Welcome to Lake District Grazers
We are a flock of very friendly, very cute teddy bear Ryeland and Ryeland-cross sheep who work hard all year round. We graze pasture, turning grass into rich manure and growing beautiful wool fleeces which make fabulous rugs.
We are available to anyone who would like their land to be grazed by sheep but don’t have their own flock. We are based in the South Lakes, Cumbria, and we make friends wherever we go!
Why Lake District Grazers?
Landowners come to us for all sorts of reasons. Some people just want to keep the grass down in their field. Others want to increase soil health and plant vitality, others want to enjoy seeing more wildlife. Some just really like our sheep!
Whatever your need, we can help make it a reality.
If you have hay meadows we can help make space for wildflowers among the competitive grasses.
If your land is with a second home and you are not able to keep your own livestock, why not keep us! You and your family can be as involved with us as much as you would like.
If you want to improve your pasture health, graze responsibly for wildlife and conservation, we can fit right in.
Our flock usually spend a few weeks at each location, several times per year, on a rotation agreed with landowners. Please get in touch to discuss the details.
- General grazing
- Rewilding grazing
- Conservation, Wildlife & Biodiversity grazing
- Regenerative grazing
- Rotation grazing
- Hay meadows
- Winter grazing
- Clearance grazing
- Sheep/horse cross grazing
Why Ryeland Sheep?
The answer to this has to be – why not Ryeland Sheep? They are among the friendliest, most docile breeds of sheep around. A native English breed, they are renowned for the quality of their wool and meat.
They are not particularly adventurous, rarely interested in escaping, so they can be contained easily. All our flock were either bred by us or have spent years being loved by us, and enjoy human company.
They are fantastic sheep to settle into a rotation of different fields. They suit most set-ups and quickly soon get to know the land. They do not require the same scale of fencing and equipment needed to contain other sheep breeds or cattle.
How Does It Work?
If you are a landowner and require some grazers, please get in touch on 07984 033508 or through the website here and we can arrange a site visit to look at the logistics.
We then agree anything that needs to be done, for example improving fencing, bringing in a water source etc.
We will discuss paperwork and legislation at our visit. Depending on your circumstances it might be something we are able to do completely, or we can advise on what you might need to do.
We then slot you into our rotation. We bring the sheep as agreed, check them regularly, feed as necessary, and them load the up at the end of the stay leaving your field eaten down, fertilised and revitalised.
We are happy for you to spend time with the sheep and get to know them, they are lovely animals to be around and spending time with them always seems to cheer everyone up. We ask that children are supervised when around them. Please check with us before feeding them.
You are under no long-term obligation, however if you would like to stop the grazing agreement we ask for three months’ notice minimum so we can adapt our schedule without risking our animals’ welfare.
Did someone say ponies?
In late 2024 we brought our first two Dartmoor Hill Ponies, Bracken and Squirrel, up to Cumbria to join our famous cobby Bobby.
Bracken and Squirrel were born wild on Dartmoor so were completely unhandled when they arrived.
We’ve been gentling them and working with them ever since and they will soon be able to get to work grazing any land for which ponies will be better suited than the sheep – obviously rougher, more overgrown ground.
The boys will also be available for short-term grazing on land which is usually grazed by sheep. Cross-grazing horses and sheep can boost pasture health and reduce the parasite burden and our boys will be happy to help.
We are every bit as passionate about our native ponies as we are about our native sheep, so we were thrilled to be able to offer these two boys a home where they would be loved as well as have useful work to do.
We look forward to being able to welcome more native ponies in the future, taking them out of the risk of slaughter overseas where many of our native ponies unfortunately end up.
Please get in touch if you have a project that Bracken and Squirrel could help with!
Frequently Asked Questions
Is grazing good for the land?
Centuries of livestock grazing has created the beautiful English countryside and especially the stunning Lake District landscape that we see today. No doubt, at times and in some places, too many grazing animals have been allowed and overgrazing has had an effect. Thankfully, efforts are underway to reverse these effects. But the reality is that most land thrives by being responsibly grazed.
Land that is not grazed is vulnerable to being taken over by the more dominant plant species, like bracken, docks and brambles, which can stop other plants from growing. This can quickly and dramatically reduce soil health and the diversity of both plant and animal species. It can be very difficult to recover grazing land once it has been taken over.
Most landscapes are at their healthiest and their richest in biodiversity when they are grazed responsibly, at the right time and by the correct species.
Lake District Grazers provide grazing animals that can help keep your land in excellent condition.
We have dogs, can you still come to us?
Don’t worry, most people do, and it’s mostly very manageable. We have strict rules that any land we bring our stock to must be well fenced and secure, and completely inaccessible to any pet dogs on the premises, so we work with you to secure the fencing before bringing the sheepers.
Our sheep and ponies are used to our own dogs, and probably won’t panic when they see one, but even so it is an area we are very careful about and we ask you to be extremely cautious too.
What if there’s a problem?
Call us! We would rather be woken at 3am for a false alarm than not. Our animals mean the world to us and while we love to share the joy of being around them, we will 100% step in if there is ever an issue.
Once our sheep arrive you will receive several phone numbers to use in the event of an emergency.
I don’t know much about my land or what it needs
That’s ok, either we do or we know someone who will. Please get in touch and we can arrange a visit. Once we see your land and discuss your plans we can work out the best solution – grazing or otherwise.
Will there be lambs?
We don’t lamb every year, but it’s great to do and grow our flock this way. We generally lamb at our HQ, but once the lambs are old enough they then join the flock wherever they are. Not everywhere is suitable, but we will certainly let you know if you can expect to hear the pitter patter of tiny hooves!
What about bio-security?
We are very careful with our flock. We always make sure they are fully protected. They don’t ever meet other sheep and our system is not set up for them to ever mix with other flocks.
We have a track record of excellent health in our sheep and plan for that to continue. We always keep a keen eye over each individual sheep which is why we visit them daily. We would not move the flock if they were unwell.
