Peat is precious, for biodiversity, for storing huge amounts of carbon, and to mitigate against flooding. But it’s degraded across many areas of England. Manon Pue from Yorkshire Peat Partnership tells us more about peat on Grassington Moor, and putting together a restoration plan.
Read MoreSurveying open trees on Dartmoor’s commons: Harriet Fraser chats with Jez Ralph, director of Evolving Forests
Read MoreNot many people live so high in the Yorkshire fells, but, as Moira and Adam reveal, doing so is a real delight. Here they talk about their time at Crina Bottom, which sits below Ingleborough.
Read MoreListen to Sam Rawling describing the process of gathering sheep in from Kinniside Common, down to the River Calder, in July 2022. Commoners work together to bring in the sheep so they can be sheared. The recording is shared with a selection of images from the day, as the sheep are brought into the pens, and sorted.
Read MoreThere’s an art and a kind of a dance when it comes to shearing sheep. A short film captures the process at East Okement Farm in Dartmoor.
Read MoreListen to Russell Hamby, Imogen Ogborne and Paul Bowden talk about what it takes to do the job well, in a break while they shear the sheep at East Okement Farm, Dartmoor.
Read MoreEach year on Cumbria’s upland farms, lambs must be marked so that they can be distinguished from other flocks once they are back out on the common, where several flocks graze. Sam Rawling and Lizzie Weir add smit marks and lug marks to their herdwick flock.
Read MoreAn introduction to farmer Tess Hallet who has rights to graze her livestock on Stapeley Common in the Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
Read MoreAn introduction to Sam Rawling and Lizzie Weir, commoners who have a hill farm in Ennerdale, Cumbria, and use Kinniside Common for grazing
Read MoreSometimes a ewe needs some help to give birth to her lamb. This short film follows the process - please note that it contains close-up footage of the process.
Read MoreA glimpse at the action during Keswick Spring Fair - a short video clip.
Read MoreKeswick Tup Fair, or Keswick Spring Fair, is an annual event for the showing of Herdwick tups (rams). It’s the first gathering for Lakeland shepherd’s after the cold of winter.
Read MoreHunting for butterflies, and feeding sheep … Harriet and Rob Fraser join a butterfly hunt on Clee Liberty Common, with Mike Williams from West Midlands Butterfly Conservation and then head out into the uplands of these Shropshire Hills with farmer John Heighway, to find out more about caring for this complex mosaic of landscape.
Read MoreWill Dawson from Bleak Bank Farm in the Yorkshire Dales walks out in the early morning to check the lambing fields: watch the video here.
Read MoreAn introduction to Craig Fearon of Nook Farm, Borrowdale. Craig is a National Trust tenant and Cumbrian Commoner with Herdwick Sheep grazing the Cumbrian fells.
Read MoreA video from Will Dawson at Bleak Bank Farm: up close and personal for the birth of not one, but two calves. PLEASE NOTE this film contains detailed imagery of a cow giving birth, with assistance.
Read MoreKinniside Common is in the far west of Cumbria, on the edge of the English Lake District. A walk from the valley to the common, and back again, reveals layers of history, wildlife and weather.
Read MoreDarren Penna from East Okement Farm shows the view from his upland farm in Dartmoor. This short video is taken as Darren looks out across the commons, and explains how the commons are used for grazing.
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