Find out about their unique characteristics, history, and the challenges they face in their rugged mountain habitat
If you’ve spent time the Lake District, chances are you’ll have spotted some unusual looking sheep, notable for their distinctively coloured wool.
These are a breed called Herdwick and their ancestors have been roaming the fells in this region for hundreds of years. Read on to find out more.
Where does their name come from?
From the Norse word for pasture, ‘herdvyck’, indicating their Scandinavian heritage.
What colour are Herdwick sheep?
Herdwick sheep typically have a distinctive blue-gray or slate-gray coat.
This colouration helps them camouflage in the rugged, mountainous terrain where they are often found.
What are Herdwick sheep used for?
Herdwick sheep are notable for being very hardy, able to survive and find nourishment from rough pasture in the most remote areas.
They are a strong and stocky sheep, but because of the low quality pasture they survive on, are slow to mature.
Their strength and agility, however, is rumoured to be one of the reasons for needing such high stone walls in some of the valley and lower areas in the Lake District.
One of the distinct things about the breed is that they are hefted (or ‘heafed’) to a particular area of common grazing lands on the top of the fells, meaning they do not stray from their area of the hills, even without fences or walls.
This knowledge is inherited by each generation, as lambing often happens later than other breeds – in April or May – and the lambs then grazed with their mothers on these hilltops. This geographic tie is one of the reasons that the breed is so concentrated in a small geographic area, although other farmers around the country have begun keeping the breed due to their hardy nature.
What are Herdwick sheep bred for?
Traditionally bred both for wool and meat, their wool is thick and course, ideal for surviving in changeable weather and remote locations.
When do Herdwick sheep lamb?
The lambs are born with black wool, which fades to a brown fleece as they get older. After their first shearing they subsequently sport the distinctive grey fleece that the breed is known for, which over the years lightens from a dark grey to a lighter shade.
On many farms, ewes will continue breeding until around 10 years old, but can live for another decade beyond this.
Which beloved children’s author kept Herdwick sheep?
The breed came to wider popularity in the 1930s when the author Beatrix Potter began breeding Herdwick sheep.
Her love of the breed was such that when she bequeathed land to the National Trust in her will, one of the stipulations was that Herdwick sheep must continue to graze the land.
Want to know more?
Read our comprehensive guide to British sheep breeds, native British cattle breeds and native British pig breeds.