargain and fancy a day out in east Durham, definitely head down to Seaham's car boot this weekend. You never know what you may find.
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