Farming Common land and fell ground

[Swaley]

Hello all,
I am just a young lad who is interested in hill or fell farming. Just wanting to know do many fell farms come up for rent and also does common grazing ever come available for rent or am I mad, i would be massively interested in your answers and opinions. And also would you suggest going and getting abit of experience on a fell farm before ever taking any hill ground on, I do have a good knowledge of sheep farming from living on a family sheep farm just not the the knowledge of a flock grazing fell land.
Many thanks all.

 

[Bill the Bass]

Theoretically there should be a few coming up but it depends on what happens with future support payments - landlords may try and trouser the payments in future ‘airbrushing’ tenants from the picture.

Yes, get experience particularly with working dogs, plenty fells/commons will welcome help on gathers I should think if you are genuinely interested and keen. Try federation of Cumbria commoners in the first instance. @Old Tip

 

[Old Tip]

Defiantly would need some experience before taking on a fell farming, as Bill says it’s an interesting time with a lot of uncertainty about. It’s pro probable that a few NT farms will come up in the near future but they usually have so many restrictions on them that it takes a very forward thinking tenant to make any money on them.
Other major landowners are already not re leasing farms in the intent of grabbing any ELMs money that may be available themselves and planting trees.