Country diary: Thoughts already turn to spring – and a new bull for the farm

At this time of year, the Cumbrian farming community’s attention turns to breeding animals for the following spring – and the sale or purchase of tups and bulls. While I stood watching the Herdwick sheep classes at the Westmorland Show, another farmer casually mentioned that he had a belted galloway bull for sale. As I was driving down the Duddon Valley the following week, I saw his pickup heading towards me along the lane. We wound our windows down and he asked: “Do you want to see that bull?”

The bull in question was grazing on the top of a fell, so we jumped on to the farmer’s quad bike and drove up a steep, winding track through ancient woodland, past moss-covered walls and old, abandoned farm buildings. At the top of the fell, the woodland ended and bracken began to bash our legs as we drove past.

The cows were doing a job: to knock back the bracken on the fell top, and eventually to convert the area to grazed wood pasture as part of an environmental scheme. We had to leave the quad and walk the last few hundred metres, and, as I turned to look at the bull, the view behind him took my breath away.

The green inbye fields with grey stone walls glistened in the sun, with wooded hills opening out into the fell tops that stretched to the horizon. A panoramic view of part of the Lake District world heritage site was laid out before us.

We were not there for sightseeing, though, and so we turned our attention to the bull. He was a short, stocky type with a very clear belt – just what I was looking for. He was also friendly and had been easy to manage. I thought he would do well on our farm. After admiring the cows and calves, and making a video of everything to show my son, we began to walk back to the quad. It was such a lovely drive up there that I decided to walk back down through the woodlands, the floor soft and spongy under my feet.