THOUSANDS travelled to Cumbria once again this year to visit Appleby Horse Fair.

Every year members of the travelling community from all over the country descend on Appleby for the traditional gypsy fair.

During the annual festival, the normally quiet streets were packed with families, traders, bargain seekers and horses.

One of the key spectacles of the four-day fair was the customary washing of the horses in the River Eden - a convention of the fair to groom the stallions, nags and foals into pristine condition ready for sale.

A more dramatic sight is the animals galloping up and down the flash lane in an attempt to persuade a buyer.

For full coverage of this year's event, see tomorrow's edition of The Westmorland Gazette.