Hedges As you walk or drive around Britain you may notice that much of our countryside is bisected by undulating, verdant ribbons of lush foliage which stand out from the fields like thin brush strokes in vivid shades of green. These are hedgerows and have been used for stock proofing and marking field boundaries forContinue reading “The Ancient Art of Hedgelaying”
Category Archives: Farming
Lonks sheep
Lonks are a handsome black-and-white faced hill sheep traditionally kept in Bowland and the Pennines, the breed is at least 200 years old, having first been added to farmers stock books in the 1900’s. They are said to derive from flocks that Cistercian monks kept hundreds of years ago at monasteries such as Sawley Abbey.Continue reading “Lonks sheep”
Traditional Field Barns of the Northwest of England
Traditional Field Barns of the Northwest The North of England is famous for its ancient, man-made landscape of rolling fields crossed with drystone walls and dotted, seemingly haphazardly, with stone barns which are so integral to the countryside here that it would look empty without them. Many of these barns are made from the veryContinue reading “Traditional Field Barns of the Northwest of England”
Belted Galloways
The Belted Galloway is a very hardy breed of beef cattle, traditionally from South-west Scotland, able to subsist on pastures which are too poor for other breeds of cattle. Smaller than other breeds you might see in the British countryside, like the red/brown Limousine or the black and white Friesian, they are similar in sizeContinue reading “Belted Galloways”
Livestock Farming in Summer; a look at a few of the many jobs a livestock farmer has to do in the summer months
A year round job Farming is an all year round job, and whilst some of us might be leafing through holiday brochures, kitting out the camper van for an escape to the coast, or simply putting our feet up in the garden, farmers will be as busy as always in the summer months. Here areContinue reading “Livestock Farming in Summer; a look at a few of the many jobs a livestock farmer has to do in the summer months”
Hayrattle in Bowland
The Forest of Bowland has several SSSI’s or Sites of Special Scientific Interest within its bounds and most of these are of interest to botanists for the rare native plants they harbour. One of these is the Hay Rattle, Rhinanthus minor, also know as the yellow rattle or cockscomb. The plant gets its name fromContinue reading “Hayrattle in Bowland”
A rough guide to some of the various bits of farm machinery you might see around the countryside of Northern England
Types of farm machinery This is a basic and non-exhaustive guide to some of the various bits of agricultural machinery you might see in use in the fields, trundling in front of you on a narrow country lane, or rusting away in a farmyard around the countryside of Northern England. Balers, little, square, and roundContinue reading “A rough guide to some of the various bits of farm machinery you might see around the countryside of Northern England”
The role of the Sheep in shaping Britains Landscape and History, Part Two; The breeds of sheep that made Britain prosperous
Part Two, The breeds of Sheep that made Britain prosperous In Part 1 of this 3-part series of articles I covered how sheep farming became a major industry in the British isles, in this post I’ll look at some of the breeds of sheep that made Britain prosperous, in particular wool breeds, see the articleContinue reading “The role of the Sheep in shaping Britains Landscape and History, Part Two; The breeds of sheep that made Britain prosperous”
Northwest Nature and History 