Quick Links

Meet Our New Neighbours: Belted Galloway Cattle

Last week, we were delighted to welcome a new herd of Belted Galloway Cattle onto the Estate! The herd of beautiful beasts includes a bull, cows and calves and we are delighted to meet our new neighbours – but where did they come from?

 

We are very lucky that our Hall falls within the Lake District National Park – the Armathwaite Hall Estate comprises of over 200 hectares of farmland, parkland, ancient woodland, lake shore and river bank and is home to a diverse array of wildlife. Not only are there two Special Sites of Scientific Interest (SSSI), and over 27 hectares of upland hay meadow in the Estate, but we are also situated a stone’s throw away from the Lake District Wildlife Park.

We headed to the Wildlife Park to ask the experts where the Belted Galloway Cattle had come from – we were told that as part of a local conservation project, the cattle were ‘mooooved’ around the estate to help with meadow management and to conserve the local environment.

Preserving the natural beauty and biodiversity of the Armathwaite Hall Estate is very important to us – considering that the site is home to a wide variety of native wildlife and an abundance of wildflowers, we think that it is something worth preserving for generations to come. Environments such as SSSI’s are vital to conservation, as they provide a safe haven for species at risk of extinction and threatened habitats such as upland meadow are protected for this purpose.

 


So, what do we do to help? Working with the Lake District Wildlife Park, we use domestic rare breeds such as Bagot Goats, Belted Galloway Cattle and Soay Sheep to help manage the upland hay meadows. In doing this, we are allowing native wild animal species such as otter, barn owls, roe deer and brown hare to thrive in their natural Lake District habitat.

We also work with Natural England, The Woodland Trust and Cumbria Woodlands to replant thousands of metres of hedgerow and hundreds of trees in the estate, to help make it such a privilege to work in a UNESCO World Heritage site. Here at Armathwaite Hall, we take any opportunity to get actively involved in the management of our Estate and the conservation of our native wildlife, to allow us to leave a legacy for future generations.

Learn more about our conservation work with The Lake District Wildlife Park here.

Book Now
Best rate guaranteed when you book direct!