The aim of the Poetry Path is to introduce a permanent and integrated interpretive experience into the landscape that is assimilated as part of the heritage it promotes and conveys a powerful message about the farmer’s role in the countryside. It addresses the need to maintain a sensitive but viable hill-farming regime in relation to the natural environment as a resource both for nature conservation and recreation as well as food production.

Dick Capel of East Countryside Project conceived the idea and managed its implementation in conjunction with a steering committee consisting of local people in partnership with landowners.

East Cumbria Countryside Project is committed to utilising the arts, which arouse people’s emotional ties with the countryside, as a vehicle for interpretation. This is strongly linked to the economic need to attract more visitors to an area where the main resource is its beautiful landscape.

East Cumbria Countryside Project, Warwick Mill, Warwick Bridge, , CA4 8RR tel: 01228 561601 e-mail: [email protected]

The poetry path is funded by: -

and sponsored in kind with generous discount by Stancliffe Stone Company Ltd.

poetry path a year in the life of a hill farmer

Twelve short poems written by Meg Peacocke have been carved by lettering artist Pip Hall on blocks of stone installed at intervals along a circular route of public paths either side of the river Eden on the outskirts of . Carved decorative motifs with each poem depict some of the activities associated with every month of the hill farmer’s year and rubbings can be taken from these using paper and a crayon.

Poetry Path route map - see inside back cover Dick Capel, Pip Hall and Meg Peacocke

The landscape we have around Kirkby Stephen today, with its patchwork of fields, dry stone walls, hedges, small woods and shelter belts along the river valley and rising up to the high bare hills, is the result of a partnership between farmers and nature that started thousands of years ago.

Nowadays it is predominantly sheep rearing country. Some cattle are kept but the hill farmer’s year mainly All these aspects of countryside revolves around the care of sheep, management are inextricably linked particularly the Swaledale breed. Small woods were coppiced in and interdependent and all of them rotation maintaining many of the entirely reliant on the farmers who wildwood’s ecological characteristics, work so hard to reconcile our In prehistoric times it was all a hedges were planted as field frequently conflicting demands on forest-covered wilderness, teeming boundaries providing sheltered the natural environment. with wildlife, where our earliest ‘corridors’ for wild birds and animals ancestors made small clearings for and hay meadows introduced a their huts when they were hunters haven for wild flowers and insects. The poetry path, which is located and gatherers. Then as time went on along the south boundary of the and their agricultural skills developed Farmers in the 21st century have to officially designated North Pennines they cleared more and more trees to This harmony was largely be wildlife managers and custodians Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, make room for crops and grazing coincidental arising from the of the natural environment as well as is a celebration of the hill farmer’s animals and so the ‘wildwood’ farmers’ need to synchronise with food producers and maintain a ancient and enduring relationship gradually diminished. the natural scheme of things and be balance between these demands. with the beautiful landscape in and self-sufficient. Since the Second Kirkby Stephen’s landscape is around the upper Eden valley. World War huge advances in farm spectacularly beautiful and still rich By the thirteenth century almost productivity and transport have in wildlife and local farmers are the nothing of the original wildwood made it possible to over-ride first to acknowledge that it is these The route starts at ‘Swingy Bridge’. survived and most of the fragments ecological processes. Developments attributes that make it such a special It is advisable to leave cars in Kirkby of woodland that remained were in mechanisation and chemical area in which to live and work. But Stephen and walk along Nateby managed for timber production. In technology have subjected wildlife to they also know that an ecologically Road past the Primary School to the succeeding centuries, as marshy unprecedented pressures detrimental robust countryside is a crucial factor Bollam Lane. This is signposted valleys were drained and agriculture to its survival so that nature in relation to the high quality of ‘Public footpath to Stenkrith’ and evolved and became more conservation is now greatly their meat and dairy products and ‘Public bridleway to Hartley and centralised and efficient, some of the dependent on modern farmers that its importance as a resource for Nateby’. Walk down Bollam Lane cleared woodland on marginal land making a conscious effort to recreational access and tourism is of and the poem for January is on a regenerated and farming practice facilitate habitat management as an great significance to the rural stone to your right where the path coexisted in harmony with wild nature. integral part of their role. economy in Cumbria as a whole. meets the river Eden.

The sky’s harsh crystal, Hedge laying wind a blade, trees stripped, Although dry stone walls are the grass dull with cold. Life january main means in this area by which is a kernel hidden animals are kept secure in fields, well in the stone of winter. laid hedges also provide very effective barriers. Hedge laying is an ancient technique where trees planted along a field boundary are cut three quarters of the way through their stems close to the ground and then pulled over at a 35 degree angle. They then produce shoots growing up vertically from the main stems and, after a few years when the shoots are big enough, the process is repeated. Over many years, if done properly, this provides a dense barrier of living vegetation, which is also a marvellous habitat for a huge variety of wildlife.

Go through the kissing gate then over the footbridge and continue along the track to the small stone barn where you will find the February poem.

Snowlight peers at the byre door. Neither day nor night. february Four months ago we fetched the cattle in, safe from reiving wind and rain, months of standing and shifting, burdened Cattle brought in for the winter with patience. When will winter end? Many sheep farmers also keep beef cattle and these are kept indoors during the winter to protect them Thin strakes of sun on the byre floor. from the weather and ensure that the dormant grass in the fields is not Fork a load of silage out, damaged. It also facilitates a more straighten your back to watch them shove efficient way of feeding them with their muzzles in, and wonder if they crave hay and silage and provides a steady the hazy nights when they can roam supply of dung for spreading on the among tall summer grasses, sleek and sound and warm. fields to fertilise the next year’s new growth of grass.

Follow the track through the bridleway gate and turn right. This is an ancient ‘hollow way’ which has been used for hundreds of years and was probably the original main road between Kirkby Stephen and Nateby. Watch out for the March poem where you cross a stream.

Walling Most of the dry stone walls, which march are so characteristic of these rocky, hill country landscapes, were built over a hundred years ago when the early wallers had an abundance of From field stone to hand. Dry stone walls need and fell regular maintenance and the considerable skills involved are run cold handed down through the run small. generations. March is usually an I am the rain opportune time to repair gaps which tear in the eye may have appeared during the winter. blood in the vein I am the sea.

A little way further brings you to a wonderful example of dry stone walling by master waller Steve Allen which incorporates the poem for April.

Coltsfoot, celandine, earliest daisies. Twin lambs race to the mother, baby cries, april Mam! Mam! jolt out of them and now they jostle the ragged ewe, boosting each split hoof high off the bitten turf. Lambing time Pinching jaws and hard curled coats Hill sheep are bred for their hardiness are braced against these April suns and sleets. and the ewes usually have their lambs outdoors. This involves the farmers in a constant round of checking their condition and sometimes assisting in the births.

May’s poem is another one built into a section of wall constructed by Steve Allen and is located at the beginning of the stone bridge ahead, which crosses the old railway.

Gathering and marking sheep Penned in a huddle, the great tups Once the lambs are big enough they are clints of panting stone. The shepherd lifts may are tagged and marked and moved a sideways glance from the labour back onto the fells with their of dagging tails. His hands are seamed with muck mothers. Sheep have to be gathered and the sweat runs into his eyes. regularly throughout the year for all Above us, a silent plane has needled sorts of reasons including removing the clear blue. Paling behind it dirty wool from around their tails a crimped double strand of wool unravels. (dagging) to discourage parasitic flies. Collie dogs, renowned for their intelligence and initiative, provide indispensable assistance to the hill farmer.

Cross the bridge and follow the path as it bears right, and the June poem is on your right, carved into a gritstone block.

Clipping/shearing Light drops like honey from branch to branch. Elders Although the development of balance their dishes of cream, june artificial fibres has, to a large extent, while fledgelings try small quivery leaps, testing reduced the demand for wool, the the buoyancy of the air. enterprising hill farming community in Cumbria is increasingly finding new specialist and quality outlets for its fleeces. Sheep have to be shorn, in any case, for their well being during the summer and although some farmers are still adept at shearing with the old fashioned hand shears they mostly use electric clippers.

Go through the wooden field gate on your right down onto the old railway, now owned and managed as a footpath and nature reserve by the Northern Viaduct Trust, then turn left along the railway path and the poem for July is on the left.

Haymaking and silage Silage. Tractor incises the first Grass converted into hay and silage is green furrow. Skillful geometrician, july vital for feeding sheep and cattle in the driver judges an arc of weather. the winter and many farmers produce both. Silage is the modern method and provides a more efficient and productive system less vulnerable to wet weather that can be cut and stored earlier in the year with a second and even third cut later. Hay is the traditional means by which the cut grass is kept in storage. Harvested later in the season, hay meadows often host a variety of wild flowers and insects and provide good conditions for ground nesting birds.

Next is the August poem, hidden amongst the trees further along on the right, carved on the two sides of a naturally curved piece of stone – a remnant of a wind sculpted pillar of sandstone which is 250 million years old, taken from a quarry near Lazonby.

Crabapples tart on the tongue, Hazelnuts milky, august Rosehips cool in the hand, Thistledown silky.

Showing sheep at shows Sheep farmers love to show their sheep at local agricultural shows. Shows are great social occasions but have a serious side too. Prizes are awarded for the best animals in various categories and reputations are made which can bring financial benefits at the auction mart sales later in the year.

Squirrel is speaking his mind. Knapweed purples the banks. For touch, taste, smell, sight, hearing September’s poem, on a rectangular block of red sandstone at the far end of I give thanks. the railway path, overlooks the River Eden and the Eden Benchmark sculpture ‘Passage’ on the opposite bank. Closed in 1962, this railway line was originally constructed between 1857 and 1860 mainly to carry coal from the Durham coalfields to the shipyards at Barrow-in-Furness.

Farmers’ markets Revetted banks, a concrete post. The mature male lambs, weaned and Rabbits tunnel the cinder waste. september separated from their mothers, are Angle iron, link of a broken chain. now sold for fattening to farmers on Listen, and catch the hiss of steam again. lower lying land. Although the majority of farmers in upper Eden sell their lambs at local auction marts to go further afield, some are slaughtered at abattoirs in North Yorkshire and the meat sold directly to the consumer at farmers’ markets, which provide a showcase for locally processed meat products. Two of the most successful are held at Orton and Brough.

Turn right in front of the road bridge wall and go over the river on the elegant Millennium footbridge into Stenkrith Park. Follow the path, parallel with the road, then sharp right back down into the park to the river. The October poem is on flat slabs of stone on your left. One is sandstone and the other limestone to reflect the complex geology in Stenkrith Park where much of the stone, known as brockram, is a conglomerate mix of both types of stone.

Sandstone. A desert wind, grain by grain, laid down these rocks. How did we trace october a path through the ancient dunes?

Limestone. A million million Sheep sales blanched and compacted shells. How did we swim The auction mart at Kirkby Stephen through the drift and not perish? provides an important focus for selling sheep at the end of the summer season, often referred to as the ‘Harvest of the Hills’. Some of the really big events of the hill farmers’ year are the famous sales of Swaledale rams when record breaking high prices can be achieved as farmers compete for the best breeding stock.

Carry on through Stenkrith Park to the field gate and the November poem is on two standing stones on your left.

Tupping time Through hazels and alders, softly or in spate, Each sheep farmer keeps a few rams, Eden moves in the valley it has hollowed november known as tups. At this time of the From Mallerstang to the shifting Solway sands. year they are put out to mate with the ewes and are kept very busy because each tup serves up to forty- five ewes. Their chests are painted with coloured grease so that when they mount a ewe they smear it onto the ewe’s back. The farmer can then see which ewes are likely to be pregnant and by which tup.

Long may the dipper be regent here, piping the full reach of his ground; the only monarch, kingfisher, turquoise jewel, arrowy at the dusk.

Go through the field gate and continue along the footpath over two fields, via a kissing gate, with the river on your right, and you will come to the December poem, just three lines in the Japanese ‘Haiku’ form.

Tree planting December can be a quieter time for december farmers and there is an opportunity to improve some of the wildlife habitats on their farms. Tree planting with native species, which There sails the heron support indigenous wildlife, is an drawing behind him a long especially rewarding activity and wake of solitude farmers often plant up spare field edges and corners. Although the trees themselves are inexpensive and can easily be grown from seed, they have to be protected from livestock with fenced enclosures. Government or local authority grants are available to help farmers with tree planting.

This brings you back to where you started. You can then return to Kirkby Stephen up Bollam Lane.

Many people have been involved with helping us make the poetry path happen. numerical sequence follows calendar months Frank’s Bridge In particular our special thanks must go to Hilary Fell who so generously co nn e c provided Pip Hall with accommodation and a studio in her home at Whinfell. t i n

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We wish also to thank Alan Wearmouth and his son Gavin and their t p

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colleagues Michael, Peter and Philip who did all the stone moving and h

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installation, James Popps who helped us prepare the stones and fixings, Steve K

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Allen who did the walling and Paul Holroyd for his path improvement work. b

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We are also very grateful to landowners Paul Dixon, Andrew Davis, Keith h

e Birtle and the Northern Viaduct Trust for allowing us to place the stones n on their land and Malcolm Robinson for access to the railway path through 5 Bollam 8 his field. 6 Bridge A n v er E de We have received much help and support from the local community, Ri particularly our steering committee Glennis Lumley, Alex Birtles and Mike Sunderland; also from Kirkby Stephen Town Council and Nateby Parish Swingy Meeting. 1 Bridge

John and Eliza Forder’s books, ‘Hill Shepherd’ and ‘Life in the Hills’ 2 12 provided Pip with invaluable source material for her carved motifs. 9 5 2 Andrew of Realstone Ltd. donated stone for school letter carving ) 6 h t workshops, Alan Hodgson, Hilary Fell’s neighbour, B a p s s helped move stones at the workshop, e c c Kevin Bateman and Edward Waller a y s did stone polishing and letter carvers poetry a e 3 ( y Alan Thewlis, Giles MacDonald and a w il Francoise Berserik assisted with path ra ed some of the letter cutting. tl 4 an sm Stenkrith di Park 11 10 5 9 8 7 6 ¹⁄₂ 0 kilometres scale km The photographs are by Val Corbett, Pip Hall, Wayne Hutchinson and Millennium footbridge ¹⁄₄ Barry Stacy and the text by Dick Capel. The booklet has been designed by 0 miles mile Reproduced from 1923 Ordnance Survey map with the kind permission of the Ordnance Survey. © East Cumbria Countryside Project 2004 ECCP in consultation with Pip Hall and printed by Reeds Ltd.