The very special northern hay meadows at Bowber Head Farm near Ravenstonedale are looking at their most spectacular at this time of year, rich in wildflowers and alive with the buzz and flutter of pollinating insects. We invite you come and enjoy them at a week-long series of public events, held in collaboration with the Westmorland Dales Landscape Partnership, from Saturday 2 to Friday 8 July.  

Footpaths will be marked out through the glorious hay meadows at Bowber Head Farm for you to walk at your leisure. The site will be open for drop-in visitors every day throughout the week from 10.00am to 4.00pm.

There will also be a series of public events including wildlife walks with experts, inspirational art and creative writing activities (including Julia Garner, Artist-in-Residence for our 60^th Anniversary,) and an introduction to wildlife photography.

Some of the highlights of the week include:

2, 4 & 6 July: Wildflower meadows walk – a two-hour walk in the company of Andrew Walter, Reserves Officer for Cumbria Wildlife Trust, who will tell you how the meadows are being managed and restored. Book here. 

3 July: Marvellous Meadows wildlife safari – children will enjoy this free event, hunting for wildflowers and minibeasts, playing sensory games and trying their hand at stream-dipping. Organised by Westmorland Dales Landscape Partnership. Book here,

4, 5 July: Marvellous Meadows: a creative celebration of nature – Drop in and get creatively inspired by nature, with artist Julia Garner and writer Susan Cartwright-Smith. With activities for the young (and young at heart), free, booking not required. 

7 July: Wildlife photography workshop – with professional photographer Andrew Heptinstall. If you’re baffled by your DSLR camera and want to learn how to use it to capture nature and wildlife, this beginners’ workshop is ideal for you. Book here.

Another highlight of the week is a free hay meadows exhibition, organised through the Westmorland Dales Landscape Partnership, open Saturday 2 to Friday 8 July, 10.00am to 4.00pm. It will show historic hay time photographs, as well as wildflower photographic images, films and memorabilia from the last 100 years. The exhibition includes this photo from Ravenstonedale Parish History Group, dating from the early 1900s, which shows Maud Frankland ‘strewing’ or ‘breaking out’ at High New House, Ravenstonedale. ‘Strewing’ was spreading out the new-mown hay evenly with a forward and backward stroke of the rake.

Bowber Head Farm was owned by the Frankland family. In 2020 it was transferred to Cumbria Wildlife Trust in lieu of Inheritance Tax, as part of the settlement of the estate of Juliet Frankland who died in 2013.

Andrew Walter, Reserves Officer for Cumbria Wildlife Trust said: “This is a fantastic opportunity to come and appreciate these very special hay meadows at Bowber Head Farm, while they’re at their best. Whether you want to book on to one of our special events, enjoy the hay meadows exhibition or do a self-directed walk around the specially-opened up routes around the nature reserve, we look forward to welcoming you and telling you more about why we’re saving this important habitat.” 

Andrew continued: “The meadows here cover 12 hectares and they’re as important as they are beautiful. Northern hay meadows like these support a huge wealth of plants. We estimate there are as many as 208 plant species here! They contain an exceptionally rare mix of flowers, such as wood crane’s-bill, melancholy thistle, great burnet, saw-wort and lady’s mantles. Sadly only 900 hectares of upland hay meadows survive across the counties of northern England today, so we’re working with local farmers and organisations, such as the Westmorland Dales Landscape Partnership, to bring these meadows back to top condition for wildlife.”