Low House Farm, Longsleddale Dec ’22

Low House Farm, Longsleddale

By Georgia Wingfield-Hayes

Longsleddale 

Low House is a 230 acre farm in the remote valley of Longsleddale, Cumbria. Nestled amongst the Eastern fells of the Lake District National Park, this valley has some particular characteristics. It is long, straight and narrow, with steep sides, especially in the higher reaches. 

The River Sprint runs the length of the valley, eventually joining the Kent just before it flows through Kendal. The aptly named Sprint is the fastest rising river in England, which makes it prone to flood. Flooded fields are no unusual sight in Longsleddale.

In 2009 and then again in 2015 Cumbria faced the worst flooding events in nearly 600 years. The estimated cost of the clean up and repair of the flood damage caused by Storm Desmond in 2015 was £7.9m. Kendal was one of the towns badly affected in these floods. 

This recent lived experience of climate change in the Lake District, one that saw new records being set for rainfall events, is part of what has created a shift in the government’s attitudes to the role of farming in Britain’s uplands. This shift sees a move away from a focus on intensive sheep production towards environmental stewardship.

And this is where we must ask some important questions. Can Lake District farms survive this shift? Can we do what the government wants and still farm? The answer from the Wilderculture perspective is yes, and… 

Low House Farm is a living example of a farm in transition towards fulfilling the requirements demanded by a changing climate and environmental crisis; while maintaining rural livelihoods and producing high quality, nutrient dense food.

Low House Farm

John and Julia Boyd bought Low House just over 40 years ago. Julia, originally a Wakefield, has long family ties to the Lake District. John worked for the diplomatic corps so they lived abroad a lot, but the couple wanted a base in England, in the Lakes. So they bought Low House, originally with the intention of selling off the land, but they were persuaded otherwise, something the family is glad of today. 

Until recently the farm was managed for the family, with a flock of sheep hefted to the fell and lower fields managed for grazing and hay meadows. As with such conventional farming operations there are high input costs in the way of fertilisers, the running of a quad bike and tractor, and time.

It wasn’t until daughter Jess, her partner Javan and their children spent lockdown at Low House, that the family’s attitude towards how to manage the farm started to change. The whole family have always had a keen awareness of environmental issues, Jess and Javan being no exception. 

“In those 8 months we really got to know the land,” Javan told me. “We got to see the changes through the seasons and we started to wonder whether we could do something to make the farm more financially resilient and friendly to nature. One of our neighbours told me that 50 years ago Curlew and Lapwing used to nest up on the fell. This got us thinking about why they are no longer there, and what we might be able to do to encourage these sorts of species to return. That was when a friend introduced us to Wilderculture and Caroline Grindrod’s work, and the whole family (Jess’s four siblings and partners) were quickly and enthusiastically on board.” 

Caroline facilitated the Wilderculture basic training for the family at the farm, with some members joining via video conference. With her help they then developed a vision for the future of Low House. This is an important part of the process because through this, the creation of the ‘farm context’, the aims and ambitions of all those involved are honed within the greater social, environmental and economic situation. 

The Land

Low House Farm is the perfect mix of habitats, typical to many Lake District farms. There is frontage onto the River Sprint, lowland meadows and pastures moving up the slopes, a remnant of woodland and rough fell grazing up onto the top of Todd Fell. 

With their new Wilderculture lens through which to look at the farm, the family realised that there were certain things they had not been conscious of before. One is the fact that the remnant of woodland is in poor ecological health, with very little in the way of younger trees. This is largely due to deer pressure and previous sheep grazing. The grasslands are similar. Although there are key species of interest, such as Montane Eyebright, they too are in a low successional state. So in terms of biodiversity these two aspects of the farm, which includes the fell, do not score high. 

Another thing the family realised was that the River Sprint is far from natural. Javan told me;

“I remember thinking that it was such a beautiful little clean stream, but actually it’s not in its natural bed at all, having been put within the constraints of an embankment in the 19th century. As a result the river is too fast for fish to spawn in good numbers.”

Many rivers in Cumbria were embanked to prevent meandering, eliminate water meadows and get the water downstream as fast as possible. But as we know, with climate change, this is part of what creates massive, expensive problems downstream. Embanking rivers also results in the simplification of the landscape, the elimination of habitats and the demise of associate species. You have to go to valleys like Ennerdale to see a truly natural river, with gravel banks and meanders, that seem more like a scene from the Rocky Mountains than what we habitually think of as ‘natural’ in the Lake District.

Big Changes

With all this new information and guidance from Wilderculture, Low House Farm began its transition in 2021. First the sheep were sold and land left to rest for 9 months. Countryside Stewardship schemes were applied for and help was gained in buying equipment for the new cattle operation, deer fencing for the woodland, trees and plug plants to increase the woodland and diversify the grasslands. 

While some lower fields are to be maintained as traditional hay meadows, some higher fields are being planted with trees within protective crates to create wood-pasture, which is one of our most biodiverse habitats, and now a rarity in Cumbria. 

The woodland will be expanded and new trees planted up onto part of the fell as well as amongst the existing woodland to improve its age structure. 

Perhaps the biggest, or at least most controversial change has to do with the river. The Environment Agency has been keen, without much success, to find landowners in valleys like Longsleddale, who are interested in river restoration. Which basically means allowing it back out of its embankment. The idea being that water retained in water-meadows upstream will alleviate problems downstream in big rainfall events. This includes stopping the vast amounts of gravel that currently gets transported in the rapid flow. This restoration project was not a simple proposal at Low House because the farm borders the river on one side only, so there were understandable concerns, from parties on the other side, about the river potentially changing its course. 

South Cumbria Rivers Trust are the experts who have handled the change in river management. Some embankment has been removed on the Low House farm side in order to allow the river to flood into low lying fields when flows are high. This work, although only done recently, has seen the return of Cormorants and increasing numbers of Grey Herons at the farm.  Trout and Salmon will hopefully now spawn in greater numbers, helped by sections where the river has been slowed. A riverine corridor of trees has also recently been planted, who’s shade will eventually be a refuge for the fish. 

An example of the benefits of River restoration in Swindale, Cumbria:

 

“It is the dynamics of change that is exciting,” said Javan. “There is a big difference in the fields which were once cropped short and neat, like bowling greens. Now they are messy, a ‘scrow’ as the locals say. But it is wonderful to see all the different types and heights of grass and herbs coming up. We’ve learned to look at the land in a completely different way, it’s a totally different aesthetic.”

The Cattle

In February 2022 the cattle arrived. Six Shorthorn cows in calf. All of whom had trouble free births between March and May. The calves were weaned in November and left to graze on a rotational system in the lower fields, while the cows are being out-wintered up on the fell. 

“The question is how they do up there.” Javan told me. “They’re a hardy breed, but it’s a bit of an experiment. We have hay and the barn ready in case there are any problems.”

Other local farmers are not optimistic about the cows’ chances on the fell, but Low House Farm is not the first to out-winter cattle on high ground. An increasing number of farmers moving towards these more extensive systems are trying this and with success. 

“The idea is that all the food produced on the farm comes from the soil, water and sunlight available right here, with no inputs brought in,” said Caroline, while describing the bigger picture. “We are not rewilding the land on farms like Low House, we are creating a more resilient farming system and food security for the future.”  

One of the ways in which this shift in approach is crucial for creating farm resilience is that fertility comes from a healthy soil ecosystem, with little or no external inputs. Holistic planned grazing with cattle will help create deep soils, with a thick protective thatch. These soils, once teaming with life, will have a beautiful sponge-like structure. Such soils are able to draw down and retain vast quantities of water. Which makes the land far more resilient to both floods and droughts and in Longsleddale, will help slow the rising rate of the River Sprint. 

A New Era

The family feels lucky to have found Daniel Rayson, a local man from a farming family who now manages the herd at Low House. Daniel has also been on the Wilderculture

course and is now integral to the plans. He visits the farm daily, checking on the progress of the growing herd. As the land recovers and the soils and ecosystems regenerate, the carrying capacity of the land will increase.

Low House Farm is in a great transition. Not everything will be easy or go smoothly, but the hope is that year on year, the species on the farm will increase: from plants and trees, to invertebrates, fish and birds. The cattle, as they adjust to their habitat, will be healthy and produce extremely high quality meat for market. 

Low House is the gathering place of Julia and John Boyd’s extended family and each time they are here, their relationship with the land deepens and grows. It is also a place they want others to enjoy. The farm has two holiday cottages so people who are interested can come and stay and enjoy the stunning beauty of this unique valley in the Lake District. 

For further information on the holiday cottages at Low House, please contact Kerry Parsons at kerryparsons30@yahoo.co.uk