[clydesdaleclopper]

Land is much cheaper further north 

[Beewyched]

And colder 

[McRennet]

And further from Farmers markets!
 

[Beewyched]

AND less pig abbatoirs 

[HappyHippy]

If it's otherwise ticking all the boxes, why you don't think about planting willow - it'll dry-out the land, provide shelter to the holding, snacks for the goats, possibly start you off on a new craft & you could sell withys (income   )  and  provide you with fuel to heat the house in these lovely cold winters we get up here    15 acres is more than enough for your little herd.
Don't lose sight of your dream

I could be wrong on this (it doesn't happen often   ) Willow loves it's 'feet wet', they grow really well in damp conditions and they will supply lots of wood (6ft a year growth in some varieties) BUT the willow I have hasn't dried the ground out so don't count on it as a remedy for poor drainage or flooding, sorry  
I'm in South Lanarkshire, so a wee bit further up (but handy for Glasgow & Edinburgh ) if I hear of anything I'll let you know  
Oh found these one's http://www.lawrie-and-symington.com/lanark-property-list/ really close for abattiors AND clyde valley is good for tourists & farmers markets Can't do much about the rain or midgies - but it IS Scotland we're talking about 
I would always say buy the best land and as much of it as you can - houses and buildings can be fixed up/built relativley cheaply, compared to trying to fix rotten ground.
Karen x

[McRennet]

Ahh, interesting properties with that estate agent! I shall ring them later about one of them.

I don't want to give up hope on this peroperty but I think the head and heart are saying 2 very different things. 

Am going to do a thorough property search this week and if I can fly up again for some more viewings.
We have taken plunge and are going to put our efforts into getting our dairy herd established also. Feels good to make a decision. 

xx

[HappyHippy]

The way I kinda look at it is - humans can adapt easier to rough conditions than animals and while you've obviously got to be fit and healthy to function, your animals won't do as well on bad ground and since they'll be providing your income it makes sense to get the absolute best for them and put yourself lower down the list.
Hence why my pigs all have lovely cosy arcs, plenty of ground and good fences while we live in a bit of a guddle  I'd rather do without for myself and be sure they were 100% happy and had their needs met (hubby will testify to this  )
If you're coming to the Lanark area (I live in Lesmahagow about 7 miles away), let me know and if you've got the time I'll happilly meet up with you and give you the insider info 
Take care,
Karen 

[princesspiggy]

theres loads of smallholdings in NE scotland...and theres a abbatoir and farmers markets and rare breed market etc
    

[Anke]

Fluke is a problem in this area, my sheep have it (brought it with them...), but no worms. I treat twice annually, but not sure if goats would not be worse with it.

Also if you are planning to establish a diary herd (goats) you will need quite a good sized barn for all the damp days/snow we are getting. If there isn't one, then it may be difficult to get PP. There is on dairy nearby that manufacture now (apparently) goats cheese too, but buy the goats milk in from England....

Have fun looking, the Borders are nice and both Edinburgh and Glasgow are fairly easily reached, as is Newcastle.

[goosepimple]

Hi McR,
I also live in Borders near Lauder - can I just say that picking your site is about the most important thing you can do - keep in mind that there are a lot of sites which come up in the Borders - really, don't rush into it - one thing we did which really worked was to advertise in the Scottish Farmer and Farmers Weekly - we described ourselves as a 'considerate family' as anyone selling land / property has a vested interest in who is over their fence - we had a huge response (42 replies in total).  We bought a small farm in Jedburgh but moved to nr Lauder/Westruther to a site with a river and a water wheel which has opened up loads more possibilities (by the way you can make a water wheel if you get a river on a site which means free electricity - think of your running costs wherever you go).  Borders in land rich (there's lots of space here) and you will find sites coming up quite regularly, take your time, its expensive getting in wrong and having to uproot again.  If the site you're talking about has lots of water then look at making a pond - the costs aren't that high - around £2-3k - there's a man in Bonchester Bridge that does it.  Keep fish or swim in it or get a wee boat and have fun.  Good luck.

[clydesdaleclopper]

theres loads of smallholdings in NE scotland...and theres a abbatoir and farmers markets and rare breed market etc
    

agree with this.

have a look here for a few options http://www.stewartwatson.co.uk/search.php?pagenum=2&prop_type=type_2%2C&LowPrice=ANY&HighPrice=ANY&POA=1&AllPrice=1&Bedrooms=0&Location=all&AddressKeyWords=   

[McRennet]

AND less pig abbatoirs 

Perhaps I'll scrap my plans for Goating and start an abbatoir..................

[goosepimple]

Yes! Maybe doing things in the reverse order of the food chain would certainly add a different perspective on it.  I'll keep an eye open in the Southern Reporter by the way for anything coming up in case you don't go ahead with your existing site (property I mean - not abattoirs).   

[McRennet]

Thanks for this, I really appreciate it.
 

I think we are still pretty fixedon having the 

But seeing as I'm studying butchery, a knowledge of the local abattoirs wouldn't be a bad thing! I hope to have pigs  in order to dispose of the whey produced in cheesemaking. Once they are or a certain age, home cured bacon, chorizo, salmi, etc etc etc/.......! 

Apologies about all the images, am still getting to grips with technology!

[clydesdaleclopper]

The other plus for Aberdeenshire if you have goats is that there is a butcher in Aberdeen who will take male kids as there is a large demand for goat meat here due to the people working in the oil industry.