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 end of an amazing year.
Well, the winter solstice is here, and as the shortest day comes to a close, its amazing to look back on everything that has happened over the last 12 months, and all the people that it has been our privilege to welcome to the farm. This time last year we had yet to grow a vegetable here, and without the hard work of all the volunteers, from near and far, we wouldn’t have seen the results that we did. The highlight of our year was surely the time we spent with our permaculture course visitors, and the energy that they brought to the farm.
The Landworkers Alliance
We are members of the Landworkers Alliance - a group of people who work the land, campaigning for the rights of small producers and a better food system. It is part of La Via Campesina international and works in solidarity with fellow land workers across the globe....
Come to the South Down GIY Gathering
The South Down GIY Gathering The GIY South Down Gathering is your chance to come together with like-minded people for an afternoon festival of home-grown food. The GIY South Down Gathering will bring people together for talks, debates and Q&A sessions - so...
Power to the people
Part of our plan here has always to be entirely self sufficient in energy. That said, there is a huge pole and some wires that bring 11,000 volts to within 20 feet of the house, so despite our immediate thought 'that pole has to go, its right in the way', we realised...
A chair for Lyra
Isn't it fine? Our friend Clare came to help us plant trees last year, and came back this autumn to cut some birch, as she makes rustic chairs. Today she brought us this fantastic little Lyra-sized chair, complete with elm seat. It is just beautiful. We are hoping...
Can you give this cockerel a home?
We hatched two lots of eggs this year, and would you know it, from nine chicks we got only two hens. Seven cockerels shouting at dawn every day is seven too many, and so they have all gone for the pot, bar one. Martin (I don't name them;) is a wily young chap who has...