With over one hundred fantastic photographs of horses and people on the move, action shots on the 'flashing lane', handlers and their horses enjoying the river and some of those quiet and peaceful moments in between, this book provides the reader with an insight into the experience of the fair and all that is 'Absolutely Appleby'. Each summer, the quiet Cumbrian town of Appleby plays host to one of the oldest and largest horse fairs in Europe; a celebration of Romany and traveller life. Accompanied by introductions and captions, the photos tell how, for travellers, Appleby Fair is as much about community and tradition as it is about horses. Beautiful bow-top caravans abound, life takes on a slower pace, friendships are re-kindled and Appleby enjoyed. Those who converge at the Fair follow a centuries-old tradition. Many horses change hands at the Fair, and horses arrive from all over the UK to be washed in the river Eden or prepared for 'flashing', when they move, often at speed, along the lanes.
