A couple of weeks back I visited Appleby-in-Westmoorland, a small town in Cumbria, for the annual Horse Fair. This fair is the largest gathering of Traveller, Gypsy and Roma communities in Europe and has this year attracted around 10.000 travellers and 30.000 visitors. Back in the day before modern communication methods, it used to serve as an annual family gathering.

The main event is the horses being washed in the River Eden and then paraded for sale in what’s called “the flashing lane”. The event has a long-standing history and it's claimed that its origins date back to a royal charter from King James II of England in 1685, however, the thinking now is that it probably started around the middle of the 18th century.

The event is essentially a get-together with no official organiser and therefore doesn't adhere to the usual restrictions. This poses some real challenges for the small town of Appleby and the local police force as it's said to be the largest policed event in the country. Some voices have looked to ban the event altogether, but that’s not something that will happen any time soon, if ever.