The Brocklesby Estate spans around 27,000 acres and was established by the Pelham family in the 1560s. Today, it is owned by the Earl of Yarborough and consists of vast woodlands, a mausoleum, farms and gardens; more information about the site can be found on the website. There is quite a fascinating history here, so much so, I would love to go back and explore the grounds properly!
We arrived and parked the car, trudged through the mud and started to browse the trade stands. Of course, there were craft, clothing, charity and agricultural stores galore, including an older gentleman who was happily sat smoking a pipe, carving walking sticks out of pieces of wood; I wish I had taken a photo.
Unfortunately, because of the weather and the state of the ground, the time table for the Main Ring Attractions had been moved around somewhat. The first act we saw was Ben Potter's Birds of Prey Displays. *WARNING: I got a bit snap happy with the bird photos!*
It was incredible to see how well trained these birds were, although Ben did say how his eagle, Rosie, did like to perch in trees for a while! Luckily she was well behaved and the 'team' gave a fantastic show.
The next act we saw were Polo players, but because of the waterlogged grounds they couldn't perform properly. It was a shame really as I would have liked to have pretended to be on Made in Chelsea for that short time, imaging it was Prince Harry before me... (ahem!)
By now it was lunchtime, so naturally we had to have a foot long Lincolnshire Sausage bun, smothered in fried onions and plenty of tomato sauce - I know that the county recently lost its appeal to keep the name 'Lincolnshire Sausage', but let's face it, it will always be.
DC got a little bit peckish later on too, so he managed to scoff down a fresh Hog Roast roll. I had a bite - melt in the mouth goodness!
Then we headed back to the Main Ring to see the Parade of the Brocklesby Hounds. This is the oldest, private pack of purebred English Foxhounds dating back to the 1700s, and although the dogs do not hunt foxes anymore, they still take part in hunting exercises six months of the year. They really are so adorable! And seeing this act also reinforced my wanting of a horse... or at least to try horse riding...
What was great about this act was that people were actually allowed into the Ring to stroke to dogs and to speak to the hunters - now that is great public interaction for you!
We went for one last wonder round before heading home. The Brocklesby country Fair may not be the biggest show of its kind in the area, but it is truly a great day out for the local people. I only hope that next year, the weather is somewhat better...
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