Local people making their corner of rural Britain unique
This week
SaturdayÌý8th March 2008
InÌýthis week's Open Country Matt Baker joins Shepherdess Louise Amos as she travelsÌýAshdown ForestÌýwith her Hebridean sheep and meets with people who live and work on the land. Ìý
Ashdown Forest is the largest free public access space in the South East. A deer hunting forest in Norman times, today it is a place for walking and enjoying spectacular views over the Sussex countryside. The Forest is at the heart of the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and has national and international protection because of its . Nearly two thirds of its 6500 acres (2500 hectares) are heath land, amounting to 2.5% of the UK's extent of this rare habitat.
There is a public consultation due to complete in mid March, which is looking at how Ashdown Forest is being managed. Shepherdess Louise Amos has been brought in as part of the solution to managing the land in a more harmonious way through close-shepherding, which means that Louise stays with her herd, moving them across the land with no need to fence them in during the day. This traditional method is still used in Holland and Germany, but is not common in the UK. Louise keeps visitors to Ashdown Forest up to date with her working day, through her regular blog.
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