Lowther Estate and its Rewilding Programme

Beavers are another species that is now calling Cumbria its home. The estate is one of a handful of sites allowed to reintroduce beavers, under licence, in to large enclosures. Discrete fencing has to be in place to contain the animals at present but already these furry “lumberjacks” are making a difference. By felling trees, the beavers build up dams in which to live, which in turn affects the water levels and new wetland areas are created. We were lucky enough to be shown an area where there is beaver activity and they have created what looks like their very own “infinity pool”! These new wet areas also encourage other species such as lapwing and a variety of insects and curlews are also returning to the valley.

Following lunch at the café, we headed out into the grounds adjacent to the ruined fairytale castle to see some of the work being done to restore areas such as the Japanese Garden, complete with two lovely new, contemporary styled tea houses; the rose garden, designed by Dan Pearson taking inspiration from the tale of Sleeping Beauty and the Iris Garden. The exhibition about the estate, housed in some of the castle buildings, has been redesigned and helps tell the story of this extraordinary estate.

All in all, a fascinating day with plenty to keep an eye on over the coming years as the project continues to develop and evolve. Our thanks to all the staff and volunteers for sharing these exciting plans with us.

Lowther Estates is the host partner for an ambitious Landscape Recovery Project, stretching from Penrith to Kendal and with a twenty year timescale. It will tap into new agricultural funding and focus on helping nature restoration work in a successful way for landowners, farmers and biodiversity. Much of the land is under tenancy agreements and plans are being developed to establish different models for moving forward as the tenancies come up for review. “One size” does not fit all in this large scale plan and there needs to be sympathetic discussions between all parties to ensure the best way forward.

We headed out on to the estate where we could see the positive effects of tree regeneration, using tree guards that deter cattle from rubbing against them, and it was interesting to hear that many of the fences were being taken down from around the estate allowing more freedom of movement for cattle. This was managed using “invisible fences” which allowed areas to be delineated plotted using computer technology and cattle were fitted with electronic devices that emit a small alarm call if beasts wander too close to this “fence”. If ignored, the cattle received a small electric shock, prompting them to move along. This means that grazing can be managed in a way that allows areas of grassland to rest/recover without the need to manually move the cattle to different fields. The estate has British Longhorn cattle as well as Tamworth pigs and some fell ponies, all of which are helping to increase the diversity of the grassland.

As well as managing livestock, the project is looking at the reintroduction of species that you might not initially associate with Cumbria – such as the white stork! However, these birds were at one time not uncommon and it is the change in habitats that has led to the disappearance of them from our countryside. Lowther Estates has a small captive group which it hopes will breed on the estate so eventually the birds know Cumbria as home and will return from their migratory flights to the same site in future years.