A wild farm
A regenerating landscape
320 acres of regenerating wildlife habitat, pedigree Hereford cattle & rare breed Eriskay ponies. Wander through a mosaic of habitats, from ancient hedgerows and new woodland, to wildflower meadows and restoring wetlands. As well as the public footpaths & bridleways there are also a series of private footpaths exclusively for guests to explore across the farm (see the map here).
One of our favourite sights walking around the farm is all the natural regeneration of trees such as oak, hazel, ash, willow, and hawthorn. However, as well as letting nature do its thing, we’ve also been giving it a helping hand by planting 130,000 trees across 32 different species, restoring 800 metres of hedgerow, blocking up drainage channels to re-wet the wetlands, and introducing cattle to speed up re-establishing the wildflower meadows. With each passing year we are recording more insects, birds and mammals and seeing new green shoots appearing all over the farm.
The hilly terrain, Lofftwen tops out at 430m or 1400ft, is tough on the thighs but easy on the eyes, and the higher you climb the better the views across to the Epynt towards the Brecon Beacons and Black Mountain ranges. Rather than marching straight to the top though, we advise taking the scenic route with plenty of rest stops on the way to admire the views, which seem to change with each metre climbed. If you are prepared for an early start, then the sunrises are spectacular.
About the farm
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Trees
130,000 trees across 32 different species . As the altitude changes so do the trees, with species such as willow, hazel and ash giving way to Scots pine, birch and rowan, which is also known as mountain ash.
Did you know that deadwood can sustain twice as much life as a living tree? That’s why you’ll see plenty of deadwood as well as living trees around the farm.
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Plants, mosses & grasses
More than 65 wild flowering plants and mosses have been identified at Lofftwen. Some have wonderful names such as ragged robin and bog asphodel.
Over 30 types of deep-rooting grasses, sedges and rushes at Lofftwen pull carbon out of the atmosphere and store it underground in our soils. If managed sensitively, grasslands have the potential to be one of the world’s most effective carbon sinks in tackling climate change.
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Lichens & fungi
Lichens are remarkable organisms arising from a symbiotic association between fungi and green alga and/or cyanobacteria. The resulting composite has different properties from its component parts and are a potential source for new antibiotics. Their presence is an excellent indicator of water and air quality.
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Birds
More than 65 different bird species have been identified at Lofftwen. Some stay with us all year (wrens and bluetits) while others migrate in line with the seasons. These migrations can cover vast distances, with some birds (cuckoo, pied flycatcher) travelling thousands of miles.
Birds are one of the best indicators of the health of our ecosystems because so many of them rely on insects in their diet, particularly during bird nesting season. But whereas insects are small and difficult to see, lots of birds means a healthy supply of insects.
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Animals
Hedgehog, badger, fox, stoat, weasel, roe deer, field mouse, mole, shrew, common pipistrelle, rabbit and hare are just some of the animals we’ve seen at Lofftwen. Although many are nocturnal, being creatures of habit they create tracks through the long grasses, perfect for placing camera traps.
Our cattle play a crucial role in wildlife conservation, rebuilding soils while creating disturbances for wildflowers, food for insects and nesting material for birds. Our breeding program is helping Eriskay pony numbers who are classified as critically endangered by the Rare Breed Survival Trust.
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Insets
It is easy to think of insects as pests, especially the bitey ones! But without them our ecosystems would collapse. They are our life support systems, and reversing their rapid decline should be a key priority.
Bees are valuable pollinators, but did you know that flies are by far the most important, providing one out of every three mouthfuls of our food depends on these pollinators.