Birch Cottage has a new website of its own
Visit the Birch Cottage website to bookWelcome to Lackan Cottage Farm
We’re Steve and Claire Golemboski-Byrne, we live here off grid with our daughter, our dog, cats and horses. We make all our own energy using wind and solar, grow as much of our own food as we can (it varies widely) and have used permaculture design principles to help us create a great place to live.
Here on the website you’ll find stories about the projects we’ve undertaken – what works, what doesn’t. You can come stay in our guest cottage – Birch Cottage and we will show you round, or maybe you just want to find out how to do some of this stuff. Either way, welcome.
The rock
Looking out at the wonderful sunny, still day, it is easy to forget what the weather can bring. Last night for instance, as I lay in bed, the wind got up, and I realised I could hear flapping plastic. Above me. Which is where flapping plastic ought not to be....
A frosty morning
The year is coming to an end with mercifully dry and cold weather, the horses are sporting their thick winter coats, and we are enjoying some amazing views across to the mountains. Last night we were officially the coldest spot in the UK, with the thermometer...
Blessings to you all this midwinter
To all our friends and supporters - blessings to you this midwinter, however you celebrate it - have a wonderful Yule, a happy Christmas, and a great time. Our heartfelt thanks to all those who helped us in this last year, it means a great deal. We look forward...
Volunteer highlights – Food glorious food
One of the best things about being volunteer hosts is that every visitor brings with them a new approach to food, and this year we had some amazing meals. It didn't take a lot of deliberation to come up with a highlight of the year, which came with Samanta and...
Say goodbye to ‘when’
'When' is one of those words that fills me with dismay, because it implies a condition. We can do this when such and such; you can have this when so and so. Primarily it dismays me because its inclusion means 'not now'. It means 'some time in the future'. By nature I...
Wonderful woodlands
One of the main reasons we chose to live here at Lackan was that it came with several acres of birch woodland, growing on what was cut over bog. There is something magical about the woods, the birch gives them an especially norther european feeling, and they evoke the...