Northumberland Shows 2023

In the lead up to Powburn Show, all eyes were on the weather, it was raining and there was more to come. I can’t say I was worried, it’s rained at shows before and I’ve never been stuck on the show field, although it was a bit tricky at Alwinton once. Come rain or shine, the weather always determines a shows success and no amount of planning can forecast either. We arrived to a dry show field, the sky however, looked rather threatening. So, a quick load in and a well practised setup, almost as if we'd never been away. It was great to see everyone again and the craft tent looked great, then it started raining. The fell race set off to a bit of a downpour, but they returned to a light drizzle and I was able to take my first photos of the season.

The wet and windy weather continued throughout August and yet, on showday, the sun mostly shone. There was a brief deluge at Glanton Show, which again, mostly soaked the fell runners. Even Glendale managed a warm and bright day on a rather stormy and miserable bank holiday weekend. Summer eventually arrived and made for a lovely Harbottle Show, which I mostly spent in the craft tent. It appears my other half has a proper job and was doing it in an even sunnier Lisbon, she brought the sunshine back for a rather warm Ingram Show.

I again visited Thropton Show, as I often do, although I spent quite a bit more time on the show field this year. A chance meeting at Simonside Country Fair led to my photographing the show from it’s initial setup through to the takedown. As this developed into it’s own project, the photographs can be viewed here. By the time I managed to process all the Thropton Show photos, it was almost time for the final shows of the season. Upper Redesdale and Alwinton are both traditional border shepherds shows and I always love the sense of community they have. Upper Redesdale Show is a little more intimate, as it’s held within the Bremium Roman Fort. I didn’t take too many photos, my photography was unfortunately curtailed by a camera power failure. I could have continued using one of my film cameras, yet the light continued to fade and I decided to just enjoy the day, as I always do.

I rarely take any photos at Alwinton Show, it’s usually very busy and this year was no exception. With blue skies and a touch of frost in the shadows, it was such a beautiful autumnal day. There’s always lots to see and do throughout the day and this usually gives a bit of an ebb and flow to visitors in the craft tent. This year it seemed almost constant, I barely left the craft tent and the day flew by. All too soon it was time to pack away, I brought the car round and spent a few moments reflecting on another excellent day and season of shows. I looked up to Clennell Street as it cut up and around Castle Hills, lit by some golden sunshine, time to get back into the hills. The next morning I passed by the almost cleared showfield and headed up to Barrowburn.