Autumn is here in the lakes, and the magnificent colours are being emphasised with
bursts of sunshine in-between showers.
It will soon be
tupping time (mating season). Here the girls hang out in the romantic setting of the
Langdale fells ready for the boys who are gathering their strength in green pastures below.
There are tales that
Herdwick sheep
originally came from ship wrecked galleons from the Spanish Armada, true or not we do know that the word
Herdwick means "sheep pasture" and that this name can be
tracked back to the 12
th century.
Originally they were used for the production of wool which is
renowned for being tough and creates a very water repellent, long lasting garment although a little scratchy.
Herdwicks remember their own
heaf (area of
fellside) which is their native home. Most of the fell farms in the lakes are owned by the National trust including those that were left to the trust by Beatrix Potter (Mrs
Heelis was her real name). She held a great interest in
Herdwicks and was a member of the "
Herdwick Speed Breeders Association" which helped to save the breed. In 1923 "
Troutbeck Park Farm" below
Kirkstone Pass came up for sale and so Beatrix bought the farm as she was keen to keep it running. During this time she ran the farm herself along with the help of a local shepherd and they managed to build a flock of
Herdwick sheep between them.
They are
incredibly hardy sheep with a high resistance to diseases, can stand up to appalling weather and are in balance with the environment grazing heather and grass evenly whilst keeping bracken and scrub under control.
Personally I think they are fabulous sheep with cute looks and a lot of character. Dare I say it but they also
taste delicious....
A watchful sheep dog. If you look closely you will notice that she has one brown patch above her eye. Some sheep dogs have two and this is what is known as "bumble bee eyes"
. This was
originally bred into the dog to give sheep the illusion that the dogs eyes were still open keeping a watchful eye on them even when they were asleep, clever doggies.
Autumn colours in Dungeon
Ghyll.
Looking up
Mickledone valley Great
Langdale,
Bowfell to the left and Pike O
Stickle on the right.
Kathy
A rope of three of us, Kathy Andy and myself climbed Pygmy ridge. Kathy was by far the most photogenic so she is shown here! First thing this morning the winds were blowing strong from the west and carried a lot of spindrift, but later in the day the wind had died down a bit. The rock was dry and there was some ice forming on Alladins direct and ice forming on the boulders of the approach route. A great day!
A rope of three of us, Kathy Andy and myself climbed Pygmy ridge. Kathy was by far the most photogenic so she is shown here! First thing this morning the winds were blowing strong from the west and carried a lot of spindrift, but later in the day the wind had died down a bit. The rock was dry and there was some ice forming on Alladins direct and ice forming on the boulders of the approach route. A great day!
