FARM DESCRIPTION

 

The Farm of Garth straddles the end of the north west peninsula of Shapinsay, covering some 129 acres or 53 hectares in “foreign”. The first view of Garth as you come towards the end of the west side road on a clear sunny day is enchanting surrounded as it as by the limitless blue of sea and sky. The farm has the sea for a neighbour on its west and east sides- some four miles of coastline.

     

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The farm encompasses a wide range of habitats and enjoys acting as host to a vast number of different birds and plants. As recognition of this parts of the farm have, in the past,  been accepted into agric-environmental grant schemes. These schemes aimed to either develop certain habitats or enhance those already existing up on the farm. The principal ways that this was done was to restrict farming activities in those areas. For instance grazing was limited to certain times of the year and also in the amount of livestock that could be put to graze a field. Other activities such as rolling the fields or cutting them prior to harvest had to be done by a certain date or only after a certain date. There were also  limits on the drainage works that could be done. Currently ( July 2010) the farm is not in in any agri-environmental schemes but the farm is eligible for both LFASS and SFP.

 

All the fields-Quarry, Corner, Front, Barn Sheet. Poorie, Vaedi- we use to take winter fodder from were within the grassland for birds scheme. The aim of this scheme was to limit the disturbance to ground nesting birds. So the fields could not be cut until after 15 July- August 1 if corncrakes have been heard on the farm- and when they were cut they had to be opened up from the middle of the field thus leaving the standing grass as cover for the birds to escape into.

 

Several fields- Spring, Moss and part of Black Miers are wetland fields. To be deemed such they need to have areas of standing water for most of the year. This helps maintain high populations of insects which are a major food source for growing chicks. The high water table in these fields encourages acidic conditions which prevents the invasion of more vigorous grasses and allows increasingly uncommon wetland plants to survive. Obviously these fields were not allowed to be drained and any drainage works undertaken on the farm could not divert water from these fields. These fields could not then  be grazed from April 15 to July 15 to allow the grasses and plants to seed and outwith these dates could only be grazed at a low density. As an indication of how farming priorities have changed a previous farmer spent thousands trying to drain Moss: nature won out as the field is the natural drain for the farm. On the old maps it forms a major part of the Moss of Waltness.

 

The major part of Black Miers is classed as species-rich grassland. Grazing was only permitted between 15 July and 31 October again to give the grasses the best chance to seed fully. The west and east coasts together with the Point which occupies some 16 hectares on the northern reaches of the farm are classed as coastal heath land. This could only be grazed in September and October. Previously it was grazed by sheep but we have found it impossible to keep our sheep out there – as they do not mind walking along the stony beach they tend to head south to other parts of the island. So we now graze it with cattle and a grand job they do of it. The sheep had left some areas completely untouched and so the old grasses just became matted and tussocky. The cattle got into these and broke them up allowing other species a chance. There are orchids appearing where there did not used to be any and big clumps of yellow irises which look stunning when they are in flower.

 

Finally there is a small coppice we planted during our first spring here just below the steading. Some 250 trees were planted, mainly willow-goat and eared- and alder but also wych elm, downy birch, rowan, ash, wild cherry, hawthorn, elderberry and aspen. They have done well especially the willow which has reached a height of 5-6ft. Last year there was a pheasant nesting down there. An unexpected bonus of the willow has been the lowering of the water table in the immediate vicinity –they consume a phenomenal; amount of water. This in turn has lead to the drying up of the lochan in Lochan- except in this winter which has been incredibly wet- which was not shown as a permanent feature on the maps but had become one.

 

Along with the diversity of habitats and species on Garth, there are also several features of historical interest. There is a burnt mound just below the steading, close to where the trees are planted. Out on the Point there are a number of sub peat structures thought to date back to the Bronze Age. Obviously there is little to see of these but it is enough to fire the imagination, especially when you remember that the sea was the “road” and shift your thinking accordingly. Another spark to the flame is a couple of names on the farm map: the Black hole of Yeldan, the Boat of Bredibir – I would love to know who these two were and the significance of these places being attached to them. Why Yeldan’s Black hole? Did he bury something in it? On purpose? By accident? What did Bredibir do to his boat? Set it alight? Sink it in the sea just below that spot? The beauty is we will never know…