County Durham (a wild and isolated county)
County Durham is a wild quite isolated county. If you like your weather cold and windy, and your nature dramatic and stormy, Durham’s your man! Home to a hilly city, just like Yorkshire, this county has its own Dales.
The coastline runs from Durham’s coastline runs from Seaham to Crimdon (where miners would take their holidays in the 1920s – it’s now home to breeding little terns, so never disturb them).
West Durham is home to Hamsterley Forest, 2000 acres of marked trails with lovely views, and summer wildflower meadows.
When out walking, always follow the Countryside Code, to keep all creatures safe. If at the coast, read our post on keeping dogs safe by the seaside.
Durham has a lot of wild sheep, and some can fall over in heavy rain, and can’t get back up again. So learn how to right an overturned sheep or it will die. Just firmly turn it back up, then hold upright until rain has drained off.
If you see a sheep on its back (often due to waterlogged wool but sometimes being pregnant), it’s important to quickly turn it upright, or it will die. If you can’t find a farmer, simply approach and firmly but gentle grab a handful of wool, and right it up.
Stay with the sheep until the rain has drained off, then tell the local farmer. The sheep won’t thank you, but will likely run off to join the flock. But you will have saved its life.
Sheepeasy is a device invented by an engineer, that makes it easy and quick to treat the feet of sheep, goats and alpacas. Regular footcare is of utmost important, especially in the Lakes, due to all the rain.
