Joe and Jane have been farming Wolfscote Grange for 15 years. Wolfscote is an old farmstead with a history dating back to the 12th Century and the present upland cattle and sheep farm extends over 153.3 hectares (378 acres). We try to balance farming practices with wildlife conservation.

The Farm

• We have 70 suckler cows - Sucklers are cows that graze the pastures suckling their own calf until they are weaned at 9 months.
• We have two Limousin bulls named Jordon and Orinoco, plus a young Charolais bull called Charlie.
• The sheep flock has 500 Mule ewes and their lambs. a Mule is a cross breed of Swaledale and Blue-faced Leicester.
• We have a dozen Suffolk Tups (Rams).
• Of course we have a faithful sheepdog called Kodiac (actually our 4x4 ATV Motor bike) and friendly Ben the sheepdog. Also our small pets - rabbit Flopsie, kitten Tilly and guinea pigs.

Wolfscote Farm Trail has been designed for you to enjoy the beautiful scenery of the White Peak around the River Dove as it passes through picturesque Beresford and Wolfscote Dales. It offers an opportunity to see farming on a traditional Peak District sheep and cattle farm. There is an archaeological site and lots of wild flowers, birds and animals to see.

Freedom to roam with nothing to disturb the peace but sheep, birds and the occasional hare.

• The Farm Trail begins in the farmyard.
• Two generations of the Gibbs family have lived and worked at the Wolfscote Grange Farm. During medieval times monastic sheep farms -'granges' - were established on the plateau land above the dales.
• The datestone above the front door of the house is 1649 bearing the name Bateman. The Batemans owned Hartington Hall and many farms in the district at this time. Now some of the land farmed at Wolfscote Grange is owned by the National Trust.

Wolfscote Grange

Wolfscote Dale

• Below the sheep pens take the stile to the edge of Wolfscote Dale. The river meanders 325ft below through the valley. The view is breathtaking.
• The River Dove flows southwards from its source on the moors above Buxton. Between Hartington and Thorpe it has cut its way through the Limestone rock of the White Peak to form a dramatic steep-sided valley. The result is some of the most spectacular scenery in Derbyshire and it is all on the doorstep!
• Pretty purple orchids, yellow cowslips, herbs, grasses and wild sage flowers cover the dale at certain times of the year. Interesting insects such as colourful moths, grasshoppers, butterflies and a nationally rare woodlouse find food and shelter in the dale grassland.

Stand still, listen to the silence and the song of the grasshopper. Take home with you the memory of this wildlife-rich grassland and riverside with its dippers, moorhens and kingfishers.

• Carry on through the gate and past the shelter belt. This is a managed woodland replanted with sycamore, beech and ash in 1999 as part of our farm conservation plan. Under the trees the woodland has reverted to its natural state making a perfect habitat for wildlife. It also gives the farm shelter from northerly winds.
• The curious small holes in the walls, known as cripper gaps, allow small animals such as rabbits, badgers, hedgehogs and foxes to pass through the wall. There is a new stone wall surrounding this plantation which was built in 1999 and cost in the region of £5,500.
• Head up Wolfscote Hill to the ancient monument (following the signs) to Wolfscote Bowl Barrow. 18th Century excavations of this mound revealed a roofless cist (stone box) containing two child skeletons and food vessels from the Bronze Age. A trigonometry point at 1300ft stands above the mound and you can see the spires of seven churches from this view point.

Sheep in our fields above Wolfscote Grange

You can just look in all directions and see our beautiful world - the Derbyshire Dales stretch up to the purple heather covered moorlands and below the River Dove wanders through the valley.

River Dove

Cowslips