Farm Trail
When you visit the farm you’ll be greeted by the farm shop, tearoom and gallery. The shop is housed in a Westmorland stone barn dating from the late 1700s and that’s where the real-life farm trail starts. En route you’ll see where your food comes from – passing the cows and hens in the fields, the vegetable plots and the fruit trees in the orchard.
Low Sizergh Farm is part of the Soil Association's national network of organic farms across the UK. As a demonstration farm we welcome people who want to learn more about how organic food is produced.
There is a huge variety of plant, animal and bird life here at Low Sizergh, which is ever changing with the seasons and co-exists with the livestock. As you walk the trail, which is just under 2 miles, you’ll learn more about how organic principles are put into practice around this beautiful farm…
Organic hens
Our flock of 700 laying hens produce hundreds of eggs each day, which we sell in the farm shop.
Ancient hedgerow
This hedgerow is at least 400 years old and contains many species of wild plant. You can see swallows swooping here in the summer as they head for the cow pastures looking for insects. The pond was made by creating a dam across the stream. The water level varies throughout the year and the pond dries up a little in the summer.
Ancient woodland
This wood is called Low Park Wood and much of it was 'coppiced' until the 1930s. Coppicing is the traditional art of cutting back re-growth from tree stumps (or stools) at regular intervals to produce straight poles.
The woodland contains some magnificent mature oak trees. Some of the branches are dying off but these are left on the tree to provide wildlife habitats. Dead wood is an important food source for many insects and provides nest sites for birds.
As organic farmers we rely on natural predators that live in trees like this. The predators, such as birds and bats, feed on insect pests that can damage crops.
Organic cows
The farm has 150 Holstein and Swedish Red dairy cows. They are milked three times a day in the parlour and you can see this taking place from the tearoom’s viewing gallery.
Stone walls
A traditional feature of the area, these were built in the early 1800s. The outer stones enclose a centre of rubble, capped with top stones called 'cams'. They provide habitat for lichens, lizards and ladybirds.