I went to Woolfest this year. As Friday reached temperatures of 25C in the Lake District I decided to go on the slightly cooler Saturday. It was a great show. Stallholders advised me that visitor numbers were down due to the warm weather which though less than ideal for vendors made for a most pleasant experience as one could move easily along the aisles and spend time viewing wares and talking to stallholders. A couple told me that Yarndale - of the northern shows - is now the busiest in terms of visitors and turnover but Woolfest has a wider variety of interests. Not having been to other shows I have no reference point though I might try the Perth Festival of Yarn as it is close.
The whole fleeces as always were doing a roaring trade. Peter Titley gave an informative 1 hour talk on Britain's sheep breeds. Andrea Meanwell - farmer, writer and poet - gave readings from her latest books and shared her experience of farming Rough Fells, Herdwicks, Speckled Welsh and Ouessants at Orton (near Tebay service station on the M6). (I missed the Debbie Zawinski talk on the Friday - but liked her publication 'In the Footsteps of Sheep', a journey through Scotland walking, spinning and knitting socks.)
In respect of sheep I recall Wensleydales, Castlemilk Moorit, Soay, Boreray, Hebs, Ryelands, Shetland, North Ronaldsay, Border Leicester, Jacob, Herwick, Exmoor Horn, Blue-faced Leicester, Derbyshire Gritstone and - a new breed for me - Bowmonts (which are really Saxon Merino x Shetland), which have a beautiful fleece and look like a tidy animal. I may have missed some. Other animals included Angora rabbits and Alpacas. The club stands were good - special mention for Hebridean, Shetland and N Ronaldsay.
There was also a preview of the Hefted to Hill exhibition which would certainly be worth looking out for if you are ever in the North Pennines - it's a project to portray the cultural heritage of the NP created by upland farming through the lives of seven farming families. Some of the photography was spell-binding.
I thought it was a really good show this year with a good mix of products and events. I'm already looking forward to next year's.