When Ed and Rowena Waghorn saw the 10 acres of land on the side of a hill on the Herefordshire/Welsh border little did they know how much their lives would change. Here we find out more about their busy plans and how they juggle working life with developments on their smallholding.

From Hampton Court To Coles Tump and Verm-X plays its part…

The spactacular view of Garway Hill, Rowena feeding the Shetland Sheep and the start of their new family home.

After a four hour drive from Lincolnshire to Herefordshire I was hoping the Waghorns would be on good form.

I need not have worried – a smiling Rowena and six-year-old Daphne met me at the end of the lane that climbs up to the top of their property and soon put me at ease that I was in for a pleasurable couple of hours learning more about their decision to become smallholders and almost self sufficient.

With four children to look after life is never dull for the family but thankfully Robert 12, Marnie 10, Sheena 8 and Daphne are all now at school allowing Rowena and Ed time during the day to catch up on chores looking after the animals and working on their new home, which Ed juggles with his job as manager at the nearby 1,000 acre Hampton Court Estates, at Hope-under-Dinmore.

On meeting the Waghorns you can see immediately their passion for living life in a simple, relaxed way, enjoying everything that the countryside has to offer.

The peace and calm that surround their home and smallholding is visibly clear and their lifestyle is to say the least inspiring.

At well over 6ft, Ed’s tranquil nature still can’t hide the glint in his eye when he talks about the family’s exciting plans and vision for living a life well away from the rat race and urban living that so many of us face today.

Their home in the tiny hamlet of Orcop is currently a caravan and a few existing buildings tacked on the side but work has now begun on their property which will nestle into the side of the hill and look out over the magnificent views of Garway Hill.

The family have owned the land for six years and lived on the property for four, working to improve their dream as and when time allows and Ed can find a few hours to work on the next stage.

This likeable and hugely friendly couple met after university life when Rowena studied Agricultural Management at Nottingham and Ed opted for a degree in Furniture and Product Design at Kingston Polytechnic.

Ed’s creative side abounds their smallholding in abundance and looking at the plans for their new home, he has certainly allowed his ideas to help them on their way to what will be a stunning and superbly eco-friendly home. Before moving to Orcop, the family lived on the Hampton Court Estate where Ed has been responsible over the last 10 years for huge improvements to the gardens that are open to the public and a major draw for tourists visiting the region.

All the animals at Coles Tump are fed Verm-X internal parasite control on a regular basis.

Although thoroughly enjoying life at Hampton Court, Ed and Rowena couldn’t resist buying the land when they saw it was for sale and originally lived in the two up, two down cottage which has now been knocked down to make way for the new house.

Explains Rowena: “The whole family love animals and we decided having our own land would be one step closer to us trying to be as self sufficient as we can be and also giving the children lots of space and freedom to run around.”

The array of small outbuildings have been put to good use and now house, chickens, sheep, goats and pony Looby. Having the land has allowed the Waghorn’s to buy the children the Welsh Mountain cross pony on which the children are learning to ride. A small flat area has been set aside to use as a schooling pen and Rowena is delighted with their new found hobby with family members also undertaking a Parelli course in natural horsemanship.

The three goats include two Anglo Nubian cross English, Toffee and her daughter Flo who provide enough milk for the family and an Angora, Snowflake who’s wool Rowena uses for spinning. Rowena does not buy milk, the family's requirements all come from their goats.

The 20 Shetland Sheep are a lively bunch who come trotting over thinking we are about to feed them when they see us in the distance.

“The Shetland Sheep are real characters and can be very different in their colour.  They are excellent for us as they are very hardy and it can get quite cold and bleak here,” adds Rowena.

On the spring morning we visited with the sun shining brightly it was hard to imagine how the place would look on a cold, winter’s day, the views are so breathtaking.

The Waghorn’s passion for living life to the full has clearly rubbed off on four-year-old Belle, a labrador cross collie who surveys the situation and then goes off in search for more action but is never far away.

Wanting to keep the animals in as natural a way as possible, but parasite free and healthy Rowena uses Verm-X natural parasite control on all the livestock and the pets.

The sheep, goats, poultry, Belle the dog, Looby the pony and a variety of cats including Pat all receive Verm-X which is a blend of 11 different herbs which are not just included for their parasite control actions but also act as a blood cleanser and gut maintenance aid.

“We want to keep the animals in as natural a state as possible and when I heard about Verm-X, their philosophy and that they could supply parasite control products for all the livestock I had to give it a go,” adds Rowena.

“We have been delighted with the results, all the animals look really well and I am sure Verm-X has helped enormously.”

Rowena has gained considerable experience in the care of animals on the smallholding and now often has friends phoning for animal welfare advice.

As well as looking after the animals, with help from the children, Rowena is also responsible for the vegetable garden, all their fruit trees and enjoys making homemade cakes, chutneys and jams when time allows. I can vouch for the gorgeous flap-jack!

The skins from the sheep are salted and used for floor rugs and furniture coverings to keep with the theme of making the most of the resources around them.

A very special time of year for the family is lambing season and their flock has grown enormously in the last few years from their original five.

“We feel very lucky to be building our future on a smallholding, the children really enjoy themselves, they are learning to look after the animals, about hedging, pasture management, collecting the eggs and the outdoor way of life,” says Rowena.

Both 44-years-old Ed and Rowena acknowledge that despite all the hardwork and juggling of children, livestock and developments on their smallholding, they are living their dream and know all the effort is worthwhile when they wake up to the wonderful views, peace and quiet.

Their new home will be made from a mix of straw bales, and timber, with a thatch roof and Saxon, medieval feel.

Ed’s work overseeing the renovation of the gardens at Hampton Court has allowed him to gain a vast amount of skills and knowledge that are helping him with their own development.

Currently under negotiation to change ownership, but for the last few years owned by the American family, the Van Kampens, a huge £12 million has been invested in Hampton Court, somehow I think it will be a more meagre offering at Coles Tump, Orcop – but that doesn’t mean any less effort is going in to the project and with Ed’s attention to detail I can’t wait to make a return visit.

Rowena spinning her own wool and the front view from the plans of their new house.

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