Thousands flock to Cumbria and Scottish Borders as huge events return after break during pandemic

ITV Border/PA
Hawick Common Riding and the Cumberland Show are returning, with the Appleby Horse Fair already underway. Credit: ITV Border/PA

It is a bumper weekend for tourism with some of the region's biggest events returning after two years of Covid restrictions.

In the Scottish Borders, hundreds of horses and thousands of spectators have filled the streets of Hawick for the Common Riding Season.

The event, which celebrates the capture of an English Flag in 1514, involves the tradition of horse-riders marking the boundaries of the common land.

The Hawick Common Riding is the first of the Border festivals. Credit: ITV Border

Meanwhile in Cumbria, final preparations are underway for the return of the county's largest agricultural show, the Cumberland Show.

Taking place at a new home in Warwick on Eden, the show kicks off on Saturday (11 June) for the first time since 2019.

However, the site is already busy with farmers and traders setting up their stalls.

Further down the River Eden, the Appleby Horse Fair, the annual celebration of Gypsy and Traveller heritage and culture, is already underway.

Thousands travel to the town for the four-day festival, which runs until 15 June.