A TINY Dales village turned into a hotbed of activity as people turned out in their thousands to enjoy the Reeth Show.

Nestled in the heart of Swaledale with Fremington Edge as its spectacular backdrop, the show celebrated its 106th outing on Monday.

The rain held off and the weather was a perfect combination of breezy sunshine with intermittent cloud.

Action in the main ring included mounted fancy dress and open driving shows and entries were strong across the livestock classes.

These included sheep, cattle, horse and poultry as well as the ever-popular produce and crafts marquee.

Away from the intensity of the judging rings, there were plenty of attractions to keep youngsters entertained, including inflatables, a climbing wall and vintage tractor displays.

Meanwhile, the Fell Race made a successful return, having now become a fixture of the national fell race run programme every year.

Show Chairman David Guy, who is in his second year in charge of the event, said everything had gone smoothly.

“We seemed to be filling the car parks up and we hope we have got as many people as normal coming along,” he said.

“I think the appeal is that it is just a nice smaller show, we have not got too big and it is quite a compact site.

“I think it just gives it this nice atmosphere that people like - at least I hope they do because they keep coming back!”

The show proved a fruitful day for the Kirby Texels of Barstow Hall Farm, Northallerton, who scooped Reserve Champion with an ewe lamb as well as a clutch of rosettes.

Farmer Steven Kirby, who has attended 15 shows this season, said: “We have had a good year, but everyone else has got a lot of good sheep as well - we have not seen one bad sheep shown today.”

Keith Stones, who farms at Marrick near Reeth, was proud to see his daughters’ texel scoop Breed Champion.

Mr Stones said the show was a great way for the farming community to come together and show the public what it is all about.

He said: “There are lots of different types of sheep here and they all have their own fortes.

“They are shown by farmers who love talking to the public and helping to educate them about farming.

“It is a great place for the public to get close and hands-on with all these different animals.”

Annie Stones, who is the sixth generation to farm at Marrick, was delighted with her Champion title, which came two days after winning a double Breed Champion at Wensleydale Show in texel and gimmer shearling.

In the cattle classes there was success for the Wilkinson and Marwood Farm of Leyburn and Spennithorne as they won Champion and Reserve Champion in commercial beef.

Jackie Marwood said: “We’ve had a good day. We’ve been coming since they brought cattle back and we like to support the show.”