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.
What’s it going to look like?
Something we've been asked is 'what exactly will this eco classroom look like? The answer, is - something along these lines, although to a certain extent it will be determined by the materials that become available. The interior above is a similar shape, has a lime...
Making a hugelkultur bed
For those who haven't come across them before, Hugelkultur beds are basically a pile of wood or branches, covered with soil to form a raised bed. It is a great way to use up material that might otherwise get burned off. The idea is that the pile rots slowly, giving...
The woven fence is finished
So after a week, the wonderful woven birch fence is complete (at least for now - we have used up all the material), and it looks really fine. It is amazing how much birch was needed to create the fence, but now as we coppice the birch woodland, we'll cut all the tops...
Eco classroom update – week 2
At the end of our second week, and we are within £100 of being at the two thirds stage in our bid to raise money and build an eco classroom here at the farm. In the process we've got to know loads of new people, and will hopefully get to meet many of them in...
A day out
Something of a busman's holdiay this, but some time ago I helped our friend Brian (of Woodhill Farm) to put up his polytunnel frame, and ever since we've been waiting for the weather to be warm and wind-free enough to put the cover on. To hope for sun wasn't too...
A unique experience
There's just something about tipis, isn't there. That iconic conical shape with smoke drifting up in the breeze, flags fluttering from the pole tops. We fell in love with tipis years ago, and knew that we had to bring one back here to Lackan Cottage Farm. Ours was...