Crowds testify to Highland Show's mass appeal

THERE are not many public events which began in 1822 that still command a mass audience, never mind a record-breaking one. But this year's Royal Highland Show is set to surpass the 160,000 visitors it attracted in 2008, despite two of its four days being shrouded in an Edinburgh haar.

The reason for this success is that the RHS is not simply an agricultural trade fare where farmers come to chew the cud. Since it put down permanent roots at Ingliston in 1960, the show has spread its appeal to a new audience and attracted exhibitors...