Droving again!

I'm sure you were all missing the sheepfolds, so I'm on the trail again. Following Andy Goldsworthy as he took his arch on a journey following a route used by Drovers as they took cattle down from Scotland to markets in England, in centuries gone by. We started at Spango farm, in South West Scotland, we crossed the border and passed the old market in Longtown and then we followed Drovers' Lane through Carlisle.

Now we are making our way south from Carlisle to Penrith. As I had to be in Penrith anyway today, we went to find a sheepfold just to the north of the town. The sheepfold that Goldsworthy chose is by the side of the A6, the old road south from Carlisle. Almost everything travelling up or down the west of England has to pass through this area between the hills. In the distance you can see the Lake District hills with Saddleback or Blencathra quite evident. If you look large, you can see in the distance the vehicles on the M6. Nearer is the Glasgow to London railway line (here is the train - I wasn't quick enough to catch this!) and right behind me as I was taking the photograph is the busy old road, the A6. This was almost certainly the route the Drovers took and in fact some of it still has the wide verges that would have been used for grazing.

The sheepfold is a bit of a ramshackle affair, with some of the cement blocks remaining, which were apparently there when Goldsworthy found it. It was originally used for dipping sheep and there is still the remains of an old trough. I'm not sure how much this fold is now used and I don't suppose many people know it is here, as the ground slopes away behind the wall making it invisible from the road.

Onward through Drovers Lane, Penrith!