The air was thick with the smell of hot coals and steam hung in clouds over the trees during Tavistock Steam Fair recently.

The sound of clunking unshod metal wheels mixed with piercing whistles from the lumbering iron dinosaurs of the road with their fiery hearts.

Amid this cacophony of noise, hundreds of visitors enjoyed a mixture of family attractions, including craft, hobby, charity and refreshment stalls. But the biggest attraction was the steam engine ride round the town with lengthy queues to clamber into towed trailer for a slow, stately ride.

Such was the popularity of the day, that it raised around £7,000 to support engineering training by the Robey Trust, which runs the event, and welcomed nearly 2,000 people through the gates.