[nearlyretired]

Hi everyone. I have approx 4 acres in the high pennines. Not much grows here! I have just been topping the grass 2-3 times a year for last 20 years but as I approach retirement wondered what I could do more usefully.

[SallyintNorth]

Hi there!    Not sure why we hadn't seen your post and said Hi before this, sorry 'bout that.  We are usually a pretty welcoming bunch! 

I used to be north of Hadrian's Wall myself, and loved driving southeast across the tops to Weardale and places.  So I can imagine the type of ground it is.

Down here we talk sheep/acre, up there it's acres/sheep  

So one thing your 4 acres could do is be a bit of extra summer grazing for one of your neighbours.  A few ewes and lambs in summer, maybe.  And / or perhaps somewhere to keep a few tups in winter after they've finished their work.

But if you want your own livestock, then the simplest thing would be to buy a few weaned lambs off a neighbour each year and fatten them up.  Or even get into having a few orphan lambs and rearing them yourself, but it's always a good idea to learn a bit about keeping lambs by getting some weaned ones the first time.

Did you have any ideas yourself?  Anything you have had a hankering for?

[Possum]

Definitely weaned lambs for a couple of years before raising orphans. We were nearly retired when we started raising sheep. The four-hourly orphan feeds during the night were shattering. Something that is easy in your 20's and 30's is a whole lot harder in your late 50's........