Green wellington boots, deck shoes, walking boots and white trainers packed into the huge showfield for this year's Lowther Horse Driving Trials and Country Fair.

The superbly-organised event attracted a record-breaking crowd of more than 60,000 to the massive variety of entertainment on offer.

Show jumping, stunt riding from a rider who has worked with Hollywood superstars such as Brad Pitt and Mel Gibson, a fishing island, clay pigeon shooting and gun dog displays were just part of the fun.

A thunderstorm and the menace of lightning strikes before the opening day did nothing to dampen spirits but did moisten the turf underfoot, leaving patches of glistening mud.

As the sun came and went behind the clouds, shiny surfaces reflected it right across the showground.

The weekend brought drier, hotter weather and gave good conditions for the RAF Falcons parachute display team to leap from their aircraft and glide on to the field.

Gleaming in the main arena were the silk top hats of the drivers, the glossy flanks of the horses, and the polished black lacquer of the carriages' woodwork.

Under a circle of gently flapping flags, in a spotless carriage pulled by four high-stepping horses, competitor number 78 was His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh.

His beige trousers bearing the grassy marks of a walk from helicopter to carriage, regular competitor Prince Philip took second place in class two: team of four ponies.

Last year, the Prince used a quad bike for a trip around the showfield - this year Penrith and the Border MP David Maclean was out and about on four wheels.

A beaming Mr Maclean, sitting astride the red quad, said: "I want this for London - it's bloody good fun! I would like to blast along the Embankment!"

Mr Maclean, at the show to promote hunting, described Lowther as "the northern game fair" and added: "There's something for everyone. I really do like all the food."

In the food hall, the joint owner of Kendal's Staff of Life bakery, Julie Thomas, had sold out by mid-morning, apart from a solitary pistachio loaf.

At the finish line of Lowther's 21st half marathon, three-time winner Paul Muller, 46, gulped orange squash, after crossing the line in 77min 30sec.

Top prize for the Made in Cumbria awards, given by Cumbria Rural Enterprise Agency, went to furniture maker Craig Murchie, who uses peat bog-weathered dark woods and pebbles in his innovative designs.

Twenty years of CREA were celebrated with the retirement of John Dunning as chairman, credited with "doing wonders for rural Cumbria".

However, it was revealed he would stay involved in the agency as its president when the incumbent, James Cropper, became CREA's patron.