All The Fun of the Fair

This weekend we travelled up north to stay with family and to visit Hull Fair.  For anybody who has never heard of Hull Fair it is a huge travelling fair that comes to Hull every October, on the nearest Friday to 11th October and stays for 10 days approximately.  It is a very popular event on the calendar in this city and is attended by many thousands of people every night.

I believe it is one of the largest fairs in Europe and usually travels there from Nottingham Goose Fair.  There are lots and lots of rides, from the small rides for very young children to the really scary big rides for older children and adults, plus everything in between.  It is such an exciting event for children and adults alike if truth be known, and as it comes just once every year it is looked forward to and relished. (Dreaded by some too I imagine).

Here in London we seem to have small fairs in the parks here every couple of months during the summer and to be honest they stop having any appeal after a while, but this fair is different because it is one of the only ones of it's kind and you have to wait the whole year for it.

I used to visit every year as a child, first with my parents and then with friends once I hit my teens.  It was a really special event, made more special because it was usually in town the week of my birthday.  The sights, sounds, smells of Hull Fair just stay with you.

We haven't been for a couple of years with Little Bird, so this year we decided to travel up and go once again.  We arranged to meet up with friends and family and have a wander around.  We didn't go on a whole lot of rides as I'm a bit of a scaredy cat to be honest.  The older I get, the worse I get too.  I'd go on anything as a teenager, but these days I'm a little more selective and some of the rides have got a whole lot scarier too.  OH is better and goes on quite a few, but even he draws the line at some.

It was a lovely evening,  and brought back so many memories of visits in my youth.  In these difficult times it is great to see so many families enjoying themselves at such an event and the prices of most of the rides were reassuringly reasonable.

I took a few photos just to give you feel for the atmosphere of the fair.

The Helter Skelter

 

The Big Wheel.

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The Log Flume

 

 

 

 

These are very high swings suspended from a pillar of lights. (We didn't go on this ride but it looked fabulous).

 

The Dodgems of course, just the best fun.

 

 

The Dive Bombers (I loved these as a teenager).

 

 

There were stalls galore of food and other goods.  We had to have the traditional pattie and chips from Bob Carvers.  Got to be done I'm afraid.

 

 

It's a mashed potato and herb pattie in breadcrumbs.  A well known local delicacy!

 

 

Little Bird had to have some candy floss too of course.  Here's a picture of it being made.

 

 

There were the usual stalls selling coconuts, pomegranites, cinder toffee, toffee apples, nougat.....

 

 

and brandy snap of course, but it had to be Wright & Co., they have been making brandy snap for the fair for many years.

 

 

Even though it was raining it didn't diminish our enjoyment.  It just wouldn't be Hull Fair without the rain and besides we're a pretty hardy lot.