Limewashing and a barn repair
October was a busy month at Lackan, tackling all the regular jobs that we’ve been putting off too long. The cottages have been limewashed, repairs made to flashings and everything made generally weatherproof. Three years after we bought the lime-hemp plaster,...
Reflections on the permaculture design course
Although I’ve been involved with permaculture for nearly a decade now, and on site here at Lackan for six years, practising permaculture on a daily basis, I had never done my PDC (Permaculture Design Certificate). When I was offered the chance to do a PDC at Carraig Dulra in Wicklow, led by friends Suzie Cahn and Hannah Mole, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity.
Wedding dress seeks bride to be
Visitors to Birch Eco Cottage occasionally leave small items behind intentionally. Usually because they are travelling on and don’t have room in their luggage. We were surprised then, to find that newlyweds from Vermont, Marianne and Derreck had decided to...
The magical Mournes
We went off up the coast to Killough to a plant swap event this weekend, an on the way home discovered one of our favourite views ever of the Mournes. The A2 from Killough to Clough is surely one of the most picturesque routes we’ve been on and is definitely a trip we’d recommend to visitors, especially if they are visiting Castle Ward
A look from above
It is always fascinating to take a look at the farm from a different viewpoint, and this drone footage does that perfectly. In the middle of one of the driest periods on record, our forest gardens and woodland are holding up really well, in contrast to the pasture around them. Thanks to Danny for filming for us – we’re planning our next phase of forest garden, and being able to see the land from the air is invaluable.
A taste of Lackan Cottage Farm permaculture smallholding
We made a short film about the farm which gives a flavour of the place. There was so much we wanted to include but it’d get long so they’ll be in another. Enjoy 🙂 If there is some aspect of what we do here that you’d like to hear more about, let us know and we’ll come up with something.
Celebrating locally made crafts
At Birch Cottage we believe that in an age of mass production, beautiful locally made craft items with a story to tell make our place truly magical. Here is our dragon fire poker, made at the forge in the Ulster Folk & Transport Museum. Isn’t it fine? You’ll find that most of the items in the cottage are one of a kind, and we’re always happy to tell visitors all about them.
Brassicas from the dome
Today we were planting out the young brassicas grown in modules in the polydome. After weeks without rain, the soil is very dry.
Early summer in the tunnels
This growing season was slow to get going, even in the polytunnels, but after all the warm weather, it’s all growing like mad. Today we’re having a look round with Claire at what is coming on in the tunnels. We’re new to this film making thing so bear with us.
We’re running a competition!
All this week we are running a competition to win a 2 night stay in Birch Eco Cottage. All we are doing is asking you to like (and sharing too would be great) the competition post that you will find on our facebook page. In order that we can easily contact the winner, please also like our Birch Eco Cottage Facebook page. Click here to like the post.
A walk in the woods
A brief stroll around the beautiful woodland here at Lackan Cottage Farm, which was once bog, and has been cut over for peat. The birch trees are natural regrowth on the old bog, which has dried out significantly as a result of surrounding drainage and the trees themselves. It’s a beautiful place, full of life, and one of few pockets of such woodland in the landscape.Â