The 165th Great Yorkshire Show begins at the Harrogate showground

It’s finally here. The 165th Great Yorkshire Show starts today, with all the sights, smells and sounds of the country and farming in one 250-acre place at the showground in Harrogate, offering, as it does, an insight into rural life and the ways and traditions of the countryside right here in the heart of Yorkshire.

The ticket-only event is sold out, but for those who are making the trip, there will be a chance to catch up with friends seen only once a year, a time for a little socialising and networking before the frenetic pace of this year’s harvest.

Among those taking part this year are 15 flower farmers who have from all corners of Yorkshire and the North East to celebrate locally grown British flowers in a unique way – by making a floral display covering a vintage tractor and new bandstand near to the Garden Show / Discovery Zone.

Yesterday’s preview day saw models from the Farm to Fashion show, dressed in Yorkshire Agricultural Society tweed, come face to face with bovine beauties in the form of diary breed Ayrshire cattle.

Today as the four-day event opens to the public there is a chance to see much more, from the latest farm machinery and technology, to delicious food offerings, stunning livestock of all kinds and good old-fashioned Yorkshire hospitality.