HIGH WALLABARROW
ULPHA
HIGH WALLABARROW FARM is run by Chris and Liz Garner (Liz is part-time) with a small amount of sub-contract work and some casual labour at busy times. There is a volunteer programme which provides board and lodging for work experience on the farm.
HISTORY
The farm is 17th Century in origin (an adjacent cottage is possibly older than this). High Wallabarrow Farm was aquired by the Lake District Farms Estates, an organisation formed in 1937 by the Rev H H Symonds and (later) Lord Chorly. Its objectives were 'to buy farms in the Lake District and so to keep them that the people of the dales could make a living on them as farmers and that the beauty of their fell and their dale bottom should be safe'. High Wallabarrow Farm was aquired by the national trust in 1974.
High Wallabarrow used to be a rare breed ‘look-around’ farm. Chris and Liz came to High Wallabarrow in 2003 (the whole farm plan was produced 2004).
LOCATION
© Copyright 2008
TERRAIN
The farm is located mid-way up the Duddon Valley. The landscape is a mosaic of woodland, rocks, and meadows. The fields of High Wallabarrow are bordered by the River Duddon.
SIZE OF THE FARM
The total area of the farm is 187 ha, including 30.5 ha of woodland. The farm grazes another 100 ha by agreement, and rents 80 ha. There are fell rights for 350 ewes and their followers on Ulpha Common.
LIVESTOCK & NUMBERS
The Livestock is made up of 400 ewes and shearlings; a hefted flock of Herdwicks which has been built up from a low ebb in 1973 by the previous and current tenants.
There is an established flock of black Hebridean sheep and a small herd of Galloway suckler cows.
There are two highland ponies, 4 rabbits, 6 guinea pigs, and Maran and Black Rock hens.GRAZING & CONSERVATION
There are two ESA schemes; one for the common (fixed annual limit for grazing) and one for the farm’s inbye fields and intakes (these have exclusion periods and fertilizer restrictions).
Livestock is excluded from the woodlands (30.5 hectares of western oakwoods which was once coppiced). This is a Duddon Valley Woodlands Site of Special Scientific Interest, and is is on the inventory of Ancient Semi-Natural Woodlands.
Wallabarrow Crag is classed as an enhanced heather fell and there is a de-stocking policy in the winter.
The Cumbria Fells and Dales Leader + programme is based at Voluntary Action Cumbria and is part-financed by the European Agriculture Guidance and Guarantee Fund of the European Union and the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs. This project is part of a trans-national project with Gévaudan Leader + Programme, Lozère, France.
© Copyright 2008 Cumbria Hill Farms