#Sheep – Page 3 – Northwest Nature and History

Peatland Restoration in the Northwest of England

A brief look over Peatland Restoration efforts in the Northwest of England

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”

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”

The Role of the Sheep in Shaping Britain’s History and Landscape, Part One

Part One; How sheep farming became a major industry in the British isles There are currently around 38 million sheep in British isles, made up of more than 60 different breeds, not to mention an enormous variety of crossbreeds, or ‘mules’. In this series of articles I’ll write about the history of some of theseContinue reading “The Role of the Sheep in Shaping Britain’s History and Landscape, Part One”

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”

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”

The Hills are Alive, with the Sound of Bleating!

(My original title for this article was going to be ‘lambing time, a season of anticipation, and worry’ but I think my wife’s title is more fun!) Lambing Time For most sheep farmers right now lambing time is getting into full swing. Sheep pens all across the countryside will soon be alive with the questioningContinue reading “The Hills are Alive, with the Sound of Bleating!”