Our Welsh farm

[ReverendCounter]

So did you follow the usual path of having a career in the automotive world (either broadcast or journalism) before becoming a farmer?

[VeeReihenmotor6]

Keep the updates coming. How do you find settling into West Wales? I've been keen on a move there for about 15 years and do similar - take over a small holding and add some holiday lets. My wife isn't as keen to go back (she was born there but left at 18).

6 miles north of Haverfordwest at the base of Preseli's is the area I know well.

[Tom8]

Nice where is it in Wales? Are you intending to farm in any way? We bought our place nearly 5 years ago. Absolutely love it, idyllic upbringing for daughter and fun and adventures for us. We moved out of south east corner to Herefordshire/Worcs border.

[Jimmm]

The place is lovely I have stayed there a couple of times in the cottages. Nice and remote, not too far from Lampeter. Closest bit of sea side is New Quay.

[Evanivitch]

More tractor and equipment photos, please.

When are the bee hives arriving?

And where's the solar power going?

[craigthecoupe]

that all sounds cracking! the place looks wonderful. Nice to be doing it at a (presumably) younger age. what a way to grow up for your children.
We shook up our lives a few years back, and now live in a hilltop village in tuscany with grapes, allotment, chickens etc. lots to keep you busy, but if you enjoy it, its the perfect thing. Our daughter seems very happy, and like you, the locals couldn't be more welcoming. all the very best to you.

[Silvanus]

Certainly interested in this as planning something similar in 5 years or so, not sure yet on location.

[Evoluzione]

When we first moved to ours I started moving old dead trees and tidying up, but then realised it's not a great thing to do. They're teeming with life which the birds need, so many have been left where they are.

Edited by Evoluzione on Monday 10th October 16:27

[Evanivitch]

Evoluzione said:

When we first moved to ours I started moving old dead trees, but then realised it's not a great thing to do. They're teaming with life which the birds need so many have been left.

And where safe, standing dead-wood is also a thriving habit for insects and birds too.

Would be interested to see what OP has thoughts on in terms of further enhancing the wildlife on site.

[Silvanus]

Evanivitch said:

Evoluzione said:

When we first moved to ours I started moving old dead trees, but then realised it's not a great thing to do. They're teaming with life which the birds need so many have been left.

And where safe, standing dead-wood is also a thriving habit for insects and birds too.

Would be interested to see what OP has thoughts on in terms of further enhancing the wildlife on site.

Enhancing wild habitat has far fewer negative impacts on a site like this than the positives it can bring. Diversity of species is important whether we are talking flora, fauna or fungi.

Was having a good chat with a mate who just came back from a hiking trip in snowdonia. He used a phrase 'unspoilt wild beauty' when referring to the hills, he couldn't be more wrong. The uplands in the UK are as man-made as lowland cow fields and would be unrecognisable to someone who lived a thousand years ago (possibly fewer). The landscape and variety would be very very than different to what we see today. Problem is with every generation the baseline shifts and we accept more and things to be normal when they aren't (I know normal is tricky to define).

I'm involved in a really interesting bit of research (to me anyway) into the lost rainforest of the UK (temperate/coastal/celtic) rainforest. It wasn't until that long ago that these would have been common, and one of the richest habitats we had. With the advent of intensive sheep farming for wool, a need for wood fuel, and timber for shipbuilding and construction, deforestation was swift and efficient. This has left us with huge areas bare hills, valleys and costal areas that would once have been wooded, a mixture of both dense and open canopy, but we now accept the landscape now to be how it should be. This has had all sorts of negative affects on how we live. Anyway I've gone off on a massive tangent

[Evanivitch]

Silvanus said:

Was having a good chat with a mate who just came back from a hiking trip in snowdonia. He used a phrase 'unspoilt wild beauty' when referring to the hills, he couldn't be more wrong. ...
I'm involved in a really interesting bit of research (to me anyway) into the lost rainforest of the UK (temperate/coastal/celtic) rainforest

Agree entirely. We have a small part near where I live.

[mrmistoffelees]

Have you told the pigs that they need to say soch soch soch yet instead of oink oink oink?

[Tom8]

sfella said:

We are in Ceredigion, about 20 mins inland from New Quay. We bought our flock of sheep with us, about 25 in total Southdowns and Jacobs, a couple of goats the usual poultry chickens, ducks etc. Inherited a shetland and a goose with the house and added a pregnant pig in August. She farrowed not long after arriving. We have kept pigs for a few years but always just bought weaners so a sow is new to us. She's a good mum it seems so can stay and go again next year. Some of this years lambs are booked in for the table and piglets are for same in time.

We also inherited a good size poly tunnel, greenhouse and veg beds. All we're in a very weed covered state and some still need attention. The last owners had 'bought the dream' then realised the dream is hard work so let the land out and left it to go wild. Currently clearing dead trees, massive hedges and brambles.

We're here fulltime, the two holiday cottages are our 'jobs' and are all done by us and not cleaners etc so we've always something to do.

We're going for the full on good life,self sufficiency. Tye new Tom and Barbra.

Great stuff, looks fantastic! Love the animals. We do sheep, donkeys and chickens. Really satisfying working back land into a good state. We've gone from rutted weed beds to proper meadows now working on woodland to manage that properly too.

[Evoluzione]

Silvanus said:

Evanivitch said:

Evoluzione said:

When we first moved to ours I started moving old dead trees, but then realised it's not a great thing to do. They're teaming with life which the birds need so many have been left.

And where safe, standing dead-wood is also a thriving habit for insects and birds too.

Would be interested to see what OP has thoughts on in terms of further enhancing the wildlife on site.

Enhancing wild habitat has far fewer negative impacts on a site like this than the positives it can bring. Diversity of species is important whether we are talking flora, fauna or fungi.

Was having a good chat with a mate who just came back from a hiking trip in snowdonia. He used a phrase 'unspoilt wild beauty' when referring to the hills, he couldn't be more wrong. The uplands in the UK are as man-made as lowland cow fields and would be unrecognisable to someone who lived a thousand years ago (possibly fewer). The landscape and variety would be very very than different to what we see today. Problem is with every generation the baseline shifts and we accept more and things to be normal when they aren't (I know normal is tricky to define).

I'm involved in a really interesting bit of research (to me anyway) into the lost rainforest of the UK (temperate/coastal/celtic) rainforest. It wasn't until that long ago that these would have been common, and one of the richest habitats we had. With the advent of intensive sheep farming for wool, a need for wood fuel, and timber for shipbuilding and construction, deforestation was swift and efficient. This has left us with huge areas bare hills, valleys and costal areas that would once have been wooded, a mixture of both dense and open canopy, but we now accept the landscape now to be how it should be. This has had all sorts of negative affects on how we live. Anyway I've gone off on a massive tangent

Disafforestation too, which was a new word for me to learn.
We have to be careful not to turn too much back to forest though. As we've created these barren moorland landscapes, animals which like that habitat have moved in so we need to be catering for them too. Butterflies, birds like lapwings, curlews, Oyster catchers and various birds of prey use it for hunting too.

[Evanivitch]

Evoluzione said:

Disafforestation too, which was a new word for me to learn.
We have to be careful not to turn too much back to forest though. As we've created these barren moorland landscapes, animals which like that habitat have moved in so we need to be catering for them too. Butterflies, birds like lapwings, curlews, Oyster catchers and various birds of prey use it for hunting too.

We're also realising is that some of the ground is degraded peatbog, and actually planting trees would have a worse environmental impact. What you need to do in that instance is reverse the land drainage scheme.

[R56Cooper]

mrmistoffelees said:

Have you told the pigs that they need to say soch soch soch yet instead of oink oink oink?

Lol (or CYU (Chwerthin yn uchel)).

On this point, may I suggest that if you haven't already done so, you try to learn a few basic phrases of Welsh.

The agricultural community in Wales is one of the strongholds of the language and I expect all efforts will be warmly received.

Your place looks lovely, congrats and looking forward to following this.

[njw1]

Very nice OP, I spent a lot of time in and around New Quay back in the late 90's and early 2000's as my mates auntie had a holiday chalet there, it's definitely one of my favourite places. I'm not jealous at all!

[Flying machine]

That looks absolutely fantastic!! Please keep the updates coming, at least that way we can all dream. I've often thought about trying to do something similar, but I know only too well that disappointingly in reality I'd end up doing what the folks you bought the place from did. Good luck and thanks for sharing!

[Silvanus]

Evoluzione said:

Silvanus said:

Evanivitch said:

Evoluzione said:

When we first moved to ours I started moving old dead trees, but then realised it's not a great thing to do. They're teaming with life which the birds need so many have been left.

And where safe, standing dead-wood is also a thriving habit for insects and birds too.

Would be interested to see what OP has thoughts on in terms of further enhancing the wildlife on site.

Enhancing wild habitat has far fewer negative impacts on a site like this than the positives it can bring. Diversity of species is important whether we are talking flora, fauna or fungi.

Was having a good chat with a mate who just came back from a hiking trip in snowdonia. He used a phrase 'unspoilt wild beauty' when referring to the hills, he couldn't be more wrong. The uplands in the UK are as man-made as lowland cow fields and would be unrecognisable to someone who lived a thousand years ago (possibly fewer). The landscape and variety would be very very than different to what we see today. Problem is with every generation the baseline shifts and we accept more and things to be normal when they aren't (I know normal is tricky to define).

I'm involved in a really interesting bit of research (to me anyway) into the lost rainforest of the UK (temperate/coastal/celtic) rainforest. It wasn't until that long ago that these would have been common, and one of the richest habitats we had. With the advent of intensive sheep farming for wool, a need for wood fuel, and timber for shipbuilding and construction, deforestation was swift and efficient. This has left us with huge areas bare hills, valleys and costal areas that would once have been wooded, a mixture of both dense and open canopy, but we now accept the landscape now to be how it should be. This has had all sorts of negative affects on how we live. Anyway I've gone off on a massive tangent

Disafforestation too, which was a new word for me to learn.
We have to be careful not to turn too much back to forest though. As we've created these barren moorland landscapes, animals which like that habitat have moved in so we need to be catering for them too. Butterflies, birds like lapwings, curlews, Oyster catchers and various birds of prey use it for hunting too.

Indeed, just planting trees all over the place can be completely the wrong thing to do, although that's not to say the right trees in the right places isn't a good thing. Some of the high moorlands and lowland heaths are now home to some very rare species and the areas need protecting. Peatland especially, this has huge biodiversity and environmental benefits. There are some areas however that would benefit hugely from tree planting. Not random trees, but carefully selected species that can provide maximum benefit. Too much of the current tree planting that's going on hasn't been thought out, or done properly. I've been out with groups who just grab a stem and plant it with no thought as to what they are planting, where they are planting it or why. There has been some good methodology coming in from Europe that takes many more factors into account (Forest development types), This should improve future woodlands, protect the ones we have and protect areas that should be left alone. A lot of people don't realise that all woodlands are not equal, plus forests these days have to do a lot to earn their keep as more and more stakeholders get involved and what different things. I guess I'm lucky as I get to see a lot of our coast and countryside, through both work and pleasure. You get to build up a mosaic in your head of what is right and what's not quite what it should be. As mentioned the moors can be fantastic, I've been lucky enough to see hen harriers hunting and stone curlews, but then you see red deer which everywhere else are a forest animal. you then get the issues of over grazing and tree damage by deer and sheep, but that takes us down a different rabbit hole.

[Silvanus]

Evanivitch said:

Evoluzione said:

Disafforestation too, which was a new word for me to learn.
We have to be careful not to turn too much back to forest though. As we've created these barren moorland landscapes, animals which like that habitat have moved in so we need to be catering for them too. Butterflies, birds like lapwings, curlews, Oyster catchers and various birds of prey use it for hunting too.

We're also realising is that some of the ground is degraded peatbog, and actually planting trees would have a worse environmental impact. What you need to do in that instance is reverse the land drainage scheme.

There's a lot going on behind the scenes at the moment when it comes to peat bogs and riparian preservation and what or if trees can play a part.