In September Cumbria welcomes the World Sheepdog Trials to the parkland at Lowther Castle, near Penrith, Cumbria. More than 200 dogs and their handlers from over 20 nations will compete. Many thousands of spectators are expected at this prestigious event and its associated Food & Country Festival.

A parade through Penrith is planned for Wednesday, 14th September, and the trials commence the following day. After four days of competition the grand final is scheduled for Sunday, September 18th. This beautiful location, on the eastern fringe of the Lake District, could hardly be bettered.

For further details see the World Sheepdog Trials web site.

I recently saw a website belonging to a road building company that bemoaned the usurping of the term hardcore by the porn industry when its traditional use was to describe the stone and other crushed aggregates that provide the base for roads and paths. I agree, and am going to avoid the modern sophisticated “aggregates” in favour of the older “hardcore”.

What has this to do with lakes and the Lake District?  Well, the Westmorland Gazette this week carries an interesting story about an innovative use of fleeces from the region’s Herdwick sheep. Apparently fleeces laid down over water-logged ground provide an excellent substrate over which to lay a layer of hardcore (or more poshly, “aggregate”) when making a path.

When you’re next walking the Lake District hills you might well be walking literally on the backs of the sheep. What a nice thought that when fleece prices are so low there’s an environmentally friendly alternative use, and apparently it’s not even just a modern innovation; our forefathers used to do similar things centuries ago.

For a fascinating read about the amazing Herdwick, the sheep breed that for centuries has survived the worst that the Lake District fell weather has been able to throw at them, see the recent book by Geoff Brown. Click on the image for more details.