TRAVELLERS are arriving on horseback for this year's Appleby fair, as locals board up pubs and close shops.
The unique event sees around 10,000 travellers, along with more than 30,000 other visitors, packing into the town of Appleby-in-Westmorland, Cumbria for a week each year in early June.
This year's fair is kicking off today, running until June 12.
The "main days" are today, tomorrow, Saturday and Sunday, according to the event's organisers, who warn that there is "little to see" on the Monday and Tuesday.
In nearby Kirkby Stephen, every pub is shutting its doors, and railings along the high street have been covered with boards to stop horses being tied up outside Appleby's popular shops, MailOnline reports.
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Photos taken today show travellers arriving at the event on horseback and in horse-drawn carriages.
Aerial pictures of the nearby area show large numbers of caravans parked on a field.
The centuries-old event is considered the biggest event in Europe for the travelling community.
Some 10,000 travellers flock to the area to buy and sell horses, bringing more than 1,000 caravans and 3,000 horse-drawn vehicles.
It has only ever been cancelled twice - one in 2001 amid a foot and mouth disease breakout, and again in 2020 due to coronavirus.
The fair originated in the 1770s on Gallows Hill where sheep, cattle and horse dealers went to sell their stock.
By the 1900s it had evolved into an event for travellers.
Horse riders typically take the animals for a dip in the nearby River Eden.
Last year's event saw piles of rubbish left strewn across a field, including filthy used mattresses, dozens of plastic crates and empty food containers.
