England's Hardiest (and Smiliest) Sheep

An introduction to the Herdwick

Photo by Chandler Media on Unsplash

High up on windswept Brim Fell, 796 metres above Coniston Water in the Lake District, a small flock of ruddy grey sheep is grazing the rough grass up near the summit. The wind is battering the fell hard; hard enough to keep intrepid walkers down on lower levels, yet these sheep don’t seem to bat an eyelid. They have felt the wind’s fury before; and they will feel it again. Unperturbed, they go on munching away.

These are the hardy, smiley, Herdwick sheep.

One thing strikes you as odd. There is no fence or wall to hem them in — they are seemingly roaming wild and free. And in a sense, they are. They can roam wherever they like, it’s just they choose not to. They are compelled to stay on their allotted patch of fell by an ancient instinct that has been passed down throughout the generations from ewe to lamb. They are hefted to their heaf, and the vast majority of them¹ will not stray beyond the invisible boundaries of their home fell. This ancient practice of hefting is a fundamental part of the Lake District’s heritage and is integral to how this ancient agrarian society functions.