Spookyshire

As the nights draw in prepare for some spooky fun at a number of events happening across the Peak District. From Candle lit Ghost walks where you will hear terrifying tales of ghoulish goings on, to bat walks and pumpkin parties.

For lots more information about events happening around the Peak District please click on this link about Spookyshire.

Horses in Harmony

We thought you would like to see what one of our Peak District Farm Holidays members has been up to this summer. Liz Andrews from Northfield Farm and Trekking Centre showed her three magnificant Andalusian mares as a 'cobra' at the National breed show.

I am sure you will agree that they are absolutely stunning and they received a well deserved second place in the Cobra class at the UK National breed show for PRE's (Andalusian's). The collars and bells stem from when the horses are turned out in herds on the large estates in Spain.



This method of showing mares is unique to Spain and the idea is to have 3 identical in size, type and colour all walking, trotting and turning in harmony with their foals running loose - not as easy as it sounds! They say never work with animals. To get one horse to behave beautifully is difficult enough, but to work with six is a major achievment! I am sure it has taken Liz many hours of training and preparation to get them to such a high standard.

Congratulations!

Summer Silaging

The weather has been strange this year with a very dry Spring followed by a moderate August with little very hot sunshine, but still not much rain. Our cattle are enjoying the warmth, but the traditional stone lined dew ponds on many of the upland farms are nearly dry, and as low as we have seen them for many years.

The amount of grass on our fields throughout the Peak District has therefore been much less than usual and there may be a shortage of cattle fodder this winter. However we have harvested what we can and you can see our video of how one of our members got on baling and wrapping his silage crop in the White Peak area.

Barn Owl Ringing

One of our Peak District Holidays group members has spent several years working with Staffordshire Wildlife Trust Barn Owl Group, encouraging barn owls to settle at their farm in the Upper Dove. Elspeth sent this fabulous photo for the blog.

"Although we had seen an owl flying in the late evening through most of last Summer and Autumn, during the bitter cold and snow of the winter we saw not a trace of this pale golden bird. How could it have survived the winter?

But great news - the Barn owl group came in late Spring to check the boxes and found four well grown chicks. They came back later and ringed the birds and we had the privilege of getting close up to these beautiful chicks whose pretty heart shaped faces belies their fearsome talons".

Quite a few of our Peak District Farms who offer accommodation have Barn Owls and a wide range of wildlife. If you are a keen bird watcher why not stay with us in the countryside, bring your binoculars and see for yourself?

Prize Winners!

We are delighted to announce the two winners of the Peak District Farm Holidays July prize draw who will receive theatre vouchers for Buxton Opera House:

Mrs Dickinson from Matlock and Mrs Collins from Lutterworth

Our winners will be able to choose from a selection of performances - we hope they have an enjoyable evening and would like to thank the Buxton Opera House for their support in our promotion - for performance details see www.buxtonoperahouse.org.uk

If you would like to enter our November prize draw download our new brochure and complete an entry form or telephone Felicity on 01629 540262 to request a hard copy in the post.

New Peak District Farm Holidays Brochure

We are delighted to announce the launch of our new Peak District Farm Holidays brochure created in conjunction with the Peak District Food Group. The new brochure provides a wealth of information, not just on places to stay, but also on places to eat, and where to buy delcious local and specialist foods.

All this with an area map showing visitor attractions and local businesses - an invaluable guide both before and during your stay in the Peak Distrct. You can either download a copy from our website or contact Felicity on 01629 540262 to request a hard copy by post.

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.