Our Farming Journey
Core Values
Our objectives are to work in a successful partnership with the National Trust to ensure farming can continue to be a viable part of Cragg House Farm whilst delivering a farming enterprise that meets their national strategy and works positively with our shared ambition to make visitors feel welcome to this beautiful area. In particular, we aim to:
Demonstrate a commitment to farming in a nature friendly way and motivation to pro-actively maintain and enhance the existing habitats and landscape features, such as dry-stone walls, fences, and hedgerows by utilising our personal experience; developing the use of native breeds of livestock to manage and create mosaic habitats; and work collaboratively with a variety of experienced, professional organisations to restore meadowland, manage the mire, manage and develop the scrub habitat and create woodland;
Continue traditional upland shepherding with a hefted flock, including fell gathering with a passion to preserve the Herdwick flock and breed livestock that can be showcased as outstanding examples of the breed at shepherds meets locally and livestock events on a national scale;
Have a positive approach to high levels of public access associated with visitor journeys to the valley through diversification enterprises that encourage responsible and educational tourism;
Deliver shared conservation aims and objectives through working alongside a variety of organisations such as: The National Trust, Natural England, West Cumbria Rivers Trust, Cumberland Council, Environmental Agency, Woodland Trust, Cumbria Woodlands, Cumbria Wildlife Trust and the Lake District National Park Authority;
Continue to develop innovative ideas and demonstrate enthusiasm to make a success of the holding in order to deliver a robust and resilient farm business that will be a flagship educational Lake District Sheep Farm in the Lake District;
Demonstrate an enthusiastic approach to co-designing, managing, and delivering agri-environment schemes, to deliver nature gains as an integral part of the farm business plan and farming system with a focus on engaging with and building positive links with neighbours and local stakeholders by creating opportunities for them to participate;
Engage and work with the Common Association and other commoners to deliver benefits to the commons, promote positive management of the environment; and engage with all interested parties in a constructive manner whilst improving public understanding of the commons through our educational enterprise.
Our Action Plan
We are planning to:
Build the flock of Herdwick sheep up from 135 to 200 Herdwick females, 3 Herdwick tups and 2 Lleyn tups;
Sympathetically restorate the threshing barn so that it can be utilised by other enterprises on site;
Use the green-hay method to regenerate the meadows in three of our land parcels;
Use a small herd of Oxford Sandy and Black (RBST ‘At Risk’ Native Breed) pigs to manage scrub sites across the farm to create a habitat mosaic and prepare the ground for woodland creation;
Use a small herd of RBST ‘At Risk’ Native Breed cattle to manage the mire and scrub at High Park (Crummock shore) through rotational grazing and continue to develop the habitat mosaic;
Work alongside West Cumbria Rivers Trust and the Cocker Catchment Working group to develop dynamic river function on the eastern edge of Crummock Water and look at the potential for developing wet woodland habitat.
Our Shepherds Calendar
Produce Available
Breeding Stock
In order to maintain our flock stocking rate and ensure we are breeding to the highest standard we aim to annually market a number of animals for sale for pedigree breeding.
Meat Products
Alongside the standard commercial production of lambs for the store/fat market we provide high welfare, locally produced and great tasting grass-fed meat box products from Herdwicks born and raised on a Lake District farm to ensure provenance and traceability.
Wool Products
Both raw fleeces and handmade Herdwick wool products are available. These include items such as cushions and rugs made by hand from our very own fleeces on a loom.
