Open Farm Everyday
The farm has an extensive range of permissive footpaths, which offer circular walks ranging from a short stroll to a full blown hike. It’s a privilege to live on such a lovely farm and its one that we like to share as widely as possible.
For our part, all we ask is for a few important points to be borne in mind:
For dog walkers, please carry a poop bag and use it. Apart from keeping the paths in good order for other users, there are potentially serious problems that the cattle can succumb to if dog owners choose not to carry their responsibilities and instead happen to leave them in the fields.
We invest a lot of time and effort in encouraging our brown hares and ground nesting birds, and all that work can so easily be undone if dogs are not kept under close control.
Similarly, there are cows with young calves on the farm and like most mums, they can be very protective if they see a wolf eying up their little daisy for lunch, even if the “wolf” is the softest Labrador in the world, those same basic instincts still kick in. We spend a lot of time talking to our cows – some say more than we should – and they are fairly chilled creatures as a result, so we hope everyone does their bit to keep theirs a happy, safe place to raise their kids.
Wildlife
We are fortunate to have such a wide range of habitats to support wildlife on the farm. Streams, ponds, a former clay pit, a disused railway line and old limestone workings are all managed in ways to make the most of what they can offer for insects, birds and mammals.
Our Organic system of farming means that the food networks necessary to support wildlife are interwoven with the areas we use for producing crops and growing grass. Within the cereal fields that grow the wheats and oats, you will also find plants that would be easy to dismiss as simply “weeds” but they are as important for feeding the wildlife as the crops are for feeding us.
Every aspect of what we do at The Grange is a partnership, and managing our wildlife is no exception. We are extremely fortunate to have our very own dedicated “Grange Rangers” in the form of Pete and Jackie Murray who make a huge contribution to what we do; from an annual spring clean of the nesting boxes to monitoring our butterfly and day moth populations.
LB5K Farm Run
Once a year, we give the permissive footpaths an extra special spruce up to welcome runners from all over the country who gather to take part in Little Bytham’s famous LB5K Farm Run. We usually organise this over the May Spring Bank Holiday, when many of the wildflowers are looking their best.
Proceeds from the Farm Run go to support the Lincs Air Ambulance; an emergency service that is so vital to rural areas like ours and which relies entirely upon voluntary support.
LB5K Farm Run
Once a year, we give the permissive footpaths an extra special spruce up to welcome runners from all over the country who gather to take part in Little Bytham’s famous LB5K Farm Run. We usually organise this over the May Spring Bank Holiday, when many of the wildflowers are looking their best.
Proceeds from the Farm Run go to support the Lincs Air Ambulance; an emergency service that is so vital to rural areas like ours and which relies entirely upon voluntary support.