The Royal Highland Show near Edinburgh is one of the highlights of many country folk’s calendar. And little wonder given that it offers a cornucopia – no cereal puns intended – of interesting rural sights, sounds and (inevitably!) smells.
When we saw the gorgeous woollen items that can be produced from Shetland sheep fleeces, we felt slightly sheepish (not being able to spin!) about using ours as weed control blankets in the polytunnel…
Being chained to the computer coalface virtually seven days a week, I’m always very excited by the prospect of spending an entire day away from the wretched screen, so last Thursday had been beckoning alluringly for weeks. Then suddenly the big day arrived and, as ever, it certainly didn’t disappoint…
Did you know that beeswax can be used to make models? Here are some of the prize-winning entries in the honey tent…
Busy bees in the Scottish Beekeepers Association tent…
We wove our way up and down the “lines” (the name given by exhibitors to the temporary housing for 5000+ animals during the four days of the show), meandering in and out of a succession of sheds and tents that housed everything from tiny sculptures fashioned from beeswax to stalls selling copious quantities German sausage to enormous cuddly sheep from Switzerland. There truly was something for everyone!
I first saw these gorgeous Swiss Valais Blacknose sheep 30 years ago when I worked on a farm near Bern for the summer. Never thought I’d see them at the Highland Show one day though!
To give you a flavour of some of the other fabulous exhibits at the Show, here are a few more of the photos we snapped…
Wow! Just look at the size of those marshmallow and strawberry ‘kebabs’… not to mention the chocolate fountain!
By the time you’d cycled this up a hill, you’d be needing some beer to refresh you!
Lady Claire Macdonald entranced her audience at the Quality Meat Scotland stand demonstrating her wonderful ways with beef, pork and lamb…
This Backwoods Survival School sign in the countryside pursuits area made us smile 🙂
Thanks to our lovely friends at Savills for a most welcome afternoon tea (the sandwiches were extremely good, too!).
HunterGatherer kept drooling over tractors so I had to drag him away with the bait of a bacon roll at the QMS stand!
And last but not least…
There was even a little pond for anyone who was quackers about ducks!
If you love the countryside and are fascinated by all aspects of the rural way of life, the Highland Show is likely to be a highlight of your summer. I, for one, am already counting the weeks till my next big day out in 2017! And if you missed the Highland Show this year, there’s still a chance to indulge your rural passions at the Game Fair at Scone Palace this coming weekend.
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