[Small Plot Big Ideas]

It is looking increasingly likely that we could buy a 15-20 acre property which is about 1000ft above sea level (on the side of a hill) however, given our complete lack of smallholding experience, we are concerned about the impact the altitude on our future efforts/prospects.

I know that this is by no means the "worst" situation to make a start at smallholding and there are many other positives about this particular property (i.e. existing facilities and outbuildings). We also have other properties on our short list but these are much less "interesting" to me for the moment.

Are we worrying about nothing or have we missed some really obvious things to consider about moving to a place which is (relatively) high up? Bearing in mind that we currently live in a normal suburban house almost at sea level and our only experience so far is 3 back garden chickens and a few raised veg beds!   

[Berkshire Boy]

Mad always helps. We are about 1000 ft up in mid Wales and doesn't cause us any particular problems. The snow may be a bit thicker and the rain a bit wetter but that's about it.
Our land is fairly level which is good but all the animals are hardy and spend the winters out.
Good luck and welcome to the mad world of smallholding.

[Fleecewife]

Looking at your profile, you seem to be somewhere in the region of Whitley Bay.  Is the possible smallholding near there?  As well as elevation, latitude plays a part and local climate is all.  So the first thing to do is to find out more about that.  Just as at sea level, a frost pocket or lack of one is significant.  Wind direction and protection will be very significant - if you are in the lea of woodland for example, life will be much easier than if you are fully exposed.
If the area you are looking at is prone to heavy snow and is along an unpaved track, with just you at the end, you will be snowed in each winter, or need your own heavy equipment to keep the track clear.  If on the other hand you are right beside a school bus route or a milk collection route then the road will probably be cleared for you.
 
Length of growing season is important, so you need to know the dates of the first and last expected frosts of the year for that specific location.
 
Soil at elevation and in areas of high rainfall can be awful - acid and thin - to assess this see what native plants and what crops grow in the area and check their preferred growing conditions.  We were very lucky - our smallholding is at 1000' in southern Scotland, which you would expect to be barren moorland good only for forestry.  However, we are also on a volcanic ridge so the soil over most of our holding is wonderful volcanic stuff, not very deep but perfectly formed     We have no wind protection though so we had to grow our own, in the form of hedging and patches of coppice.  Trees take a long time to grow so initially we put up 2m high windbreak netting to give our enterprise a start.  Now the shelter we have grown is making an enormous difference to our new micro climate.
 
Ultimately, whether your proposed new holding will suit you will depend on what you want to do with it.  If you just want to keep sheep then you will find a breed naturally adapted for any situation.  If on the other hand you want to grow exotic salads for the restaurant trade you would be better off at sea level.   We had certain plans in mind when we bought our smallholding 17 years ago, but had to adapt our plans almost immediately to accommodate circumstances - I think this flexibility is very important in making your place a success.

[Small Plot Big Ideas]

Thanks for the comments!


This property is in the North Pennines and is sheltered by some well established woodland on one side and the rising land to the hill top on the other so I'm hopeful that we won't be making a big mistake! Of course if the wind comes from the south then we're out of luck


Luckily I can handle the numerous and inevitable small mistakes we are bound to make in the future 

[SallyintNorth]

Check the rainfall if you can - where we are, the rainfall is disproportionately high for the area, due to a combination of factors including coast 15-20 miles to the west, the North Pennines to the south and the southern fringes of Kielder Forest to the north.

If you are moving west from the East coast the rainfall will be much higher than you are used to.  The prevailing wind is probably west/southwest, so you could get a lot of rain coming at you.  It will be very windy too I would imagine from how you describe it.  The altitude, the height and the wind could make it several degrees colder than where you are at the moment.

We can no longer grow any kind of field crop here - too wet, too windy and too cold.   

All of which said, if it still looks good to you - the very best of luck and let us know how you get on!