Latest news
Here at Lackan Cottage Farm people often say we are living the good life. We grow our own food and wood fuel, generate our own electricity, take responsibility for our own waste, harvest rainwater and are using natural building techniques. Additionally we help other people to do the same, and welcome visitors and volunteers here to the farm to stay and learn about what we have to offer.
Round(ish) house project update
After two years I've finally succumbed to covid, so am waiting out my quarantine by updating some of the information on the website. First up is the roundhouse - a project that at one point I thought would never end. After a quick start, the thought of having to sieve...
Celebrating our tenth year with new courses
2022 marks our tenth year here at Lackan Cottage Farm, and a lot has changed, both here at the farm and in the wider world. Much of what we've done here seems very relevant in 2022, and many things that were relatively 'fringe' back in 2012 are becoming mainstream...
Tour and talk at Lackan -24th April 2022
This is our tenth year here at Lackan. After two years when we've basically been closed down, and the world has changed in many ways it is time to open up again. We've had lots of requests from people to come and look around and ask questions, and this is a great way...
Finishing the roundhouse
Five years ago now we started building the strawbale roundhouse, which has been a slow affair, mainly due to not having any good clay with which to make earth plaster. The roundhouse has sat there full of junk - a wasted opportunity that has nagged at me each time I...
The same but different
It's nearly ten years now since we landed here at Lackan and in some ways the world has changed very little, and in others we live in an utterly different universe to the one we inhabited back then. Ten years ago we were holed up in our truck in Bangor, building a...
Thoughts on heating systems
I get asked about heating a lot. What's best, the most cost effective, simplest, efficient. All that. So this is a collection of my thoughts based on all the various things we've tried (and we've tried quite a few). So far we have (or have had) - Range cooker with a...
Summer updates from Lackan
July already, how did that happen.Needless to say we've done a fair bit since my last post back in December, so I'm not even going to try and cover it all, as its mostly in a recent video where I did a quick walk round. As you can see, we've made some changes. The...
Bornay wind turbine upgrade
So after years of gradually building up our renewable system, we've definitely got to the point where its perfectly capable of supplying us with enough power, but the thing about building a system as you go along is that its a learning process, and sometimes you use...
Making the most of the light
We're into the part of the year that is hardest for those living off grid, when the days are getting increasingly short, the sun doesn't appear that often, and when he does, he's pretty low in the sky. Having been terribly casual about the whole energy thing all...
Being prepared
The typical image of 'preppers' is of heavily armed Americans living in compounds in the mountains, with stockpiles of food and ammunition, or their close relatives the 'survivalists' who are kitted out ready to live in shelters in the woods, making their own clothes...
There’s so much to do!
As we approach Samhain - Halloween, and the midpoint of the latest lockdown or 'extended half term' as it's sold to us, we've managed to get busy in the garden. Our apple crop this year was woeful, partly due to some odd frosts at bad times, and partly because half...
Wind turbine upgrade
Right at the start of the year, Gerry from Kerry was kind enough to give us a working Bornay turbine like the (then broken) one we have, as well as a 15 metre mast to put it on. Our mast is 9 metres which seems pretty tall when you're near it, but in the world of wind...
Where has the truck gone?
We've had lots of emails to ask why the truck isn't available to stay in at the moment. The simple answer is that during lockdown, we spent a lot of time redecorating and sprucing up Birch Cottage, and then realised that the truck needed even more work doing to make...
A tour around Lackan Cottage Farm
As it looks as though we won't be doing any actual tours around or opening for visits in 2020, I made this somewhat inpromptu video tour where I had a good walk round and covered most aspects of Lackan Cottage Farm on the way. Usually I'd be answering questions as I...
Our new venture – Off Grid Kit
Over the years hundreds of people have come to us for advice about off grid energy, and over the last two years Steve has increasingly been supplying equipment to people all over Ireland on an occasional basis. With increasing interest in energy security in uncertain...
Enjoy a safe and relaxing stay in a rural setting
Here at Lackan Cottage Farm, our guests health and wellbeing has always been incredibly important to us, which is why we used materials and finishes free from harmful chemicals when we renovated Birch Cottage. From food safe paints to natural local timber inside, to the fresh smell of the birch wood next to the cottage, this has always been a place to come to retreat, relax and rejuvenate.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
We're in the process of creating more video content so that you can take a look around, and find out about all the projects and systems here at Lackan. We're also going to be moving a lot of our course content online over the coming months as it looks like Covid-19...
May garden update
Normally this would be a hectic time of year with courses running and guests staying, but we have time to spend in the garden and are concentrating on the veg. It's great to hear how you are all getting on with growing in lockdown - keep us updated, we love to hear...
Accommodation closed until further notice
We've now closed Birch Cottage and the Off Grid Horse box until June at the earliest, and we'll take a decision on reopening based on government advice. Thanks for your understanding.
Looking forward to spring
A busy week in the garden, we've tidied up all the beds that have crops in - the chickens had been wandering and taken advantage of the lack of netting on one or two things, so we've covered those properly, and cleaned up decomposing leaves that are such an attraction...
From our shop
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Red Russian Kale - 200g
£1.50
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Onions - yellow - 1kg
£1.00
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Rainbow Chard - 200g
£1.50
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Gift Voucher
£15.00 – £100.00
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Accommodation Gift Voucher
£25.00 – £100.00