NATURE NOTES
Sheep – there’s no getting away from the fact that they’re everywhere in our uplands. And it’s largely because of them and the way they’re managed that the fells look the way they do. There’s one breed in particular that epitomises hill and mountain sheep – the Herdwick, the rare breed that belongs to the Lake District.
Herdwicks are about the toughest, most kick-ass sheep going. They’re thought to have been derived from flocks brought over by the Vikings. Even the name Herdwick is a Norse word meaning sheep pasture, and to back up the theory their DNA has similarities with Texel sheep which are from Scandinavia. Herdwicks are the result of generations of selective breeding, the end result being the most suitable animal for the conditions. They’ve been relatively isolated up in the Lakeland Fells, with little inter-breeding with other breeds, and as a result they’ve remained closer to the first domesticated breeds of sheep. Incredibly, humans have been farming sheep for at least 10,000 years. The Lakes boasts about 50,000 Herdys, so if you’ve walked in those fells, you’ll have seen them.
When they’re born, in early April (slightly later than most other breeds of sheep, because of the lateness of the new grass growth in such harsh terrain), Herdys are pretty much black all over. As they grow they get paler, with the young adults having a light brown fleece, and the older adults pale grey. The breed is characterised by short legs and heavy bone structure, giving them a stocky appearance. Rams (males, Tups in the Cumbric dialect) have curling horns, the ewes (females, Yows…) don’t. Usually one ram will service a flock. If you’ve ever seen a ram in the breeding season, all curly horned, shaggy maned and with testicles the size of grapefruits, then you’ll know to avoid them. If you’ve ever seen two rams butting heads, then you’ll know to run for your life if one ever takes a disliking to you, and run even faster if it takes a liking to you!
The lack of walls and fences in the Lakes is down to the fact that Herdys know their patch. Lambs raised by a ewe on the fellside will always be drawn to that area and always consider that home – it’s called being ‘hefted’ to an area. Healthy adult Herdys are out there, up in the fells, all year round. Now that’s hardcore. Lambs and younger sheep are often wintered in the lowlands, where grass is still plentiful. Generally they
