4 guides
Swaledale sheep
If you've ever wondered why those black-faced sheep with white spectacles are glaring at you from a Pennine ridge, here's everything you need to know about the Swaledale — the stoic, occasionally six-figure hill breed that's tougher than you, probably worth more than your car, and single-handedly props up the British lamb industry.
North Country Cheviot
If you've ever been glared at by a supremely confident, white-faced sheep with permanently pricked ears in the Scottish Highlands, you've met the North Country Cheviot—a polled, Roman-nosed aristocrat that's both the hardiest hill survivor and the grandmother of most commercial flocks in Britain.
Herdwick Sheep
If you've ever wondered why those grey sheep on the Lake District fells seem to know exactly where they belong without fences, it's because Herdwicks possess an inherited territorial instinct called "hefting" that's been passed down since Norse settlers arrived a thousand years ago—and their stubbornness, coarse wool, and unlikely salvation by Beatrix Potter make them far more interesting than they look.
jacob sheep
Meet the Ancient, Four-Horned Aristocrats