Swaledale Tup.

A day of gardening at the Lodge.  When we got home (after the obligatory cuppa) we headed for the tip recycling centre to dispose of the bags of grass clippings and leaves which I had retrieved from under the decking.

Not having been inspired by anything to take a blip of I decided I would take some lamb shots, not having blipped a lamb this year.  OK I Know this isn't a lamb, none of the lambs were looking particularly attractive and were getting a bit old.  This fine fella caught my eye for two reasons.  He has a fine head of horns but the second was the fleece.

Normally round here sheep are sheared in June just as the fleece begins to "rise" (the new fleece starts to grow leaving a weak spot on the strand.  This Tup has obviously had a rise in the fleece a while ago as you can see the wool has started to fall off the back.

Swaledales as a breed originated from the same horned sheep as Blackface, Rough Fell etc.  The breed society was started just after the 1st World War by farmers living within 7 miles of Tan Hill Pub (the highest in England).  The breed is now the commonest on the fells and very commercially important being the mother of the Greyface lambs (North of England Mules) which are so eagerly bought by farmers from all over England in the sheep sales.