Out & About …

… on the North York Moors, or wherever I happen to be.

Thorneythwaite

​Borrowdale, one of the wettest places in England. The hamlet at the bottom of the photo is Seatoller nestling at the foot of Honistor Pass. And the farm left of centre is Thorneythwaite, the National Trust’s latest acquisition.

Besides the fields the 300 acres of land the Trust has brought includes woodland, fellside, wood pasture and a flock of Herdwick sheep. The farm buildings however are not part of the deal which has caused some consternation amongst other Borrowdale farmers who wanted to see it continued as a working farm.

Currently the farm is untenanted and Lodore Estate, the owners, put the farm up for sale in two lots: the land, with a guide price of £750,000, and the buildings, of £800,000. Together this would have been too much for the Trust to afford so, as a second best, it put in a bid for just the land of £950,000. A figure high enough to deter the auctioneer from accepting any joint bid for both the land and buildings that may have been received. A calculated risk. The figure is also justified by the Trust’s own independant valuation of the land. 

After the completion date of October 14 it is anticipated the agricultural tenants of the Trust’s other farms in Borrowdale will take over management of this land and its flock of sheep.

The farm buildings? I guess they are destined for holiday lets or for someone’s second home.


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