It’s been a long time since I went to Ennerdale show. So long, in fact, that they don’t even hold it in Ennerdale any more. The show has moved from the lakeside field I remember and headed up the hill and over the border into Lamplugh. If you climb far enough up the fell running course, which I, foolishly, did, then you can look down and see the showground and Ennerdale lake at the same time.

The show is really for the locals, it’s not dressed up for outsiders, though tourists and blokes who ran away to the city 20 years ago are still welcome (and, remembered). The displays and competitions revolve around agricultural pursuits. There’s livestock, sheep in particular.

But also poultry.

Produce.

There were a number of vintage vehicles including, of course, tractors.

I missed the hound trailing, but did see some of the dogs being judged beforehand.

No doubt the hounds and the horses are a legacy of hunting, though my memory is that hound trailing was still a big part of the show long before the hunting ban.

As well as the fell running there was also Cumbrian wrestling.

I attended the show almost by accident. I was up in Cumbria delivering a mountain bike I’d put together from bits to my parents and they were manning a stall. I test rode the bike on the road up to the showground and then around forestry trails back to shake out any issues. As far as the bike is concerned there was only one problem- the lever for the front brake doesn’t work. The rider, however, is another matter. I’m sure those hills have become steeper since I was a kid.

More pictures can be found at my Ennerdale Show 2010 set on Flickr.