NIBTHWAITE GRANGE

FARM - NEAR ULVERSTON

THE FARM

ENVIRONMENTAL FEATURES

VISITORS

NIBTHWAITE GRANGE FARM consists of several blocks of land along the east side of Coniston Water. The land extends from Lowick Bridge to Brantwood in a strip bordered by the Lake and the River Crake to the west, and by woodland to the east.

The farm is run by John and Maxine Atkinson with the help of John's father Bill, their eldest son Tom and with the use of local contractors for tractor work such as silaging and muck spreading.

HISTORY

The Atkinson Family have farmed Nibthwaite Grange for six generations and have lived in the surrounding area since records began. The original house was built by the monks of Furness Abbey and was subsequently extended. Nibthwaite Grange stood on the main route to Hawkshead and was once an Ale House - there are still hops growing in the garden.

As well as the home farm, other land is rented in the surrounding area mostly off the National Trust. This includes land at Park-a-Moor which also has links with Furness Abbey being a sheep park or “Herdwyck” in the fourteenth century.

LOCATION

TERRAIN

The highest point on the farm is just short of 300m and the lowest in the valley bottom is 35m. There is a mixture of small fields and meadows next to the river and lake, wood pasture on the lower slopes and upland heath on the intake and fell.

SIZE OF THE FARM

The farm is 140ha of which 100ha is rough grazing with the rest made up of valley bottom land, pasture alongside the lake shore and woodland pasture. There are also common rights for 188 sheep on Bethecar Moor

LIVESTOCK & NUMBERS

The farm is managed on a low input basis using mostly traditional breeds of livestock.

There are 30 Suckler Cows, mostly Blue Greys and Galloways, with calves kept as replacements or sold store at around two years of age to a specialist in the sale of traditional breed cattle.

Of the 300 fell sheep, 250 are Cheviots and 50 are pure bred Herdwicks. There are 70 Gimmer Hoggs and 100 older ewes are crossed with a continental sire and kept on the lower land. All the sheep are sold finished.

There are also a few rare breed pigs.

GRAZING & CONSERVATION

The whole farm is run extensively with only light use of artificial fertiliser on the lower land.

The farm and the moorland are in the Lake District Environmentally Sensitive Area scheme and the cattle are also used for conservation work in the surrounding woodlands for Natural England and the National Trust.

The land borders the nationally important Dodgson Wood SSSI and has several rare species of fauna and flora which the Atkinsons are helping to protect.