Farmer Focus: Wild camping trip is a tonic after a difficult year
John Pawsey © Jason Bye I refuse to look at my entry for last year, as, no doubt, I will replicate it here as there’s not a lot to do on an organic arable farm in late June and early July.
It’s all about waiting for the crops to ripen, lambs to put on weight, and take that promised holiday to get yourself harvest fit, at least in a head-check kind of a way.
There are, of course, the two great alternative farming festivals that happen during this time of farming limbo, Groundswell and National Organic Cereals.
Harvest 24: Contractor seeks OSR replacer after poor crop
About the author
The Royston event has become a compulsory event in the calendar for the Shimpling Park Farm team; it is our spiritual home.
Joe Strummer of The Clash used to create his own encampment at Glastonbury called Strummerville where he and his collaborators would congregate and enjoy a herbal experience or, as we call it, a SAM3.
Shimplingville has been shaping up nicely at Groundswell in honour of the king of punk.
Alice and my “promised holiday” ended up being a camping trip in the Lake District facilitated by a company that engages with farmers to give up a beautiful remote spot on their farm for escapees like Alice and I, called Wild With Consent.
Staying on other people’s farms might be considered a busman’s holiday, but camping with no facilities, in nature, invariably with no or little phone signal with just each other to talk to was a tonic after a difficult year.
Now home, harvest has just started, but I am going to save my thoughts on that for my next submission when, weather permitting, I should have a better handle on what that looks like.
I am under no illusion that the results are going to be something to celebrate, but I am still hoping for some unexpected positive surprises.
