"Thanks for a great time, the children really enjoyed it learnt loads"
The aim for the livestock shows in the arena is to help educate about why the Lake District looks like it does … a working landscape.
You’ll be introduced to the some of the different types of livestock we have on the farm and hear about the important role that they play in shaping and maintaining this beautiful vista that millions come to see each year, and that is now a World Heritage Site.
Enjoy demonstrations from Isaac which will change depending on the time of year and to reflect life on a traditional Lake District farm.
Our unique purpose-build dry stone walling stations are a great way to learn this age-old Lake District tradition and gain a new skill. It’s great for most ages and a fantastic family, or team building activity.
NEW ‘All Round’ Farm Experience
This new activity is great for the whole family and gives an insight into different areas of farming life.
Daily at 11am
Approximately 45 mins.
Only 6 families (to keep social distancing)
£5 per person or £15 a family
(2 adults and 2 children)
Bookings essential
Call to book – 07503 054 762
Dry stone walling is a traditional farming skill that has been passed down through the generations for 100’s of years, and is important for stock control and safety, and have marked the Lake District landscape throughout history. What is a dry stone wall? It’s simple … it’s a wall built without any cement, and is held together by carefully choosing the placing the right stones, using the right technique. A well-built dry stone wall should last a generation and many in the Lakes have been standing for a lot longer.
Ever wondered what’s involved with this traditional skill? With our expert-lead dry stone walling experience, you can find out. Isaac has been building and mending dry stone walling on Lakeland farms his whole life.
The experience is great for all ages and abilities and is a great family activity or team building event.
The activity is done inside at our purpose-build walling space. At the start of the session you will receive walling tuition and shown how to wall and the steps involved to complete a wall gap. Then, with the knowledge you will set off to complete your own wall gap. You will be left with the challenge then you can receive feedback as you finish.
Drystone walling is an important skill to have on any Lakeland farm as the walls are important to keep livestock safe. Join our expert waller and learn the basics and build your own drystone wall. This experience is great fun for all ages and abilities.
The technique for building a decent dry stone wall hasn’t really changed for hundreds of years. People may have different names for some of the key elements, but fundamentally they are the same, and have the same job.
1 – Prepare the area
As when building anything, a good strong foundation is key. Prepare the ground and mark out the area that you’ll build the wall on with string or chalk lines. Sort your stones into piles of large, medium and small stones.
2 – Lay your foundations
Dig a trench that will hold your foundation stones. I doesn’t need to be too deep 6 – 12″ should be enough. Lay your largest stones as your foundation, as they will support the wall. Fill any gaps with smaller stones.
3- Building the layers (courses)
Your wall should be built to form an A shape, you may want to use an A-frame as a guide. Build your layers up, laying your ‘pinning’ stones flat. Always make sure the stones touch and cross joins in the layer below.
4 – Build strength into your wall
To keep your wall stable so it will last a lifetime, you need to fill any gaps with smaller stones (fillers / hearting) which will bind the wall together. As the wall rises, you will need to place ‘through stones’ into the wall, at regular intervals. Through stones extend the entire width of the wall and will hold both sides of the wall together.
5 – The finishes touches
The Topstone (also called Coping or Cam Stones) are places on the top of the wall and should be large flat stones. These are laid upright and should span the width of the wall
Please get in touch with us. You can provisionally book your preferred activity and time slot before, or just ask us a question.
Please give us a ring if you’d like to discuss anything – 07503 054762
Lakeland Farm Visitor Centre, Meadow Bank Farm, Ings, Kendal, LA8 9QF
