The Farmer’s Fields

The pub is surrounded by 6 acres of land within three fields, where we host everything from scything workshops to weddings to camping to our annual bonfire. Fantastic views abound, of the Crake valley’s woodlands and of the distant Furness fells.

The fields were heavily grazed by sheep until 2022, and we now manage them for:

1. Biodiversity and environmental initiatives, such as planting native hedgerows and improving wildflower populations
2. Food production, including about 100sq m of fruit and vegetables grown with organic no-dig principals.
3. Community and commercial events, including Bonfire Night, weddings, seasonal camping and workshops such as meadow management

Whilst it’s early days yet, we are making gradual but significant changes to enhance biodiversity on these meadows: improving existing hedgerows and planting new ones, planting native trees and sowing native species of wildflowers, reducing mowing and allowing many areas to colonise with native plants which will feed and support our insects and invertebrate populations. In 2024 DEFRA awarded the pub a Bee’s Needs Award for our work building habitat to support our pollinators.

The land around the pub was the subject of an ecological survey in 2023, looking at birds in our various habitats. This report showed a number of ‘amber’ bird species on the UK endangered species list amongst a healthy diversity. On the fields we have spotted many small rodents, badgers, some deer, fox, hare and rabbit. Larger birds have included buzzard and owls.

In 2023 Matt Turnbull (our Head of Veg) successfully trialled growing pumpkins on one of the fields, and we would like to host more market garden scale growing on the land – let us know if you’re a farmer or grower and this interests you.

Grizedale Arts thanks the National Lottery Community Fund, Friends of the Lake District and Cumbria Community Fund for supporting our land-based and biodiversity enhancement projects.