BRAESTEADS FARM

PATTERDALE

THE FARM

ENVIRONMENTAL FEATURES

VISITORS

ENVIRONMENTAL FEATURES

The Helvellyn and Fairfield SSSI includes all of Grisedale Forest Common.

SOIL TYPE(S)

Silty loam in the valley meadowland become thinner and acidic on the intakes and peaty on the fell.

GEOLOGY

The geology is part of the Borrowdale Volcanic Series, which is a subdivision of the Ordovician.

FLORA

There are 30 acres of deciduous and mixed woodland on the farm. An area of around 8 acres is planned to be fenced off for natural regeneration to connect two areas of woodland. There are also plans to fence off a wildlife area adjacent to the stream running through the valley bottom.

There are plans to allow an area of meadow land to revert to traditional low input hay meadow.

FAUNA

Red squirrels are seen on the farm and the farm tries to cull grey squirrels. Birds include Red Starts, Dippers, Tree Creepers, Sisskins Owls and Buzzards.

ARCHAEOLOGY

There is a small Romano-British settlement in the top right hand wood, called Broomhill Plantation and the LDNPA's historical record also shows a lynchet near the farmhouse.

HEDGEROWS

There are no hedgerows currently on the farm although some may be planted as a boundary for the stream wildlife corridor.

DRY STONE WALLS

Paul Renison does his own walling and estimates that rebuilding and maintenance can take as much as a month per year.

VERNACULAR BUILDINGS & FEATURES

The farm has four traditional barns that have been renovated under the Lake District ESA scheme. One of the barns, Croasdale Hoggast (a local term for Hog House) is on the Coast to Coast walk. Croasdale Hoggast may have been used to support the mining further up the valley at Eagle Crag - this was worked by Greenside mine (located above Glenridding) and three levels are visible. Adjacent to Elm How is a byre which at one time was a cart shed for the mine.