In pictures: Last day at the Royal Welsh

A total of 205,761 people visited Wales' biggest countryside festival, more than 20,000 down on last year's centenary attended by the Queen.

A change in some school end-of-term dates and even the fine weather were given as possible reasons for the dip.

But next year's Royal Welsh is looking at expanding its site.

THURSDAY'S SHOW Attendance 45,029, compared to 50,993 same time last year Overall attendance 205,761, compared to 227,360 last year Lowest attendance since 1992 There were 250 tents and caravans at the young people's campsite About 1,000 were camping this year

Show organisers said they had a waiting list of 200 traders for stands at this year's event and were already taking bookings for 2007.

But show president Dai Lewis was cautious about wholesale change. He said: "If we can improve the show by somewhat extending it, we will but I think we have got to be very careful.

"We've got a tremendous formula here - all the other royal shows in the United Kingdom are very envious of what we've got, so I don't think we 're going to expand tremendously in the next couple of years.

"It's not all about trade stands, it's about having a good, happy, family show."

The temporary lights near the showground on Sunday night

The speculation about why this year attendance fell has focused on a change in the end-of-term school dates. Schools in only two counties in Wales had broken up for the summer as the Royal Welsh started.

There was no royal visitor this year either, unlike last year's centenary event which saw the Queen, Duke of Edinburgh and Prince of Wales.

Even the good weather may have persuaded some farmers to stay in the fields and work rather than spend a day at the show, according to some. The previous lowest figure was 206,000 in 1992.

But Mr Lewis was upbeat. He said: "Last year was our centenary and we expected to have a bumper crowd. This year's figures compare very favourably with 2003 and 2002.

RECORD ENTRIES 3,774 horses 1,038 cattle 2,897 ewes, lambs and rams 900 entries in produce competitions

"The schools were shut in a number of counties and we did lose a little from that but we're very, very satisfied with everything that's gone on this week.

"The weather has been super, the crowds have been here in abundance and the competition has been fantastic."

Meanwhile, Wales Young Farmers' Club said the future of the popular young people's village at the show was in jeopardy over the �11,000 cost of installing temporary lights on a road where a teenager was killed last year.

The assembly government said the low accident rate on the road annually did not justify permanent lights and there was also worries about light pollution.