The familiar clink of the metal hurdles as they open and close tells me I’m “home”: at a shepherds’ meet. Since 1866, on the last Saturday in September, the shepherds of the Lake District have met in Eskdale to celebrate local livestock, crafts and produce. That may sound old, but it started as an additional show to the May Tup Fair, which dates to the 1700s.
I’m here representing one of the show sponsors, the National Trust, which provides the trophy and sash for the main prize – the world champion Herdwick sheep, the breed being native to this area. The trust owns more than 20,000 sheep in the Lake District, mainly Herdwicks, and they are an important cultural collection. The sheep are hefted to the fells, where they live without boundaries and are taught the territories by their mothers. The permanence of a landlord’s flock of sheep ensures continued management of the farms, and makes it easier to take on a farm without having to buy livestock. Each flock also carries genes that adapt the animal to this landscape: a double layer of fleece, and extra long eyelashes to cope with the rain on west-facing fellsides.
