Boxing Day Hunt Meet - Meldon Park, Morpeth, Northumberland

A month has since passed since Christmas and whilst some New Year's resolutions are set  to be broken, others aren't. One being is my determination to blog countlessly this year.

Boxing day is a day where most sit around still digesting their christmas dinners, forcing themselves to eat that last Thornton's chocolate, or dare I say it, spend a day with a few family members they really despise. However spent, this year or should I say last year, I spent it our hunting with the Morpeth contingent. 

Boxing Day is a day of tradition and so be it that hundreds of supporters on foot and horseback turned out at Meldon Park, Morpeth to support the hunt. 

The established hunts set off across the region early in the day with riders using animal-scented trails for the hounds to track.

The law may have banned fox hunting but that failed to detract from the annual Boxing Day spectacle, or of locals’ enjoyment of it.

Supporters came in their dozens to the picturesque Meldon Park. Views over look the vast countryside for miles and miles. Meldon Park welcomed the Morpeth huntsmen, horses and hounds before they set off on a trail hunt, following a scent laid down by the hunt leaders.

A welcome liquid breakfast of whiskey and brandy was offered to supporters as a gesture of goodwill. A few swigs of homemade bullshot and Percy Specials and the hunt was ready to go.

I was spending the day on the back of a Quad bike following the hunt. We were 30 Quads strong and closely followed the 70 or so horses and huntsmen. 

For this particular day, I wore layers and layers of the warmest clothing topped off with my Joules Field coat. Sadly, I don't have any photo of what I was wearing but I think maybe that was a good thing!!

We set off around 11am following the hunt around the countryside. Due to the nature of the ground and the weather, I didn't take my camera but have some photos taken by iPhone. 

You may wonder, why is following a bunch of horses around endless fields a good way to spend boxing day? It was fun as I was experiencing a tradition not only prominent in the North East, but in England too. It was a great way to meet others, socialise and spend a great day in the countryside.

Point to Point Racing in Northumberland and Borders.

Over the winter period, most of my sundays are spent at point to point races across the region. Most recently, I have attended Lauderdale, Scotland P2P and Hexham Races. 

For those that don't know, a Point to Point is a whole day of amateur horse racing. Each race is between 2-3 miles along and you can put bets on races, have a few drinks and enjoy being in the great outdoors! Not only is it quite a sociable occasion, but a chance for me to take some photographs of horses galloping, jumping over fences or watching some familiar faces win! 

Show off!

At the end of the day, you can't normally feel your toes and someone has had a few too many drinks, but it's all part of the fun! Roll on Hexham tomorrow!