Annual ritual of 300 sheep being herded through the streets of Hawes in the Yorkshire Dales brightens up autumn

62-year-old Tim Lee filmed the moment around 300 sheep were herded through the streets of Hawes to their winter grazing - a yearly autumn ritual.

Although he has lived in Hawes for most of his life, Mr Lee said the sight 'never gets old'.

Traffic usually has to be stopped to allow the flock to pass as they head to a farm in the lower reaches of Wensleydale, where conditions are less harsh. There is no set date for the livestock movement, but it usually happens in late October.

He said: “I’m local to Hawes so I’ve had the privilege of seeing the sheep flock a few times in my life - but it never gets old.

“There are about 300 sheep in the flock and it’s an incredible sight to behold.

“We’ve become so urbanised that you don’t really see things like this - it’s a nice reminder of times gone by.

“It’s a unique experience but you never know when it will happen so it’s always a nice surprise.”

The former pub manager said he rushed out as soon as he heard the sheep on Monday afternoon.

“As soon as I heard 'baas' I knew they were coming so I rushed outside to take the video.

“It’s not everyday you see something like that so I wanted to make sure I captured it.

“I think it’s just a bit of a funny sight - you’ve got all of these people in cars confused as traffic comes to a standstill.

“You wonder why and it’s just 300 sheep making their way around. Things like this are what make the Yorkshire Dales so wonderful.”