THOUSANDS of people headed to West Somerset to enjoy the 170th Dunster Show this week.

On Friday, the grounds of Dunster Castle were filled with a livestock ring, fairground and a huge market full of local traders and organisations.

Despite a brief spell or rain and wind in the morning, the weather stayed largely warm and clear meaning people packed into the show throughout the day.

Speaking at the show, Dunster Show chairman Roger Richmond said he was delighted that the show had been a success, and was pleased to see such a high turnout.

"It is a very good local show run by local people, everybody pulls together to make the show what it is.

"Nearly all the trade stands are run by local businesses and traders and every year we have more applications than spaces, whether it is local schools, estate agents or traders who specialise in rural produce," Mr Richmond said.

Mr Richmond estimated that around 10,000 would pass through the gate during the course of the day, and there were 67 classes of horses and lots of cattle and sheep.

"I think it has gone extremely well. We just had the Devil’s Horseman which the crowds love. We like to try and get them here every other year at least as they are a really big draw," he said.

"We had a wet start but the weather has been kind to us, in fact the wet start is probably a good thing for the livestock as it means they do not get too hot.

"It is quite a relief that the weather has stayed nice - you do 12 months of preparation but we are still governed by the weather."

Exmoor National Park had a gazebo with lots of information and cookery demonstrations, and sponsored the Horn Sheep class competition.

Nigel Stone, chief executive at Exmoor National Park said: “It is one of the finest agricultural shows in the region and acts as a shop window for Exmoor, and what a setting for it.

“It brings in a tremendous amount of people and we hope many of them will enjoy themselves and become regular visitors to Exmoor."

Full results of the show will be published on our website.