Choose the main days without expecting a timetable
The fair information service describes a week-long gathering, with the busiest activity bunched around the weekend. It also makes a point every first-timer should hear: there is no organised programme. Don’t turn up expecting performances that start on the hour, or a particular horse display just because you’ve seen one in a film. Give yourself time to wander and take the day as it comes. If you want to see the gathering at its fullest, pick from the official main days — the closing Wednesday is not the same as Saturday. The website is run by the public bodies coordinating the response to the fair, not by an entertainment promoter, so use its notices for current arrangements and remember that the people attending have their own reasons for being there. A patient, observant visit will make far more sense than an itinerary crammed with promised spectacles.
Why Fair Hill matters to the gathering
Appleby Town Council explains that Fair Hill, on the town’s outskirts, was once Gallows Hill. Its account describes land handed to the borough in 1911 for public enjoyment, with one set of rules for ordinary grazing and another for the fair. During the gathering, permitted uses include caravans, wagons, horseboxes, horses, trading and everything that goes with them. That tells you a lot about how the fair works: it’s a temporary meeting place and working environment, not just something to look at. Treat entrances, grazing areas and the space around vehicles with that in mind. An open view across a field doesn’t make every corner of it fair game for sightseeing, and do ask before approaching a camp or photographing someone up close. The council’s land history is a good companion to the familiar riverside pictures, and explains why your visit may take in several places, with Fair Hill and the town centre playing different parts in the same gathering.
Watch the horses from a sensible position
The official public-safety guidance picks out two spots. On Long Marton Road there’s the Flashing Lane, where horses are shown at speed; at The Sands, horses may be brought down to the River Eden to wash. At the lane, stay out of the carriageway and give horses and carts room — they can’t stop dead for someone stepping out with a camera. At the river, stay well clear of the horses and respect any closure of the access ramp. A view of the water is not an invitation to get in, and river levels can change. Keep children close enough to steer, and pick a spot where your group can stay together without getting in the way. The guidance also warns that mobile signal can struggle as the crowds grow, so agree a meeting point before anyone wanders off. Good habits at any horse gathering: watch what’s moving around you, not just what’s in front.
Arrive by rail and settle the overnight question early
The fair’s FAQ recommends coming by train, to Appleby station on the Settle–Carlisle line. The station is within walking distance of both the town centre and the fair area, which makes it a much easier option than battling traffic restrictions by car. Check the train timetable and any fair notices for your day, then note down your options home. The same FAQ warns that weekend buses are limited and some scheduled services may not come into town during the gathering, so an ordinary bus timetable won’t be enough on its own. If you’re staying over, look at accommodation early: the information service says places within walking distance are hard to find and may be booked well ahead. A room further away needs a realistic journey back, not just a good price. Know how you’ll get back to your bed after the part of the fair you most want to see.
Two quieter heritage visits in the Eden area
St Lawrence’s Church in Appleby and Brougham Castle near Penrith offer two very different ways to stretch an Eden Valley trip. Appleby’s tourism information notes that the parish church is the resting place of Lady Anne Clifford, with family memorials inside too. It’s still a working church, so check visiting arrangements and fit your look round around services and other use. At Brougham, English Heritage describes a red-sandstone castle with a great keep, a double gatehouse and links to Lady Anne’s restoration work. The castle is a separate trip with its own admission, not something to squeeze into a gap between fair activities without checking transport. Use the official visitor links for opening and access details, especially if steps or uneven old surfaces are a concern for your group. Either one gives the trip a change of pace — choose one carefully rather than trying to cram every nearby sight into the same busy fair day.
Practical bits
Parking and facilities need the current fair map
The information service asks drivers to use designated car parks and check the traffic-management plan. The fair changes the usual flow through town, so don’t let a satnav shortcut overrule the signs or the staff on the ground. The published information also separates town-centre facilities from those at Fair Hill and the market fields. Public toilets are listed around the Public Hall, Broad Close and near the tourist information centre, with temporary ones in the fair areas. If accessible parking or a particular toilet is essential, check the latest map and ask the information service about the best approach. Old notices about a bridge closure or a temporary car park are a nudge to check again, not a sign that next year will work exactly the same way. Allow time for the walk from the car park, and keep clear of residents’ access, footpaths and routes used by horses and emergency vehicles.
Plan your trip
Stay the night
Search places to stay in and around Appleby-in-Westmorland for 3–9 June 2027. Rooms near popular events go early, so check cancellation terms.
Find a place to stay on Booking.comNearest station: Appleby
Appleby station is on the Settle–Carlisle line and is the fair information service’s recommended arrival option. Check fair traffic restrictions if driving.
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Where it is
The pin shows the approximate area. Open in OpenStreetMap
Make a weekend of it
Odd things nearby
- Ambleside Rushbearing 22 miles away, Usually the first Saturday in July
- Grasmere Rushbearing 23 miles away, A Saturday in mid-July, usually the second Saturday (formerly near St Oswald’s Day, 5 August)
- Grasmere Lakeland Sports and Show 23 miles away, 29 August 2027
Also in June
- Hawick Common Riding Hawick, Scottish Borders
- Lanimer Day Lanark, South Lanarkshire
- Great Knaresborough Bed Race Knaresborough, North Yorkshire
- World Custard Pie Championship Coxheath, Kent
About this guide
Check before you go. Check the latest arrangements and travel notices before you set off. What happened at past fairs isn’t a promise for the next one.
About the date. Official multi-agency website explicitly gives Thursday 3 to Wednesday 9 June 2027, main days 3–6 June. It also carries a retrospective report on the 2026 fair.
Researched from the sources below and last checked on . We haven’t visited every event or tested every journey, and the organiser’s own information always wins.
