All the fun at the fair

A busy Bank Holiday for me with a quick early morning rush to the office then a day spent covering Stockland Fair. 

I had never been, so I did have that slight dread that it was going to just be an enlarged summer fete but actually there poster slogan 'one afternoon is hardly enough to see it all' was pretty true. 

Known as one of the largest traditional fairs left in Devon, Stockland Fair dates back to 1252 and traditional it was. 

Tucked away in the Blackdown Hills, the pretty little village of Stockland boasts beautiful surrounding fields, the perfect location for a huge fair. First of all, I had the panic of actually getting there, and spent the majority of my computer time this morning searching for Stockland and the quickest route. So I whirled my way in and out of the lanes, and then parked up in a great big field filled to the brim with cow pats. 

But I have to admit as I wondered through the first gate, it was a marvellous site. Traditional stalls and games and a set up that was almost eery in its old fashioned nature. 

Kids fancy dress, falconry displays, hounds in typical farmlike trailers, sheep shearing, Broad accented old farmer Giles weaving a fence and carving at his countryside skills stand, vintage tractors, skittles, hoopla, a coconut shy, a ridiculously popular Punch and Judy show, the smell of candy floss, a samba band, juggling and magic tricks and so much more. 

I was genuinely impressed that my Bank Holiday job which had been looming all weekend became something I actually enjoyed. 

Yes it smelt like the countryside, yes my lovely, reasonably new car got a battering and looks like I have driven it through a bog and yes it was a slight mission (with my driving skills) to get there, but I had a really good time. 

The community spirit was fantastic, the people were friendly, and it was real interactive, good old fashioned fun. I am glad that events like these can continue, and this is down to the so many tireless people that work their butts off so their local community can have a good ol' knees up. 

Well done to the Stockland Fair committee :) 

Although just a minor moan- Me and Jay decided to take a look in the hound trailer- they were cute and all, well looked after, hand reared and beautiful hounds. But if the smell of dog poo contained in a sunshine warmed metal container wasn't bad enough, along comes the man in charge, armed with a strange shampoo type bottle. "Hello, smell this" he says as he shoves the bottle practically up my nose. What an unbelievably hideous smell- "Yeah its comes all the way from America- its fox urine and I use it for the hounds to trace.'

Well charming mate, really charming. Just how I wanted to spend my Bank Holiday- sniffing fox wee.