The Latest News
Courses and Events 2015
New Year is when we put together our plans for 2015. There is lots planned already and more to come! The year starts off with an Apple Tree Grafting Workshop on 11th March. From April onwards we are running a
Visit to Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet
On a recent trip to the Peak District I visited Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet. The hamlet was a place of metal working from 1697 until 1933, making scythes and other edge tools. Scythe blades from here were sent all over the
Apple Trees for Sale
We have a small number of bare root apple trees for sale. We have experienced growing all of the varieties ourselves, either at the Trust or in neighbouring gardens. They have been selected as varieties that should grow well in
The Top Field – other ways to manage flower rich pastures
I have been busy setting up a second long electric fence across the Top Field in preparation for moving the sheep. Today I mowed under it along it’s length with the trimming scythe to stop it shorting out on the
Harvesting and Using Bracken
We held our last scythe course of the year on 30th August. As well as cutting grass we cut a large patch of bracken that grows in the Quiet field. The participants got a lot of satisfaction from cutting the
To the Fair by Bike
We had a stand at a fair in the Woollen Museum on Saturday. The fair was called “The Good Life” and gave visitors to the museum and locals the chance to see the variety of land based crafts carried out
Hay Making 2014 – nearing the end and welcoming new residents
The last of Cae Mari Jones has been cut. Some of the patches that had a lot of Knapweed in have been used to mulch various areas of perennial plants. We have also made a couple more racks, managing to
Dyeing Wool with Plants
Since we had some of our Shetland wool spun into yarn, I have been eager to try out some natural dyeing. I had my chance today when I took part in a Natural Dyeing Workshop that was led by Susan
Hay Making 2014 – Bringing the harvest home
The bulk of the cutting on Cae Mari Jones has been done now. The major task at the moment is dismantling the racks and bringing in the hay when ever there is an opportunity. One dry day is usually enough