Morris By The Water

After the tranquility of the beach, we cycled back to town and were greeted by the sounds of beating drums and jangling bells as we crossed the river bridge, the sounds getting louder the closer we got.

It seemed that there was "a celebration of Morris Dancing with teams attending from around the UK - a gathering of nearly 20 English Morris sides (teams) in all their strange and exotic forms".  We'd not heard about this event until now but suddenly there were people in brightly coloured costumes and painted faces everywhere we looked and I was feeling a little under-dressed in my t-shirt and cycling trousers - like I'd turned up to a party and not made the effort.

http://www.somptingvillagemorris.org.uk/

It's not until you get a gathering of so many groups together that you realise how much variety there is in traditional English Morris dancing, as different regions put their own slant on things.  Included at this event were the traditions of Cotswold, Garland, Rapper, Northwest Clog, Step Clog, Border and Longsword!

Each group was accompanied by their own musicians and on a beautiful English summer's day the traditional music, dancing and costumes provided great street entertainment.