Royal Cheshire County Show 2023 in glorious pictures

Among the UK's premier county shows, Cheshire’s annual extravaganza of all things rural at Tabley Showground, on June 20 and 21, expects to welcome more than 80,000 visitors, and more than 3,000 animals.  

Four-year-old JJ Dennan from Chester getting his hands dirty (Image: Dave Gillespie)

Things got off to a slower start than usual, thanks to torrential rain which started  the minute gates opened at 8am. 

Downpours from 8am did nothing to dampen the festival spirit (Image: Dave Gillespie)

But the weather was no match for Cheshire's hardy farming community, and by 9am, the livestock was out to delight the growing crowds, with exhibitions of the very finest cattle, sheep, pigs, goats, light and heavy horses, dogs, chickens, ducks, pigeons, rabbits and even guinea pigs from across the county. 

(Left to right): Mother and daughter Bassett Hound dream team Kirsty Freudreich and Charlotte Freudreich (Image: Dave Gillespie)

By 1pm, the June sun was beating down, so it was umbrellas away and jackets off, and a race to find a dry bench in the ever-growing Robertson's Food Village for some lunch.

Among the many attractions for the afternoon included a terrifying freestyle motocross display from FMX Extreme Bike Battle, 'danger' dressage from Atkinsons Action Horses, the James Gillman sheepdog demonstration, a parade of hounds and riders from the Cheshire and Cheshire Forest Hunts, and a nostalgic pageant of beautifully maintained vintage agricultural vehicles and machinary. 

Freestyle motocross rider from stunt team FMX Extreme Bike Battle (Image: Dave Gillespie)

The Countryside Live Area delighted visitors with high-energy displays from the Cheshire Constabulary Police Dog Unit, a flyball display from Wilmslow Wild Dogs, heavy horse riding by the team from Tatton Park’s Home Farm, and a ‘timber sports’ display from Wood Chop Ogwen.

Graham and Fiona Dawson travelled from Nottingham to enter their majestic Irish Wolfhounds in the dog show (Image: Dave Gillespie)

For those who prefer farming to thrills, the Bidlea Dairy Agri-Centre is full of  demonstrations, including sheep shearing from Tarporley’s Mark Latham, a chance to bottle feed calves, robot milking tutorials, and piglet and chick handling sessions for youngsters.

Expert judge, Brian Anderton, has an 'eggstraordinary' eye for detail (Image: Dave Gillespie)

It also offers a chance to try ice-cream and milkshakes from the very best of Cheshire’s dairy herds, as well as butchery masterclasses, and presentations on animal husbandry from vets at University of Liverpool’s Leahurst veterinary campus in Neston.

Izzy Smith from Whitchurch with her gorgeous Brown Swiss dairy cow (Image: Dave Gillespie)

Royal Cheshire County Show Society president, Alan Newton, said: "I'm sure visitiors will find much of interest in the showground, from all the livestock exhibits, the main and varied trade stand displays, right though to the Women's Institute, the National Association of Flower Arranging Societies, and of course, the educational sections.  

Master sheepshearer, Mark Lathom, from Tarporley, can shear a sheep in under a minute (Image: Dave Gillespie)

"It has always been an aim of the show society to encourage the educational aspect, hopefully planting a seed with young people to understand and maybe even become involved with its agriculture and its associated trades here in Cheshire."

Rebecca Fryer from High Legh's Groobox veg delivery (Image: Newsquest)

The Royal Cheshire County Show will still be in full swing tomorrow, and with the weather set to be a whole lot better, it would be a big mistake to miss it.