THERE is no date on this picture of sheep shearing at the Royal Highland Show at Ingliston on the outskirts of Edinburgh. But it doesn’t really matter. Go along to this year’s show in a month’s time and it will look exactly like this. And that’s no bad thing.
Even for townies like me, the Royal Highland Show is a fascinating, enjoyable day out, as long as it doesn’t rain.
There are rows upon rows of sheep quietly cropping their feed, awesome huge bulls, and beautifully cleaned cows, often with rosettes pinned on their stalls after a successful day in the ring.
But that’s not all. Rows of stalls selling you everything to make you look like a country gent, tiny children whizzing over fences on their ponies, and tractors with tyres the size of humans for you to gawp at. And sheep shearing. These guys are taking a fleece off a sheep in under a minute, reminding you what real hard work looks like.
Bottom right is a Land Rover at the show in 1968 which appears to be on some kind of fairground ride to show its versatility. I fancy a shot of that.
And bottom left is Moira Brown with her foal at the Royal Highland Show in Ayr in 1958. Until 1960, the show, which started in 1822 in Edinburgh’s Canongate, was held in different parts of the country, such as Perth, Stirling, Aberdeen, and here in Ayr before finding a permanent home at Ingliston.
It showcases the best in Scottish farming, has over 1000 exhibitors, 4500 head of livestock, and can attract up to 190,000 visitors over the four days it is held.
Most of the livestock judging is carried out on the Thursday and Friday which are the main days for the farming community. The Saturday and Sunday attract more folk from the cities, keen on buying wellies, garden seats and gamekeepers’ jackets. And you can take your dog with you, which is not what you can say about many big events in Scotland.
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