• Contact us
  • About us
  • Digital edition
  • Online archive
Sunday, June 29, 2025
Cumberland and Westmorland Herald
  • News
    Illegal vapes seized from Eden shop

    Illegal vapes seized from Eden shop

    Partnership vs company: Choosing the right structure for your farming business

    Partnership vs company: Choosing the right structure for your farming business

    Pensioner exposed himself to Lake District runner

    Pensioner exposed himself to Lake District runner

    Expansion of smell complaints scheme

    Expansion of smell complaints scheme

    Terminal hillness: Cumbrian man with incurable cancer pays homage to the Lake District

    Terminal hillness: Cumbrian man with incurable cancer pays homage to the Lake District

    Ex-soldier cleared of causing two men’s death in M6 crash

    Ex-soldier cleared of causing two men’s death in M6 crash

    Plans for 100-caravan holiday park revealed

    Plans for 100-caravan holiday park revealed

    Award for Eden police officer who goes the extra mile

    Award for Eden police officer who goes the extra mile

    Concerns over public toilets in Kirkby Stephen

    Concerns over public toilets in Kirkby Stephen

  • Sport
    £100,000 target for new changing rooms extension

    £100,000 target for new changing rooms extension

    Medal success for Upper Eden tug-of-war team

    Medal success for Upper Eden tug-of-war team

    Eden man competes in Hyrox World Games

    Eden man competes in Hyrox World Games

    Double national triumph for Stuart Robinson

    Double national triumph for Stuart Robinson

    Patterdale’s Eden Eagles make history

    Patterdale’s Eden Eagles make history

    Penrith teen crowned British vault champion

    Penrith teen crowned British vault champion

    Penrith gymnasts represent North of England in finals

    Penrith gymnasts represent North of England in finals

    New boss revealed for Penrith AFC

    New boss revealed for Penrith AFC

    Penrith Panthers celebrate winning season

    Penrith Panthers celebrate winning season

  • Obituaries
  • Nostalgia
  • Online archive
  • Buy Photos
  • Buy your paper
  • North Lakes Living
No Result
View All Result
Cumberland and Westmorland Herald
  • News
    Illegal vapes seized from Eden shop

    Illegal vapes seized from Eden shop

    Partnership vs company: Choosing the right structure for your farming business

    Partnership vs company: Choosing the right structure for your farming business

    Pensioner exposed himself to Lake District runner

    Pensioner exposed himself to Lake District runner

    Expansion of smell complaints scheme

    Expansion of smell complaints scheme

    Terminal hillness: Cumbrian man with incurable cancer pays homage to the Lake District

    Terminal hillness: Cumbrian man with incurable cancer pays homage to the Lake District

    Ex-soldier cleared of causing two men’s death in M6 crash

    Ex-soldier cleared of causing two men’s death in M6 crash

    Plans for 100-caravan holiday park revealed

    Plans for 100-caravan holiday park revealed

    Award for Eden police officer who goes the extra mile

    Award for Eden police officer who goes the extra mile

    Concerns over public toilets in Kirkby Stephen

    Concerns over public toilets in Kirkby Stephen

  • Sport
    £100,000 target for new changing rooms extension

    £100,000 target for new changing rooms extension

    Medal success for Upper Eden tug-of-war team

    Medal success for Upper Eden tug-of-war team

    Eden man competes in Hyrox World Games

    Eden man competes in Hyrox World Games

    Double national triumph for Stuart Robinson

    Double national triumph for Stuart Robinson

    Patterdale’s Eden Eagles make history

    Patterdale’s Eden Eagles make history

    Penrith teen crowned British vault champion

    Penrith teen crowned British vault champion

    Penrith gymnasts represent North of England in finals

    Penrith gymnasts represent North of England in finals

    New boss revealed for Penrith AFC

    New boss revealed for Penrith AFC

    Penrith Panthers celebrate winning season

    Penrith Panthers celebrate winning season

  • Obituaries
  • Nostalgia
  • Online archive
  • Buy Photos
  • Buy your paper
  • North Lakes Living
No Result
View All Result
Cumberland and Westmorland Herald
No Result
View All Result
Home Latest

Appleby Horse Fair: Hot weather, closed pubs and slow traffic

by Lucy Edwards
9 June 2023
in Latest, News
A A
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
Picture: Keith James

Appleby Horse Fair has kicked off for 2023 with hot weather, closed pubs and some slow traffic.

The 250-year-old annual gathering of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller people began yesterday, Thursday June 8, and will run until Wednesday.

High temperatures of up to 28 degrees are expected to hit the town over the weekend and the Met Office has also issued a thunderstorm warning for Sunday.

While traffic was calm over Wednesday night into Thursday morning, some fair-goers reported on TikTok that queues of up to three hours had formed at 5.30am today.

Police are reporting that the fair appears to be calm. Today, Friday, one arrest has been made. A man in his 20s, from the Lancashire area, has been arrested for driving dangerously and failure to stop.

On Thursday, the event got off to a quiet and peaceful start in the town as fair goers slowly began arriving and getting settled in.

The tradition of washing the horses in the River Eden, which runs through the town, also started.

The cultural spectacle for one visitor, Wendy Lomas, was particularly special as she travelled all the way from Rochdale to witness it.

She said: “I have always had a fascination with the fair, it has always been on my bucket list, this is my first time visiting Appleby.

“I’ve wanted to come for years, it’s just beautiful watching them wash the horses in the water and seeing the youngsters who grow up with all this culture.”

The river was quiet enough for some youngsters to don helmets and learn how to enter the water for the first time with the aid of parents.

Dozens of ornate carriages could be seen heading up and down in the town before the main road was closed around noon as people started to gather in the street under the sun.

Horses of all shapes, sizes and ages were tied up along the street, some wearing traditional tack and others without any at all.

Chris Shaw, a co-ordinator at World Horse Welfare, a charity seeking to improve the lives of horses, travelled from the East Midlands to attend the fair and has been doing so for 15 years.

He said: “We’ll be here over the weekend to help people with their horses and we’ll also be keeping an eye out for any problems. So far we haven’t had any as of yet, we’re just hoping that everyone will have a good fair.”

Chris added that the hot weather was a big concern for the animal charities and welfare groups in attendance and that dehydration and drowning were their main worries for horses over the coming week.

Several cafes remained open all day Thursday and traffic wardens were out in force in the centre of the town – where horses and carts are banned – handing out parking tickets.

Travelling Man festival has also set up on Fair Hill to give fair goers a space to drink and socialise alongside the addition of a large beer tent.

A large amount of Appleby’s pubs and hotel bars are closed for the event – some are closed for the entire week, while others are planning to serve customers through openings in windows.

Chief Superintendent Matt Kennerley, of Cumbria police, said: “It’s day one for Appleby but it’s not day one for policing. We’ve been in and around surrounding towns and villages for a number of weeks now dealing with all sorts of issues.

“We’re expecting the weekends hot weather to bring in very high volumes of people.”

Matt has policed the event for 15 years at various levels throughout his career and at different parts of the fair. He added that officers have resources ready for significant disorder and basic crime.

He added: “It is nerve-wracking. You have a lot of responsibility on your shoulders and you have to act quickly in the event of something going wrong.

“But we’re hoping for a good weekend and we are urging people to allow extra time for their journey’s here and asking them to plan around where car parks are in advance because it is going to be so busy.”

While traffic was calm over Wednesday night into Thursday morning, some fair-goers reported on TikTok that queues of up to three hours had formed at 5.30am today.

We’ll be covering Appleby Horse Fair 2023 as the weekend goes on. If you’ve got a story or important information to share with us about the event, email us at admin@cumbriacrack.com

Related Posts

Illegal vapes seized from Eden shop
Latest

Illegal vapes seized from Eden shop

29 June 2025
Partnership vs company: Choosing the right structure for your farming business
Expert advice

Partnership vs company: Choosing the right structure for your farming business

29 June 2025
Pensioner exposed himself to Lake District runner
News

Pensioner exposed himself to Lake District runner

29 June 2025
Expansion of smell complaints scheme
News

Expansion of smell complaints scheme

27 June 2025
Terminal hillness: Cumbrian man with incurable cancer pays homage to the Lake District
News

Terminal hillness: Cumbrian man with incurable cancer pays homage to the Lake District

27 June 2025
Ex-soldier cleared of causing two men’s death in M6 crash
News

Ex-soldier cleared of causing two men’s death in M6 crash

27 June 2025
No Result
View All Result

Stay connected

Facebook Twitter Instagram

Most popular

Plans for 100-caravan holiday park revealed

Plans for 100-caravan holiday park revealed

27 June 2025
Eden school’s adventure play area given new lease of life

Eden school’s adventure play area given new lease of life

27 June 2025
Terminal hillness: Cumbrian man with incurable cancer pays homage to the Lake District

Terminal hillness: Cumbrian man with incurable cancer pays homage to the Lake District

27 June 2025
Illegal vapes seized from Eden shop

Illegal vapes seized from Eden shop

29 June 2025
Award for Eden police officer who goes the extra mile

Award for Eden police officer who goes the extra mile

27 June 2025
Road reopens after debris falls from Penrith roof

Road reopens after debris falls from Penrith roof

27 June 2025
Cumberland and Westmorland Herald Logo

33 Middlegate
Penrith
Cumbria
CA11 7SY

Phone: 01768 862313
Email: news@cwherald.com

Registered in England as Barrnon Media Limited. No: 12475190
VAT registration number: 343486488

Explore

  • News
  • Sport
  • Farming
  • Property
  • Obituaries
  • Nostalgia
  • Your view

Useful links

  • Contact us
  • Photosales
  • Online archive
  • Buy your paper
  • Digital edition
  • North Lakes Living
  • Advertise
  • About us

Follow us on

© Barrnon Media Limited 2025

Terms & Conditions / Privacy Policy / Cookie Policy

This website and its associated newspaper are members of the Independent Press Standards Organisation
Review Your Cart
0
Discount
Add Coupon Code
Subtotal
Total Installment Payments
Bundle Discount
Checkout

 
0
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Obituaries
  • Nostalgia
  • Online archive
  • more
    • North Lakes Living
    • Buy Photos
    • Buy your paper
    • About us
    • Contact us

© 2020 Cumberland & Westmorland Herald