CHRIS Berry talks with brothers Tom & Mark Willoughby of Woodend Farm

Finding the right way forward for a Wensleydale farm has seen brothers Tom and Mark Willoughby embrace new ideas to diversify their income from purely traditional farming .

Woodend Farm at Redmire runs to around 450 acres and a breeding flock of 650 ewes . The farm had been built up by their parents Colin and Janet since they had left the pub in the village The Bolton Arms , 35 years ago .

“ I see diversification as part of the ever-changing landscape ,” says Mark . “ Farmers have always had to adapt to change , which is what we have been doing in the face of everything from Brexit to Covid and changes to agricultural policy . It has never been more important to plan ahead .

“ Farming is facing change and doing nothing , for us , wasn ’ t an option . We ’ ve had to do what we have done .

Mark primarily looks after the diversifications that have been made which

include digger hire , drainage and agricultural contracting ; the livery yard and the glamping pods that first opened for business in 2019 .

Tom works with his father Colin on the farm while also carrying out his duties as a director of Hawes Farmers Livestock Market and chairman of the Hawes branch of the North of England Mule Sheep Association .

It ’ s a family partnership between Colin , Janet , Mark and Tom that was once a dairy farm as well as being home to the sheep .

“ We had a herd of 40 dairy cows and used to supply milk to Wensleydale Creamery in Hawes ,” says Tom . “ We came out of dairying when the milking parlour was at the end of its life .

Tom had studied for his HND in agriculture and hill farming at Newton Rigg and has been working at the farm ever since he completed his studies . Mark studied environmental science at Lancaster University .

Mark had always had an interest in farm machinery and now combines his time between driving tractors for

contractors such as Parkinson ’ s

Drainage and Bruce Greenwood of Walburn

Hall ; hiring out diggers ; the 14 stables that make up the DIY livery ; and the 3 glamping pods .

Mark says he is delighted with the way their Staycation accommodation has gone so far , despite not having been open as much at first as they had anticipated due to Covid restrictions .

“ Our website www . wensleydaleglamping . co . uk has been visited tens of thousands of times and we are now receiving bookings all the time . Visitors love the underfloor heating and jacuzzis , and that they are individual , self-contained units . We love sharing our beautiful corner of Wensleydale .

“ One of the reasons we have gone this way is because we live in such a wonderful area that people love to come and stay , but another is that we are planning as much as we can for two or three years ’ time when it looks as though we will have to farm without subsidies .

“ The Staycation market is booming at present and one of the positive sides of the pandemic has been that people have returned to holidaying in the UK . I don ’ t see that changing now as a new generation has fallen in love with the countryside and has found that you can have a cracking holiday in this country and still have a week or two away abroad .

The sheep enterprise at Woodend is made up of 400 Swaledales that are all crossed to the Bluefaced Leicester to produce the North of England Mule ; 80 Dalesbreds crossed to the Teeswater that produce the Masham ; 120 Texel X ewes ; and two smaller flocks of 25 Bluefaced Leicesters to produce tups ; and 6 Teeswaters for the same purpose of producing tups .

“ We lamb from around 10 January , to produce lambs for the Easter market , right through to the middle of May ,” says Tom . “ The early lambers go through to the end of February ; the Leicesters start in late February ; and the Swaledales from

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Proud to support Tom & Mark Willoughby and Woodend Farm , wishing them continued success .

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