Education

We actively encourage educational visits to the farm. Groups are advised to contact us first. It will enhance your visit if you print a copy of the map of Keasbeck Hill Farm together with these notes. Suggested Activities on the Farm include the following ·

• History of the site and the effects of past and present human activities.
• General field studies of observation and recording. The site offers tremendous opportunity to record a variety of interesting habitats including woodland, grassland, pond and wetland.
• Discussion of measures taken to conserve valuable landscapes and habitats.
• Study of wild flowers, birds and mammals.
• Art work in the form of sketches or photography or using found natural materials.
• Map and compass work.
• Walks.
• Sitting, looking and listening.

See also
Details of walks
Walks Map.

Introduction to Keasbeck Hill Farm

Keasbeck Hill Farm lies in Harwood Dale, 7 miles north west of Scarborough, 10 miles from Whitby and about 3 miles from the east coast. The farm is within the North York Moors National Park, and covers 200 acres on the east side of Broadlands Beck and the southern slopes of Fylingdales Moor. Much of the area around the Dale is forestry. For at least four generations the farm was in the hands of the Knaggs and Simpson family who were one of the oldest farming families in the Dale. The farm had been bought from Lord Derwent when parts of the Derwent Estate were sold off and peat rights had been granted by the Lord of the Manor allowing locals from the Dale to dig peat on the moors above. The present owner, Mr. John Simpson, is a grandson of the late Mr. and Mrs. Knaggs

Conservation Areas

Mr. Simpson has developed a Whole Farm Conservation Plan for the farm, which aims to protect and enhance the conservation value of his land. This had involved him entering the land into schemes and agreements with varied organisations. In addition to Countryside Stewardship these include the Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group [FWAG), North York Moors National Park, English Nature, Forestry Authority, Rural Development Commission and the European 5B initiative and the Tourist Board.

The Countryside Stewardship Scheme

Countryside Stewardship offers payments to farmers and land managers for changes in management that will produce real benefits for the countryside. The scheme seeks to improve and conserve landscape and scenic beauty, wildlife habitats, history and archaeology and to provide opportunities for people to enjoy the countryside. The Scheme incorporates a number of management measures and capital items which can be combined to form an individual management agreement. Guidelines are agreed for managing specific landscapes and the best way of restoring, conserving or improving them. Applicants agree to enter into the agreement for 10 years. The Education Access Initiative is an option the applicant may agree to include into his individual agreement. It allows educational establishments the opportunity to visit these sites, free of charge, to better understand and appreciate the countryside.

The Farming Operation

The Simpsons have diversified the farm business, looking at ways of combining farming, conservation and tourism. The main livestock on the farm are sheep and the farm supports 700 breeding ewes. Other livestock include 60 fattening bullocks, hens, and 30 acres of corn and 26 acres of roots and brassicas. The production of hay and hayrage is the other main farming enterprise, producing up to 12,000 bales a year from the grassland to sell to farmers and horse owners. The farmhouse has been converted to a farm accommodation, and incorporates an educational centre and the Country Tea Rooms, and a future plant centre.

Wetland Area (Pl) see map

This area of wetland and scrub is being managed under a Wildlife Conservation Scheme with the North York Moors National Park. The main trees here are silver birch and rowan which are tolerant of the wet ground, the birch has been coppiced to let more light into the area and holly, oak and ash have been planted to add variety. The area supports a range of plant species including spotted orchid, foxgloves, primroses, sphagnum moss and is the only site within the North York Moors of the rare Royal Fern.

To further enhance this area a pond was created in 1993 and a fungi walk is planned.

Pond Area (PZ) The pond was created in 1990, in a naturally wet hollow and designed to blend into the landscape. The pond creation was part of an overall scheme including hedge, tree and woodland planting, see (W2) below, and was stocked with rudd, roach, bream, trout and carp by the NRA.

New Woodland (W 1) This area has also been planted with trees through a Forestry Authority Farm Woodland Scheme in 1992/93. Species as at (W2). J1 Wild grass and flower enriched grassland.

New Woodland (W2) This area was planted with broadleaves through a Forestry Authority Farm Woodland Scheme in 1990. The trees planted in this area are, oak, silver birch, common alder, rowan and hazel.

Wild Grass and Flower Enriched Grassland (Jl)
Hedgerows
Many of the hedges on the farm are being improved over the next 5 years with support from the Countryside Stewardship Scheme under the Hedgerow Incentive Scheme. Some of the hedges are being laid, while others are coppiced and gapped up. In other areas new hedges are to be planted with a mixture of species to provide an attractive boundary of conservation value.

Drystone Walls
These are a very characteristic feature of upland farms, and there are approximately 6000m of drystone walls on Keasbeck Hill Farm. These are gradually being renovated where required with National Park and MAFF assistance. You can view the stages in the construction of a drystone stone wall, at the demonstration site (D1) built by the BTCV in 1997. Note the interesting feature at (D2), a walled ditch with a hedge planted along the top. Traditionally hedge planting was carried out on the top of a soil filled wall or bank.

Objects of Stewardship
The Stewardship land at Keasbeck Hill Farm consists of around 14 hectares of grassland entered in the Upland option of the Stewardship scheme in two blocks of land (Broadlands and Cow Garth). 2.8ha's is existing grassland (G1), which is now managed less intensively and the remaining 11.2ha's (G2) is recreation of a traditional species rich meadow. On all the Stewardship land open access, as well as educational access, is encouraged.

Land management under Stewardship
Existing permanent grassland (G 1)
These meadows were already supporting a variety of wildflower and grass species, and the aim is to encourage greater diversity through appropriate management. When making hay or silage, cutting after 25 July at least 1 year in 3 allows flowers and grasses to seed. Cutting should leave a sward height of 1" - 2", as should any aftermath grazing. An annual dressing of farmyard manure (not slurry) may be applied to land for hay/silage and no pesticides or inorganic fertilisers can be applied. From 1 August to 25 March rolling and chain harrowing may be carried out. Ploughing, reseeding, drainage and other operations which may damage the wildlife interest are not allowed.

New traditional meadows (G2)
These meadows were sown with a grass and wildflower seed mixture under the Countryside Stewardship Scheme in 1992 and 1994. The mix included the following flower species: Black Knapweed, Lady's Bedstraw, Meadow Cranesbill, Burnet, Birdsfoot Trefoil, Ribwort Plantain, Cowslip, Selfheal, Meadow Buttercup, Sheep's Parsley, Caraway, Goat's Beard, Oxeye Daisy, Basil, Common Vetch, Cowslip and Wild Pansy. And the following grasses: Browntop, Meadow Foxtail, Crested Dogstail, Chewings Fescue, Slender Red Fescue, Smooth Meadow Grass and Yellow Oatgrass. After establishment the meadow is managed as above.

Historical Background

A dense covering of forest would have clothed much of this area during the Mesolithic age, mainly oak, alder, birch and hazel with some pine, elm and lime. The Neolithic period (3000 BC) brought an economy of stock rearing and grain cultivation, but most of the moorland areas were not suitable for this due to poor soil cover. Many tumuli (A) and "howes" or small hills or round barrows are in evidence all over the area. It is thought that the Bronze Age saw the de-forestation of the moors although the valleys and dales remained the same. There was a good deal of Roman occupation in the area but again the moors themselves seem to have escaped.

Around AD 500 came the Angles, and their settlement in this area is substantiated by the place names with 'leah' (meaning forest clearing) for example Thirley Cote Farm, and from this we can assume that forest regeneration had taken place.

The Benedictine Abbey at Whitby held land as far south as Hackness and evidence for this can be seen in Grange Farm and Grange Wood, with Granges acting as outposts for the farming economy of the monastery. The remains of a lime kiln are evident just south of Grange Farm. One of the fields on the farm has the name 'Cowgate Slack' which means 'Cow rent' originating from time when all the valley and dale was rented to the Priory of Bridlington for the price of 50 cows and 20 horses.

More recent memories of activities on the farm from the Knaggs family include harvest time when crops were cut, tied and stacked, with plenty of gale beer made from a shrub (Bog Myrtle) that grew on the moor. Goods like butter, cheese, curd, eggs and corn were brought to Scarborough market to sell, on a pony and trap.

Soils and Geology
Soils in the area are derived from Jurassic clay and shale, and consist of loamy, clayey and silty soils over soft rock with some seasonal waterlogging.

Field Names
The names of fields can offer clues to the history of the field and the area e.g. sand hole field.

Access and Parking
The Stewardship land is accessible from public rights of way, and a number of other permissive trails are available for use on the farm. A car park is provided for visitors at the farm near the Country Tea Rooms. A disabled access route has been developed, see walk no. 3. Visits may take place at any time, but prior arrangement for educational visits should be made with Mr. and Mrs. Simpson (Telephone 01723 870026).

Please enjoy your visit and ensure that those after you will enjoy theirs by following the country code at all times. You may find it useful to print this Glossary of Farming