Ashford in the Water Derbyshire hotels:

BAKEWELL SHOW- Derbyshires Premier Event. Best described by the 2004 press release. ....Glorious sunshine and record crowds helped make the 2004 Bakewell Show one of the most successful yet. There were more animals on the showground than ever before, with numbers in the sheep classes up considerably and increases in cattle too - a tribute to how the area has recovered from the foot and mouth crisis. Centre ring entertainment on the first day saw a stunning Medieval display from the Horses Impossible team featuring horsemen fresh from making the new King Arthur film. Dressed in colourful costumes they demonstrated the amazing fighting skills of the period as well as amazing horsemanship. On Thursday visitors were treated to fast and furious scurry racing, which proved extremely popular when introduced last year. New this year were the Suffolks - the oldest breed of heavy horse in Britain with a blood line which traces back to 1768. Many of the older visitors were delighted to see the rare breed horses which were used when they were children. During the Show there was a chance for our younger visitors to win a state-of-the-art computer in a special competition which took them to every part of the Showground. And the decision to make the children9s area three times the size proved very popular. There were more than 6,000 entries in more than 700 competitive classes - livestock alone has 130 classes featuring thousands of animals, including horses, donkeys, pigeons, poultry, rabbits, dogs, goats, cattle and sheep. Other attractions included a spectacular floral art show, scrumptious food and farming exhibition where visitors could taste the finest foods, vintage vehicles and the village green where traditional rural crafts were demonstrated.