Tag Archives: #Northwestnatureandhistory

Down on the Dairy farm in March

Dairy farming Whilst I write a fair bit about sheep farming on here there are of course other ways in which the land of the Northwest is farmed, after all we produce over 15% of the UK’s farmed food and ¼ of the nation’s milk! With this is in mind I’d like to write aContinue reading “Down on the Dairy farm in March”

The Alder

The Common alder Alder glutinosa, is a very hardy species of tree found all along the cloughs, streams and riverbanks of the Northwest, with some areas of Alder woodland traditionally referred to as ‘Carr’. As it does not usually suffer from late spring frosts and is hardy to early autumn frosts it has been plantedContinue reading “The Alder”

Drystone Walls, a part of the Northern Landscape

Many visitors to the North of England comment on the multitude of stone walls winding their way across the landscape, these are part of the character of the countryside which brings those visitors here in the first place. On a cloudy day, their grey and green stones seem to fade into the hills and theContinue reading “Drystone Walls, a part of the Northern Landscape”

In like a Lion, out like a Lamb

The expression ‘In like a Lion, out like a Lamb’, is recorded as far back as the 1600’s but is thought to be much older. It is used to describe the tendency of the month of March to begin with stormy weather yet end with calm, after all March marks the start of meteorological springContinue reading “In like a Lion, out like a Lamb”

The Red-tailed Bumblebee

The Red-Tailed Bumblebee The Red-tailed Bumblebee’s scientific name is Bombus lapidarius, bombus simply meaning bee and lapidarius meaning ‘relating to stones’, referring to the small mounds of tiny gravel found where the bumblebee has dug a nest. Common and easily identifiable It is a common and easily identifiable Bumblebee found all across the British islesContinue reading “The Red-tailed Bumblebee”

The Hodder Bridge Hotel

The Hodder bridge hotel The Hodder Bridge Hotel was once a very popular country Inn overlooking the Hodder near the village of Chaigley, It sits next to the Higher Hodder bridge at the foot of Kemple End. The hotel has now been converted into private houses but was once locally famous, with the views fromContinue reading “The Hodder Bridge Hotel”

Some of the breeds of Hill Sheep that can be found in the Northwest

This is a guide to some of the Hill Sheep breeds that can be found in the Northwest of England, (for an explanation of some of the terms used please see this article) ; The Derbyshire Gritstone This hardy breed of hill sheep was originally bred by Peak District hill farmers to survive in harshContinue reading “Some of the breeds of Hill Sheep that can be found in the Northwest”