Bowes Show

The Teesdale Mercury describes Bowes Show as the start of Teesdale's Agricultural show season. The Gentleman Farmer and I joined a friend and went along to the 130th show. The show field is in a beautiful setting, with Bowes Castle as a backdrop

As the weather was looking threatening, we decided to have a look outside first. Bowes attracts many of the local sheep farmers and their sheep. Plenty of Swaledale .......

...... and Herdwick .......

... and German Red Fox - a breed new to us, and to everyone else we spoke to. These are native to Bavaria, and there is, at present, just the one flock in the UK, in Cumbria. The sheep produces a cream wool with red flecks. Sounds interesting; I may see if I can get my hands on some of that. 

We saw tractors......

..... a little grey Ferguson TE20, similar to that driven by The Gentleman Farmers' uncles, on their Pennine Hill farm, up until the early 1980s. 

We saw hay carts. 

The heavens then opened, so we dashed into the marquee for a look at the Horticultural and Industrial Sections. There were huge vegetables ......

.... wonky vegetables ......

...... small arrangements .....

..... and arrangements in unusual containers. 

And favouirtes of Miss A and Master W when they were small - the vegetable monsters .....

...... and miniature gardens.

And back to the Teesdale Mercury - a Swaledale tup won Best in Show.

We had a lovely day. We ate ice cream, saw horses, cattle, dogs and donkeys. We met friends new and old. We have pressing invitations to visit other smallholders, and have been offered sheep. We're already looking forward to next year.