About Us
Encouraging wildlife
Tree planting, changing the management of the land, and installing the water gardens have made huge improvements to the wildlife we now see at Beckside.
When we first moved here the large field at the side of the house was just that – a field, with power lines running through it, and an underground culvert but we could see the potential. In 2015 we embarked on an ambitious project to turn it into a haven for wildlife and worked with South Cumbria Rivers Trust to develop the project.
We began by sketching out a basic design and with the use of a large digging machine created ponds and streams. We kept all the excavated material on site and used it for ground moulding. Large rocks were set aside and used as features and turfs and small rocks were used to stabilise and create habitats along the pond and stream edges. We also used hay bales as silt traps to protect the river downstream.
In some areas we raked and stone picked before seeding with a wild flower pond edge mix and then we allowed the ponds to fill up naturally with rainwater and runoff before diverting the underground culvert to finish the ponds and keep the water flowing.
Trees were added in January 2016 to create a wildlife corridor linking our other existing woodlands. Newts and eels appeared in the pond soon after. Now the area is a haven for wildlife with hares, moorhens, herons, foxes and badgers being regularly spotted, and otters making their debut in early 2024.
Garden produce
The walled kitchen garden is one of our favourite places to be. There’s nothing quite like home grown produce, is there? It just tastes nicer than anything you can get in the shops, and we make the most of absolutely everything we grow.
When we first tackled the kitchen garden, we focused on clearing out all the overgrowth that had accumulated over the years and dealing with the perennial weeds. Paths were created and a lot of time was spent improving the soil.
Our first crop was potatoes to break the soil up more before we moved on to more exotic (and expensive in the shops) crops such as asparagus and globe artichokes. Sarah also has a BIG thing about compost bins, so naturally they were added very early on. (Note: Sarah can talk for hours about compost bins so ask her about them at your peril!)
The final touch was to add natural structural features such as a pear screen to enclose the area. Today we have year-round planting and harvesting so there is always something fresh for the table.
Around the gardens you’ll also find plenty of beautiful flowers and we have recently added a number of cut flower beds used to supply the cottages and welcome our guests. We also try and plant in an ecologically friendly way to increase pollinators and discourage typical garden pests.
Hobbies
Keeping on top of the house and gardens is a big job, and one what we both love, but we do find time for other hobbies too, most of which revolve around restoration, recycling, and renovation. There’s nothing quite like breathing a new lease of life into something old, or repurposing things into something new and fabulous.
For example, we took an old Morecambe Bay shrimp pot and turned it into a fabulous planter full of colourful flowers. We also upcycled an old boiler into a bird bath and an impressive fish tray (seriously, you must ask us about it!) and not forgetting the time we transformed a muck spreader into a firepit and spit roast.
Oh, and the story behind the lovely rocking horse is that we rescued it from a bonfire before renovating it. You should also ask Stewart about the car renovation too – blood, sweat and tears went into that one.
Our upcycling projects caught the eye of Cumbria Life Magazine and over eighteen months we talked readers through many of our quirkier renovations. If you’re interested in seeing those features, copies of the magazines are in the cottages.