It was the first day of Appleby Horse Fair, and a vast encampment occupied Fair Hill to the north of the town. There were livestock transporters, expensive mobile homes, trucks of all kinds, pickups and horse trailers, plus a variety of motors including several Mercedes. There were a few Travellers" Specials, but these were outnumbered by less ostentatious (and cheaper) models. There were one or two Open-lots, but they had arrived on the backs of trucks. Very few persons attending the fair these days travelled in the old way with vanners and waggons.
To an outsider it was hard to believe that the world of gypsy travellers was not thriving. But over recent years, Appleby Fair had changed. Many Roms felt it had been hijacked by a spurious non-traveller element who were mainly concerned with
