As Crufts begins here's how to plan a visit from Scotland

I’ve visited Crufts several times and, while I prefer to stay overnight in a hotel, it’s totally possible to visit for the day – however you do need to be organised to avoid overwhelm. Here are my top tips:

1. Plan travel in advance. Generally train tickets are released around 12 weeks in advance and splitting tickets always works out the cheapest option. Birmingham International station is connected to the NEC so the walk from there to Crufts is all indoors. You need to book early if you want cheap return flights from Edinburgh to Birmingham. Although the airport is right next to the NEC the flight timing's are more restrictive and you might need to pay for extra luggage allowance - I’ll get to the shopping shortly. I wouldn’t recommend driving as there are usually lengthy queues for the car parks and, depending on the weather, it can be a long, cold and often wet walk to the NEC.

2. Work out what day you want to visit. When Crufts dates are released, pick the day you want to visit depending on what group of dogs will be shown each day and buy your ticket in advance as they can sell out. Groups are split into Hounds & Terriers, Utility & Toy, Gundog, and Working & Pastoral. The groups rotate every year so if you’ve a fondness for a particular breed make sure you choose the appropriate day. Weekends tend to be busier so if you’ve no preference then opt for a weekday. If you want to be there when exhibitors slash prices to avoid taking any surplus stock home then Sunday’s the day for you.

3. Find out what’s on. Timetables for the main arena and demo rings can be found online before you get there so you can plan your day around anything you specifically want to see. The arena is where Best in Show takes place on Sunday, and although you do need a specific ticket for the main event there’s lots on there that you can enjoy for free. It’s accessed via Hall 1 and no matter what’s going on the atmosphere in the arena is electric so it’s definitely worth a visit. Go early for what you'd like to see to find a seat as they fill up quickly for popular displays. If there’s not a specific activity you want to watch then I’d suggest the West Midlands Police Display - they always put on a fantastic show. The rings in Hall 3 also have demos and tasters going on throughout the day and are a good place to stop and rest your feet. In each hall various breed groups are judged with the winners going on to Best in Show, so if you stop to watch classes being judged you could be viewing that year's winner. For times and locations you can buy a show brochure and goodie bag as you enter. Details can also be found online at crufts.org.uk.

4. Pre entry prep. Make sure you’re wearing comfy shoes, you’ll do a lot of walking. Leave your coat and any luggage you’ve brought in one of the cloakrooms, they’re cheap and the staff are always cheerful. If you plan to shop then bring an empty wheeled suitcase to take your goodies home. Go to the loo to avoid queues inside, there are plenty of toilets in Crufts but they can become busy when group showings are about to start, or have finished, and you don’t want to waste any time standing in line. Grab a coffee and a packed lunch, again this avoids queuing at lunchtime or inside the halls.

5. Main entrance. Enter via Hall 3 and get an obligatory picture of yourself at the Crufts sign. It’s the biggest hall and contains demo rings, all the major sponsors’ stands (many with freebies), some shopping stalls and Discover Dogs. The Discover Dogs area is where you can find examples of dogs from each group in a handy A-Z and you can chat to guardians of the breeds and find out more about them, which is useful if you’re trying to decide on a breed that will fit your lifestyle. There are five halls which form a U-shape and you can skip between 1 and 5 by exiting and re-entering - finding this out has literally saved me walking several miles! The other halls contain a mix of rings, where dogs are being shown and judged, benches, where cute canines wait their turn and are prepped to look their best, and then there's the stalls ...

6. Shop 'til you drop. There are stands in each hall where you can buy anything you might ever possibly need for your companion - and then some. For time efficiency, and to avoid missing anything new and exciting, approach them as you would supermarket aisles. If you see something you like but want to shop around, take a note of what you’ve seen, the price and exactly where the stall is - both the hall number and the stall will have an individual number, it’s really easy to become completely disoriented and overwhelmed if you haven’t been before.

7. Watch the clock Crufts is so big and there's so much going on that it’s very likely you’ll lose track of time. Be sure to give yourself plenty of time to grab something to eat on the journey, pick-up and pack your bag(s) from the cloakroom, and get to your train/plane home. Crufts this year is being held on 6-9 March.