IN PICTURES: Hundreds gather for New Year's Day meet of Fitzwilliam Hunt near Peterborough

Spectators – two and four legged - lined the route of the annual meet at Wansford to enjoy the sight of riders, horses and hounds as they paraded through the village.

Our photographs show the meet as it gathered outside the Haycock Manor Hotel before the hounds, horses and numerous ponies paraded through the village.

Onlookers were also delighted by the spectacle of a wonderful golden eagle and handler John Meese.

Afterwards, a spokesperson for the event, said the attendance at the meet, which has taken place for about 250 years, had been one of the best ever.