Discover more about Cumbria's upland hay meadows and the work being done to restore them on the Hay-Day walks.
Help Cumbria Wildlife Trust conserve the wildlife and wild places of Cumbria for the future.
Historically farming in the lakes would have been on a small scale. Small family farms existed by farming a mixture of stock and crops. Ducks, pigs, sheep and cattle could all be found whilst the fields could be sown with arable or fodder crops (such as turnips) alongside the traditional meadows cut for hay. It was a hard existence for those who lived amongst the mountains, scraping a living from thin soils and a harsh environment.
The time during and after the second world war was a period of intense change in agriculture in the uplands. Advances in technology from the widespread availability of chemical fertilisers, cheap oil, pesticides, advances in machinery coupled with a national drive for food security after the austerity of rationing and food shortages.
Listen to the audio below to explore how the movement away from traditional methods of farming the land, has impacted on the landscape and wildlife.