200 Herdwick sheep arrive at Ainsdale sand dunes in Southport

Natural England commenting on the arrival of the sheep...

Who doesn't love a herdie?!

After a couple of delays the sheep have finally arrived from Wasdale....At the moment there are two hundred at Ainsdale NNR and 45 were dropped off at Cabin Hill.

Grazing sheep in the dune grassland is an essential tool to ensure the survival of our rarest species, with the timing and length of grazing being carefully managed. By keeping areas of vegetation low we increase the diversity of flowering plants and improve forage areas for Natterjack toads.

Our cows and sheep graze a particular compartment for a short period and will then be moved on to another area on a rotation, this creates disturbed and ungrazed areas which gives a greater diversity of habitats.

Livestock will be with us all winter, please look out for signage and keep dogs out of enclosures where livestock are present.