Helpful tips to stay safe when walking through fields of cattle.

It is the time of year when young calves and their mothers are let out into the fields across the Peak District. As farmers we want you to come and enjoy the countryside and the best way of seeing it is to take a walk. Sadly several people every year in the UK are injured by cattle when out walking in the countryside and the majority of cases involve people with dogs. There were several high profile cases last year including the MP David Blunkett. Cows with calves are very protective and can be much more dangerous than Bulls.

Here are some basic safety rules to follow if you come accross any cattle which will hopefully prevent any accidents happening.

1. Always keep your dog on a short lead.
2. When entering a field of cattle always have a quick look to see where the nearest possible escape routes such as gateways, stiles or low walls are.
3. Be prepared for cattle to react to your presence.
4. Never get inbetween cows and their calves.
5. If the cattle are standing around the footpath it is always more sensible to leave the footpath and walk a safe distance around them. As farmers we are much more concerned for your safety than where the footpath is drawn on the map!
6. Look for signs of the cattle becoming agitated such as them running around, vigorous head shaking, loud snorting and pawing at the ground.
7. If the cattle come over to you the first thing to do is stay calm, 99 percent of the time they probably just want to take a look at you.

If you feel threatened by the cattle and think they pose a danger you should:

1. Calmly walk away from them towards the nearest exit point from the field, regardless of where the footpath goes.
2. If you have a dog you should remove it from the lead, hopefully the cattle will ignore you and only be interested in the dog allowing you to get to safety.
3. Never try to protect your dog from cattle, it can run much faster than you, so will be able to look after itself.
4. If your dog is being chased by cattle and comes to you for safety you must try and scare it away.
5. As a last resort if you feel you are about to be attacked by cattle you should face them, don't try to run away as they are much faster than you. Make as much noise as possible and wave your arms in the air. If you have a rucksack or walking stick use these to defend yourself and call for help.

For some more general information about the importance of keeping dogs under control there is some good advice from the Peak District National Park.

Signs of Spring

This morning woken by the sound of the Thrush singing in the Ash and then shafts of sunlight pouring over Dove bank. Later, taking the dog with me down the fields she flushes out a pheasant that manages a vertical take off -

a lucky escape!

The green woodpecker is hammering at a dead oak lower down the valley, great tits are singing by the Alder on the river bank. Clusters of sparkling snowdrops fringe the edge of the pond and a solitary cry of a lamb for its mother, add to the thought that at last Spring must nearly be here.

With Spring comes newborn lambs - a fabulous time of year to visit our varied working farms and experience the countryside coming back to life after the cold snowy winter - check out our availability now - from fabulous farmhouse bed and breakfast to cosy country self catering cottages there is something for everyone

Royal Shrovetide Football

Can you imagine leaping into an icy cold river on a winter's day? Well that is exactly what most young men in Ashbourne have been doing today! There are many strange traditions in the Peak District, but perhaps one of the most unusual is the Royal Shrovetide Football played through the streets of Ashbourne on Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday.

The game was first recorded as long ago as 1682; by 1928 it had become so respectable that the Prince of Wales threw up the ball. There are two teams, "Up'ards" people born North of the River Henmore, and "Down'ards" born to the South. The ball, slightly larger than a traditional football is thrown up on Shaw Croft car park in the middle of the town at 2pm and the teams strive to get it to opposite sides of the town to the two goals which are 3 miles apart. The ball can be kicked, carried, or thrown, but generally passes along in a "hug", invisible to the spectator. An experience not for the faint hearted, but certainly a spectacle worth seeing!

To experience more of our unusual Derbyshire traditions why not come and stay with us on a farm in May and June when many of our picturesque villages display beautiful, colourful well dressings.

Peak District in the snow

Its snowing here in the Peak District today, and although it's causing a few difficulties on the roads, we know that by tomorrow it will be all OK (hopefully). We never seem to get snow like we used to; as a child I remember my father and mother battling to get the milk out to the lorry, sometimes for weeks at a time. Heaving heavy churns full of milk down the road and spending hours a day transporting water back from the local ford for the animals. My mother often tells how in 1947 she was unable to get home for over 5 weeks, and how in 1958 when my sister was born it took a whole gang of men to get the midwife to the isolated farm where she had decided to give birth whist visiting her mother!

I'm glad we don't get snow like that any more, it must have been really hard, but it can be great fun if you are not trying to work in it. So get out that sledge and have some fun while the snow lasts!! You can also burn off those extra Christmas calories at the same time - visit us here in the Peak District - browse through our website there are some excellent January offers for our wonderful cosy farmhouse accommodation.

Happy New Year !

Scarecrow Mania!

If you stay on holiday with one of our Peak District Farm Holidays members you will discover that The Peak District has a fascinating historical and cultural heritage. This diverse region is home to some of the country's finest stately homes, enchanting market towns and picturesque villages but also has many strange, unusual and even unique traditions and customs; from the frantic Shrovetide football played through the streets of Ashbourne, to pancake races, cheese rolling, and stunning well dressings made from colourful flowers.



One increasingly popular custom is that of Scarecrow mania which takes over small villages, such as Brassington, Kniveton, Rainow and many others. The scarecrow displays are amazingly imaginative and are often run in conjunction with the village fete, or traditional wakes or holiday week. Rainow is a relatively small village but the enthusiasm is such that this year there were 115 scarecrows dotted around the village – not just single scarecrows, but whole groups, such as the father shooting the stalk as it arrives with yet another baby!
For more pictures see http://www.macccam.co.uk/RainowKerridgeHurdsfd/Scarecrow.html




Why not book a holiday with Peak District Farm Holidays and discover our unusual and unique customs for yourself!

Sad decision at Hoe Grange

A little publicised European directive to reduce the nitrate levels in ground water is causing great concern, particularly in the dairy industry. Under these new regulations, known as NVZ (Nitrogen venerable zones), farmers are required not to spread slurry between September and January. This in itself is not really a problem, but as well we are now required to have enough slurry storage for 5 months, although the closed spreading period is just 3 months. This extra unnecessary storage will cost the average dairy farmer £50,000 - £100,000, an additional cost with no prospect of additional income, so where will the extra money come from?

This extra burden was the last straw at Hoe Grange, along with yet again falling milk prices, rising costs and being fed up with working 70 hour weeks for very little reward. In July the entire dairy herd will be sold at auction, marking the end of a family enterprise of 50 + years and dairy farming at Hoe Grange for 100s of years. it is a sad fact that 30 years ago the parish of Brassington had over 20 dairy farms, but now there are less than 5!

The good news is that we will still be farming beef cattle, and are planning to expand our holiday log cabins from 2 to 4.

I hope you all like water on you cornflakes because in a few years time there won't be any dairy farms left in the UK, they will all be driven out of business by poor returns and over burdening red tape.

But Hey...... I wont be milking cows on Christmas morning.....

If you want to help those dairy farmers that remain you could sign the online Fair Trade for British Dairy Farmers Petition, which is asking retailers to:

- source British dairy products
- use transparent and stable pricing mechanisms for liquid milk and cheese suppliers that offer producers a sustainable milk price
- promote the Red Tractor logo on all own label British dairy products

go to www.farmersguardian.com

A new spring tine for Spring time!

Like everything else in our modern world today, farm machinery is ever evolving and one of our Peak District Holiday farmers has replaced his traditional chain harrow with a new type of mechanically folding spring tine harrow.



For those who don't know harrowing the fields is an important Spring job to rip out the dead grass and aerate the sward, allowing the younger grass to come through quicker. It also levels out molehills, flattens uneven ground where cattle have trodden up the mud and breaks up and distributes any manure which has already been spread. It has to be done when the conditions are just right - too wet and the tractor churns up the fields leaving tyre marks and a muddy mess, too dry and the dead grass is difficult to pull out. The early Spring sunshine this week has been ideal - you will notice that the fields around the Peak District are gradually becoming beautifully stripped as the harrowing process continues. This process is then followed by rolling to level out the ground ready for the new grass to push through - very similar to raking and rolling your own domestic lawn, just on a larger scale!



The new spring tine harrow has proved a lot easier to transport from one field to another than the old chain harrows as it has folding arms, which also means that you don't get stuck in awkward corners! It is more effective as the tines grip into the ground and are more vigorous than the traditional chains. As the tines are spring like there is less breakage - chain links always seemed to be breaking on the old set of harrows and time was wasted welding them back together. It also saves time as it is wider and because it's easier to handle even on steep upland ground.


The dairy cows have also been out for the first time this year enjoying the Spring sunshine - just like us they love to be out and about when it's sunny - it's a fantastic sight to see them running up the fields, kicking their heels and gamboling about like lambs - you wouldn't believe how agile they can be for such large animals!