I wish more car boot sales were like Rusper!

For a start, no need to get up at the crack of dawn. The boot sale isn’t open to buyers until 11 am (this includes trading between sellers) which means that for stallholders there isn’t much point in getting there until 10 am. Not only can you have a Sunday lie-in but the grass has had a chance to dry out from any dew or overnight rain. And – even better – you are able to stall out in peace instead of the usual crowds descending on you, asking do you have any jewellery/records/mobile phones. Bliss!

You don’t pay on entry which means no delay on the way in. Someone comes round later to collect your pitch fee (£10 for a car). As a receipt, you are given a raffle ticket. Nothing unusual in that – except that here, a raffle is actually drawn at around 1.30pm! (A stallholder opposite me one time won the prize which I think was £25.) This creates a feel-good factor and may encourage stallholders to stay on until at least after the raffle has been drawn.

The gates are open at 11am for the paying buyers, probably mostly dealers and collectors, and then at 11.30 it is free entry. By then, quite a crowd has built up which creates a buzz, and means a busy couple of hours’ trading.

The first time I did Rusper, it died at around 1.30 ie lunchtime but the second time it went on until well into the afternoon, probably because it was such a lovely sunny day.

My tip: you might think that you don’t need the sat nav as the car boot is well signposted for getting there but you may well need it for the return journey!