They came in tens of thousands to the Royal Cornwall Showground, as hot sunshine brought out the crowds for the first day of an annual extravaganza of Cornish life at Whitecross, near Wadebrdge.
In sharp contrast to the 2012 show – when blizzards blew down the sheep marquee – yesterday's opening celebration saw ideal showing weather, with a stiff breeze whipping out the St Piran flags from their poles and ensuring a comfortable experience for thousands of exhibited animals, from mighty South Devon bulls to tiny bantams.
Crowds crammed the avenues for the 202nd Royal Cornwall Show and officials felt confident that with warm summer weather scheduled for the next two days, the event should see well over 120,000 visitors through the gates during the three days, the equivalent of a quarter of the county's population.
Once again Princess Anne paid a visit, staying for five- and-a-half hours and touring the showground with this year's president Col Edward Bolitho, who is also the Lord Lieutenant of Cornwall.
A delighted show secretary, Chris Riddle, said: "All the indications are for a really good, bumper show. We could not have a better forecast... it makes the whole world seem positive."
With temperatures climbing into the mid 70s fahrenheit, officials were universally confident the next two days would be a success.
The best farm livestock in Cornwall was on show, and this year quality was particularly high, reported steward and cattle ring commentator James Morrish.
As spectators crowded four deep around the judging ring Mr Morrish said: "These cattle on show are some of the finest quality you will see anywhere, both young yearlings and senior cattle – particularly the Aberdeen Angus and South Devons. I would be proud to own any of them."
Despite the Westcountry being in the grips of a farming crisis, the Royal Cornwall Show was not short of businesses showing entrepreneurial spirit. Rob and Kaitlin Dean, of Dunmore Farm near Fowey Cross, were busy selling their range of Dexter beef and Jacob's hogget lamb. The couple, who have three small children and second jobs, own 25 cattle and 40 sheep and only set up a year ago. They both agreed the show was the perfect platform to promote their product.
"We wanted to get our name out there, get known and show our product," said Rob. "We were small holding for four years and decided to make the leap in to farming. Given the state of the industry selling to customers is really important."
