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Langholm Common Riding 2019

It is not an event for the weary, or the faint-hearted. Beginning at 5am with the flute band parading the streets to waken slumbering residents, the schedule that follows is hectic. At 6.30am, the trails begin on the Monument Hill, with up to 30 dogs challenging for pole position. From the Monument - a large stone obelisk dedicated to former governor of India, Sir John Malcom - the view on a clear day takes in the Solway Plain, the Lake District Hills, the northern end of the Pennines and, allegedly, the Isle of Man. At 8.30am, after a traditional Scottish breakfast, approximately 100 men and women on horseback gather in front of the town hall for the presentation of the standard. Led by the Langholm Town Band (the Oldest Continuous Brass Band in Scotland), the mounted gathering proceeds through the streets, turning back for the First Fair Crying. The proclamation is recited in dialect by the official Fair Crier standing on the back of a horse (and, yes, sometimes they do fall off). The most spectacular moment of the day takes place on the Kirk Wynd - a steep street leading out on to open grassland and hills. The Cornet leads his horsemen in a breath-taking chase from the town square to the hillside, and onwards, where the Fair is cried for a second time. Crowds line the sides of this tiny street, a hair's breadth from the steaming cavalcade, cheering the riders on. This is the moment which encapsulates the historical origins. All children can take part in the Heather Besom Parade. All that is needed is a stick with heather bound at the top. Following the pipe band, the children walk the length of the town and collect 20p for completing the route. At 11am, the Fair is cried again in the town square, and a rendition of Auld Lang Syne ensues. The crowd follows the horses to the north side of Langholm, known as the Kiln green, as the horses stampede through the river Esk to the opposite banks. Incongruously, for such a tiny town, there is a race track on open grassland, called the Castleholm. At 12.30pm, the race programme begins; for those who like a flutter, bookies are on hand to take bets. By 2.30pm, the althletics competitions have begun - serious sprinters, Cumberland wrestlers, high jumpers and Highland dancers all gather to compete in the most glorious surroundings. Children's races are confined to local tots. Providing you have an ounce of energy left, the evening proceedings begin with an open-air dance on the Castle Home and continue following the Cornet back through to the town with occasional stops for the Polka en route. Events end at 9.15pm with the Cornet returning the Standard to officiating magistrates and finish up with God Save the Queen.