Here we go on the second installment of my fabulous adventure.
I have made it back into England from Northern Ireland but only just!!. After the IFYE (international farm youth exchange) conference in Northern Ireland I was hosted by 3 wonderful families over 3 fun filled weeks, all were dairy farms (yes there are lots!), all averaging around 80 cows and about 100 acres. Over those three weeks we were very busy of socializing and sightseeing. We visited including Giants Causeway, Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge, Donegal, Belfast and Dublin. I even manage a small amount of work. Shock horror…. Yes I made it out of bed for morning milkings (ok ….. only a couple of times!!) and afternoon milkings as well. It is true what they say about the Irish…..no no I don’t know what you were thinking, but I was going to say they are extra friendly and we had some great craic. I manage to visit Carol Hogg (Exchangee to Tas in 2001) and catch up on all the goss and even found out a little gossip from when she was visiting. I was sad to leave at the end of my months visit, as I had to say bye to some great new friends, both locals and exchangees, but exchange goes on….
I jetted off back into in England with the extra security in the airports (they let anyone fly these days) it took ages to check in and get through security. Finally I was off over to Shropshire (central west England) on my own, after spending 2 months with other exchangees from all over the world. In Shropshire I stayed on an arable and pedigree Hereford farm. My hosts had just started a farm shop, for which they supply all of the produce for; pork, beef, lamb, eggs, veggies and bakery items. During the week among other things I ventured to a vintage steam festival and a new 60-point rotary dairy (which is a huge palour here) also with new sheds to house their stock during wintertime.
Next destination was in the next county, Herefordshire (the home of the Herefords, although I saw very few here). I stayed on a very diverse farm, with a combination of 150 year old hops, cider apple orchard, pedigree Herefords and 300 sheep, and even a green memorial ground. The landscape was very similar to home with the rolling hills and being so green (postcard stuff).
August and September is the season for club and county Annual General Meetings, which I have attended many, also along with AGMs, it is the time of the year for County Chairman’s Balls. The best way to describe these is a posh, up market B&S. Black tie dress code, tents in a paddock and all, but the major difference over here is that everyone looks respectable at the end of the night.
By the middle of September the weather was starting to get a little colder, I was making my way into Wales where I stayed on 2 very different farms, one a welsh hill farm with Welsh Black and Charolais cattle, Welsh Mountain ponies and a thousand or so Welsh Hill sheep, and the other a lowland dairy and beef farm. The landscape was steep and lots of hills, which they tried to tell me, were mountains. During my time in Wales I walked over the Black Mountains (huh!!! they call them mountains, we have mountains) and also Pen y Fan (second highest peak in Wales) in the Brecon Beacons, I visited the Welsh Capital, and was introduced to Welsh common grazing land, went to see some prehistoric caves and played skittles.
Currently I three quarters through my exchange and I are heading through southwest England. I will be staying Somerset, Devon and finally end up in Dorset at the end of October for my last week.
Alison Field
2006 United Kingdom Exchangee
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