Haye Farm Timeline and some background
1994 – Magazine article about cider, interviews previous owner who’s uncle and grandfather had run the farm previously. “His trees have never been pruned, he does not spray, and many have canker. He just keeps the ground beneath them clean.” They also have 200 breeding ewes and 70 bullocks.
2011 – Bill Cole buys Farm. Highlights of Zoopla webpage: “approximately 117 acres of productive land and a four bedroom farmhouse ….comprises three separate reception rooms of good size, a modern well fitted kitchen, a large rear extension with cider/utility room, boot room and cloakroom. At first floor level there are four bedrooms, a useful box room and a family bathroom.” Goes on to mention the orchards.
2015 and 2017 – mentions in local community magazines about people arranging visits to see the cider making.
2018 – Bill Cole contacts WinnWalkers after reading TSP. They visit the farm when “The scorched earth spread along a broad ridge, grass grazed to soil height by cattle and sheep in every field.” He asks them to “Manage my vision for the place: a biodiverse farm that still keeps a few sheep and makes cider, but puts the environment first.” (TWS)
Winter 2018 – tenancy agreement signed. WinnWalkers start work on the house. (TWS)
2019 January – Leave the Polruan home and move to Cider farm. (TWS)
Early spring 2019 – Moth says ‘Do you remember how much equipment and livestock it took to farm a place this size?’ and ‘I think we’re going to have to talk to Sam about finding someone to use the grass. We can focus on resurrecting the orchards, making cider and overseeing a biodiversity plan for the farm, but I can’t see us being able to actually physically farm the whole place ourselves.’ (TWS)
7th March 2019 – Land at the farm sold (Gov.uk Land Registry).
August 2019 – Walk in Iceland with Dave and Julie. ( “Not as weird as getting on the plane in an August heatwave and getting off into early winter.” And “We put our rucksacks in the hold of the bus with only five full days of August left.” (start of bus journey to Landmannalaugar) (TWS)
Then @Furryhappykittens covers the rest 😊 Apart from April 2024 Instagram on hayefarmcider: “We feel unbelievably lucky to be custodians of Haye Farm. Everything that we do here, from managing the orchards without chemicals, using sheep instead of mowers, harvesting apples by hand, wild fermenting, keeping energy inputs to an absolute minimum, processing and reusing waste products (pomace & prunings) and protecting, preserving and planting traditional orchards (which are incredible for wildlife, biodiversity, carbon sequestration and soil health) is done with the Earth and its health in mind!”
- From Spring 2019 - I wonder what farming on that scale that they have done and are referring to?
- Since the land sale is registered 7th March, I’m fairly sure that the WinnWalkers would have known about it at the signing of the Tenancy Agreement 4(ish) months previously. Which makes the conversation dated early spring meaningless, but does match with SamBill’s quote about managing the farm. The cost of the land on Land Registry is approx. £500,000 so it was probably most of the land apart from the house and orchards?
- As a farmer’s son, I would have thought that BillSam would know how quickly things grow back as long as they are given the winter to do so and having no grazing animals on them. “And I didn’t think the change would be so quick, I thought it could be years before we saw the land come back to life” (TWS)
- Why do you go away to Iceland in Aug/sept when you are meant to be looking after a cider orchard, surely you should be prepping equipment and collecting the apples that ripen early.
- Apart from clearing rubbish and the work inside the house, there seems very little comment on SW doing any physical work on the farm.
- (Disclaimer, I have not read Landlines) The only work that seems to be mentioned is getting rid of rubbish, strimming back brambles, nettles etc (not digging out) and pruning trees. IE No rewilding.