One of the project Volunteers, John Bentley, has a passion for photographing local shows, so we wanted to share some of his images from Tan Hill. This shepherds’ meet is held on the exposed tops of Tan Hill, as its name suggests, close to Alston in the northern Pennines. Each year it attracts some of the best Swaledale sheep from farmers in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, and some sale prices can be remarkably high (the highest selling ram in 2016 went for 62,000 guineas).
If the weather is fine, the show ground at Tan Hill is one of the most scenic you will come across. At 1732 feet (528 metres) above sea level, however, perched as it is on the edge of the Pennines, it may well be in cloud – which it was in 2016.
Swaledale Sheep Breeders Association Chairman, Alan Alderson, in the line for judging. Image : John Bentley
The show is held every year on the last Thursday in May. 2017 will be the 64th annual show and we’re hoping for sunny weather!
Find out more at the website of the Swaledale Sheep Breeders Association.
World Famous Show : the 2016 sign
Voices From the Land 