Burghley Horse Trials

Such a long and full day.  Up before 6 am, we headed out towards Lincolnshire to attend the cross country day of the Burghley Horse Trials.  We arrived in good time, even allowing for the congestion around the site and had time to visit the In The Saddle stand to chat about a potential forthcoming holiday.  To sit comfortably while sipping Prosecco was a great start.

The competition was on from late morning and we headed out onto the course to view the riders and horses tackle the obstacles.  This was a step up from any of the events we've previously attended.  There were tens of thousands of spectators and the popular fences were thronged with people.  Despite that it wasn't difficult to get to the front of the crowds as many people were walking the course and moved on after they had seen one of the competitors negotiate the fence.  

I had a chat with a lady using a Nikon Z9 and fast telephoto lens; my gosh it is a heavy combination.  Even she admitted that had it not been a present from here husband (lucky lady), she would have preferred a lighter option, though she was blown away with the focusing capabilities, including subject detection on another level from other cameras she'd used.

We stayed out on the course with a picnic lunch, before heading back to the car to in the late afternoon to beat the crowds away as we had an evening event pre-booked.  

We made home in good time, grabbing some fish and chips on the way and were back out within the hour to the local music arena.  As tribute bands go The Carpenters Songbook were exceptional; you could clearly hear the intonation of Karen Carpenters unique voice in the singing of Toni Lee.  Supported by a nine member band and backing singers they provided over 2 hours of entertainment to round of a great day.