There are more than 600,000 sheep in the Yorkshire Dales, thirty times more sheep than people! They may look like they just wander around without too much human attention but the reality is that farmers do of course look after them. Thanks to TV programmes like The Dales and Our Yorkshire Farm, Amanda Owen is one of the most famous sheep farmers. Known through her twitter feed as the Yorkshire Shepherdess, Amanda has attracted the attention of millions of TV viewers. Amanda and her husband Clive farm at Ravenseat on an isolated farm a few miles from Keld in Swaledale. Her stories of daily life with 1000 sheep and 9 children have captured the public's imagination. Walkers on the Coast to Coast route enjoy making a break at Ravenseat for scones and tea.
Amanda's the best known shepherdess in the Yorkshire Dales but far from being the only one. At Firbank near Sedbergh, overlooking the Howgill Fells is the wonderfully named Shacklabank, home of Alison O'Neill, sometimes known as the 'Barefoot Shepherdess' thanks to her love of walking bare foot and feeling the land underfoot. Alison delights in living quietly on her small farm, woven to the landscape that is dear to her. You can make an appointment to visit her farm, meet her sheep and sheepdogs or to walk with her. Alison is also passionate about creating beautiful clothes and products out of wool - sustainable fashion, made locally.
Amanda's the best known shepherdess in the Yorkshire Dales but far from being the only one. At Firbank near Sedbergh, overlooking the Howgill Fells is the wonderfully named Shacklabank, home of Alison O'Neill, sometimes known as the 'Barefoot Shepherdess' thanks to her love of walking bare foot and feeling the land underfoot. Alison delights in living quietly on her small farm, woven to the landscape that is dear to her. You can make an appointment to visit her farm, meet her sheep and sheepdogs or to walk with her. Alison is also passionate about creating beautiful clothes and products out of wool - sustainable fashion, made locally.
Image by Guy Carpenter Nearby is another farm within the Yorkshire Dales National Park, where Cumbria meets the Dales. Andrea Meanwell, the 'Westmorland Shepherdess' writes beautifully about the hill farm she started and the native flock of sheep she rears. She is a great champion of the importance of hill-farming, rearing sheep and working with nature. Perseverance and courage feature strongly in her life, alongside the beauty of her surroundings. Andrea also has a range of knitwear, Hefted Handknits, knitted from the fleeces of her sheep and alpacas. You can join one of Andrea's farm walks and see their Rough Fell, Herdwick, Swaledale, Welsh Hill Speckled, and Oussent (smalles breed in the world) sheep, visit the Roman Fort on the farm and buy lamb, mutton or Andrea's books.
If you'd like to stay on a working farm, meet sheep, and see how farmers work in partnership with nature, you will enjoy spending time in either the bunkbarn or holiday cottage at Hilltop Farm in Malhamdale, farmed by Leigh Weston and Neil Heseltine. Staying there, you'll have the chance to see their Swaledales, Mules, Blue-faced Leicesters and Black Wensleydales. Neil and Leigh are leading the way in looking at how farms can be more sustainable environmentally and economically, constantly seeking the right balance and to increase biodiversity on their farm
If you already had hundreds of Swaledale sheep on your farm, how would you feel if your husband interrupted your Christmas lunch to ask you to pop outside and help him with some sheep? Glenda may have felt like it was business as usual but Chris had a special surprise for her - two Herdwick ewes. Not everyone's idea of a perfect Christmas gift when you've already got a few hundred other sheep but luckily Glenda was delighted. This is just one of the tales Glenda tells in her blog, and that you may hear if you choose to stay in her B&B, holiday cottage or shepherd's hut near Keld where you can experience the sights and sounds of everyday life on a working hill farm.
If you'd like to stay on a working farm, meet sheep, and see how farmers work in partnership with nature, you will enjoy spending time in either the bunkbarn or holiday cottage at Hilltop Farm in Malhamdale, farmed by Leigh Weston and Neil Heseltine. Staying there, you'll have the chance to see their Swaledales, Mules, Blue-faced Leicesters and Black Wensleydales. Neil and Leigh are leading the way in looking at how farms can be more sustainable environmentally and economically, constantly seeking the right balance and to increase biodiversity on their farm
If you already had hundreds of Swaledale sheep on your farm, how would you feel if your husband interrupted your Christmas lunch to ask you to pop outside and help him with some sheep? Glenda may have felt like it was business as usual but Chris had a special surprise for her - two Herdwick ewes. Not everyone's idea of a perfect Christmas gift when you've already got a few hundred other sheep but luckily Glenda was delighted. This is just one of the tales Glenda tells in her blog, and that you may hear if you choose to stay in her B&B, holiday cottage or shepherd's hut near Keld where you can experience the sights and sounds of everyday life on a working hill farm.
Photo: Glenda Calvert, Upper Swaledale Holidays
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