Our Farm
Plover Hall is a small upland farm in Teesdale.
Our 120 acres of “severely disadvantaged” land run up from the River Greta to the foot of Scargill Moor at 1000 feet. All of our land is permanent pasture, (the underlying rock makes ploughing virtually impossible), divided into small, irregular and mostly sloping fields by dry stone walls. Because of our mixed geology, some walls are Dales-type limestone, some sandstone (flatter and more regular golden stones), plus a lot of heavy boulders left by the retreating glacier.
Mature oaks, ash, sycamore and scots pine stand tall, but stunted hawthorns, remnants old hedges, lean away from the southwest winds. On sheltered slopes, birch, rowan, hazel and aspen provide food and refuge for our abundant bird and wild life. A big pond, ditches and the more open fields are home to lapwing, curlew, snipe and, of course, golden plover, and are scoured by raptors and owls. A beautiful pastoral setting, with stunning views, yet easily accessible from the trans-pennine A66.
We rent land at nearby Mortham Tower, quiet meadows where the River Greta tumbles into the Tees. Here, in lower, flatter and slightly warmer fields, our ewes spend the winter and give birth to their lambs from mid March into April.
