Meadows

We had an amble this afternoon, across flower filled meadows towards Hawes Water. Buttercups, orchids, grasses and much more.

The local farmers in the AONB have a management system in place which promotes floral diversity in the meadows. The farms here are generally small, and there seems to be an understanding about achieving a balance - no doubt assisted by financial Incentives. It isn’t just about one or two grasses and achieving maximum milk yields at the expense of everything else.

The result is a feast for the senses. I just love meadows like this.

One word of caution to walkers - there are dairy cows in this field, accompanied by a rather impressive dairy bull. Do as we did - make sure he is pointing uphill, absorbed by grazing, before entering and heading to the other side of the field. He was fine, and no doubt usually is, but I never take a large bull entirely for granted. By the time I took this the cattle were over the ridge, and he was out of sight.