About the Fair
The 1901 fair. Reproduced with kind permission from the Widecombe History Group Archive.
The beautiful village of Widecombe-in-the-Moor lies between green fields and high, rocky moorland hills in a sheltered valley on the East side of Dartmoor.
Widecombe Fair takes place on the second Tuesday of September each year and attracts visitors from far and wide. Established as a rural market for sheep, cattle and ponies in the early 1800’s (though some say it was going on in a smaller capacity well before then), Widecombe Fair has historically held a central position on the local agricultural scene, and although nowadays no buying and selling of cattle takes place, the Fair continues to thrive as a showcase for all things local, traditional and agricultural - it remains a real ‘farmers’ Fair, though mainly a social occasion these days.
It maintains strong ties with the local farming/rural community, young and old, and in-between, and is organised and run entirely by volunteers (yes, some of us are farmers so forgive any spelling mistakes!) with the twin aims of providing a great day out for locals and those from further afield, and raising money for local causes.
