I
PICK UP two strands of wool from the farmyard and ask Ruth in
the Wensleydale
Longwool Sheep Shop, near Leyburn, if this is just as they come from
the sheep. The contrasting colour and the twist give the impression that
they
have already been through some process but, no; the sheep have masses
of these thick, fleecy dreadlocks in either 'black' (in fact dark brown)
or white. They have
a slate blue face.
The Wensleydale Longwool
Sheep dates from 1839 and was first
exhibited at the Yorkshire Show
in 1876.
Foot-and-Mouth
The
small flock is grazing at the far side of a nearby field but because
of the latest foot-and-mouth restrictions announced
yesterday I decide not to walk across to get a closer view. In the 2001
foot-and-mouth outbreak,
101 longwool sheep were slaughtered; 6% of the breed total.
There’s no good time for a foot-and-mouth outbreak, but for sheep farmers the restrictions on animal movement couldn't have come at a worse point in the season; it's the traditional time to sell sheep and to buy in new tups (rams).
The flock I drew had recently been sheared . . .
brrrr!
baaah! (actually they didn't make a sound as I drew, in contrast to
most sheep, especially when the lambs are about).
The
crags above West Witton are typical of the Yoredale
Series of limestones, shales and sandstones, alternating
in hard and soft layers to give rise to the long scars along the edge
of the dale. Yoredale is the old name for Wensleydale; there's no River
Wensley; the River Ure gave rise to the old name.
Yorkshire
Curd Tart