Although we only have a tiny area of land (about 12 acres) to manage, we aim to use it appropriately for a variety of purposes.
A significant aspect of our land use is in conserving and creating habitats for flora and fauna which may be already living here, for example barn owls, or those that choose to establish themselves in the way that orchids have appeared increasingly year on year.
Natural areas become an amenity in the sense we enjoy them, also the public footpath running through the property together with the holiday cottage enables other people to enjoy them as well.
Much of the land is grazed either as permanent pasture or meadow. For this we keep mainly native sheep breeds and angora goats. Our current sheep breeds include a flock of registered Boreray, registered Oessant also hebridean and Kerry Hill. The grazing habits and requirements of these vary and to some extent compliment one another.
Different habitats include: Pasture; meadow; rough grass; spinneys and copses; wildlife pond. We aim to provide as much rough grassland as possible as this provides habitat for short tailed field voles which form a main component of the barn owls’ diet. We are continually working on this to provide grassland with a good litter layer that is not taken over by invasive plants eg. thistle and bramble. Though we do appreciate these are a good resource and some are left as scrub patches.
We regularly plant small numbers of mainly native trees including hazel, rowan, hornbeam, scots pine, willow, hawthorn, beech, spindle, horse chestnut, rowan.
