Quick! Shut the gate!
These sheep have been coming past Hepple Hill Cottage for a few days now – our gate is just before the electric pole on the right of the photograph.
They make their way down the lane on a morning heading for the village green in the centre of Edmundbyres next to the pub – The Derwent Arms. After a few hours of grazing, they come back up to Hepple Hill and onwards (I’m not sure where their final destination is!) If they were to spend a few hours in Hepple Hill Cottage garden, I don’t think there would be many plants left.
Edmundbyers is still rooted in agriculture. Hepple Hill Farm is next door to the cottage and as you walk around the village and out onto the moors, you will see traditional native cattle like Galloways and Blue Greys and Swaledale sheep who live on fell all year round. Also keep your eyes out for the less traditional llamas who also roam on the common. A few years ago an episode of Vera was being filmed in Edmundbyers and you can just picture the cameraman’s face when he panned over the moorland, filming the heather, the sheep, the beautiful landscape and … two llamas!
Quite a few farmers and farmworkers gather in The Baa in the village especially on a Friday night. They are a friendly bunch and if you fancy a pint and a snack (free on a Friday), it is a great place to go.
My partner Martin and I farm over the fell in Stanhope. Pease Myers is a traditional hill farm set at about 1100 feet above sea level. In the summer it is beautiful and in the winter it is muddy and bleak. Looking after Hepple Hill Cottage is a pleasant change for us! If you are interested in farming, let us know and we will see what we can arrange.
Returning to the subject of farm animal intruders, when you are enjoying a cup of coffee or a G&T in the front garden of Hepple Hill Cottage, you may have company – hens! These are our neighbours birds. Feel free to chase them out of the garden. Likewise if you find any eggs, use them. To check if they are fresh and edible, drop them in a bowl of water: if they float they are old and off and if they sink, they should be ok.
