Thousands gathered in Appleby today for the second day of the annual horse fair.
Under glorious sunshine and high temperatures, thousands of visitors joined Gypsies and Travellers from all over the country to enjoy the event, the largest of its kind in Europe.
Nicola Elliott, manager of the tourist information centre in the town centre was pleased with how the fair had started.
“Everything has been very orderly so far, and very well policed.
“Traffic wardens are on site this year to help enforce the parking restrictions in the town centre and that has helped keep traffic moving.
“With the sunny weather we have more people at the fair this year, but so far everything has worked well and there have been no major issues for us,” said Nicola.
The banks on both sides of the River Eden were full of people watching the traditional washing of the horses in the river, with many enjoying picnics and drinks in the sun.
The trotting lane from Fair Hill into the town centre was crowded with spectators to see the horses being paraded, and officers from the RSPCA and Equine Welfare Project were on hand to ensure the wellbeing of the animals.
Richard Lee is a traveller from Newark-on-Trent and has been attending the fair for “donkeys’ years.”
He said: “The best thing about the fair is meeting up with friends and relatives you haven’t seen for a long time, we all come here every year.
“It’s a reminder of how our culture used to be, and it’s important for me to bring my daughters here to experience our traditions.
“The warm sunny weather makes it even more enjoyable and everybody is having a great time.”
Cumbria Police confirmed they had made one arrest during the afternoon for a dangerous driving offence involving a silver VW Golf car.
A man in his 20’s from the Lancashire area was arrested on suspicion of driving dangerously and failing to stop.
The fair was a hit with younger members of the Gypsy and Traveller community, with many youngsters on horseback and taking their horses into the river to cool down and be washed.
One boy, Simon Doherty, was being shown how to brush and dress his family’s horse for showing to a potential buyer.
Simon, aged 11 and from London was attending the fair for the first time with his parents and siblings.
“I’ve been looking forward to coming here for the first time since I was really little. My family have been coming for years but I was always too young to come.
“Now I can ride my horse Mary into the river to be washed and show her off to everybody watching,” he said.
Appleby Horse Fair continues over the weekend and officially ends on Wednesday.
