HUNDREDS of people turned out for the Boxing Day meet of Ludlow Hunt.

As usual the hunt met in the outer bailey of Ludlow Castle where members of the public were able to view the participants and their horses and hounds at close quarters.

This year the castle's atmospheric surroundings were made even more striking by the foggy weather and chilly temperatures.

Members of the public standing around Castle Square saw the horses emerge out of the mist from the castle before around 90 riders made their way through the town, down Mill Street, before looping round to the Bull Ring and off through Tower Street.

In some parts of the town near the castle crowds were 20 deep.

The Countryside Alliance said that support for the hunt in Ludlow, which has had kennels located at Caynham for more than 100 years, was in line with the national picture in both England and Wales.

The organisation said that hunts across England and Wales welcomed more than quarter of a million people, on foot and on horseback, to their Boxing Day meets.

The Ludlow Hunt country lies in Shropshire, Herefordshire, and Worcestershire. It extends 20 miles north to south from Wenlock Edge to Leominster, and 20 miles west to east from Leintwardine to Cleobury Mortimer.

There are several large areas of vale country – Corvedale, the Teme valley, and the area south of Tenbury Wells – as well as hill country on the western and northern sides.

Hounds hunt trails in all these areas.