SOLD - Extensive mixed farm in the Scottish Borders
Cammerlaws and North Hurdlaw is an attractive mixed stock farm in a highly scenic and sought after farming area offering considerable scale that rarely comes to the market. The farm is accessed from the public road and a private driveway flanked by fields on both sides leads past the farm cottages to the farmhouse. There is a separate access off the farm drive leading to the farmyard and buildings. The farm has been run in hand by the same family since the 1940s with the primary focus on breeding ewes (circa 1,200) and running a herd of 150 suckler cows. In recent years there has been a change in the farming system with efforts focusing on a higher proportion of arable crops. By increasing the arable acreage the farm is now largely self-sufficient in terms of producing its own winter feed stocks and straw for bedding. Good crops of wheat and barley have been grown along with kale for over wintering sheep. The land, extending to about 1,062 acres, comprises a well balanced combination of arable and silage ground, permanent pasture and rough grazing which is interspersed with woodlands providing shelter and amenity.
The farm buildings at Cammerlaws comprise an extensive range of modern and traditional buildings which are well equipped for housing and handling cattle and sheep. The steading is set over a split level with concrete yards and aprons. There is an outdoor silage pit and a useful stack yard. The majority of farmland is classified by the James Hutton Institute for Soil Research as Class 4(1) and Class 4(2) and is described as calcareous soils, which are ideally suited for the production of cereal and forage crops. The land at the eastern end of the holding, North Hurdlaw, is Class 5 and predominantly comprises grazing. The land rises gently from about 200m above sea level along the southern boundary to 250m in the northeastern corner of the farm close to the Hurd Law.
The farm is well laid out with fields of a good workable size and shape. Much of the land has benefitted from regular applications of manure and rotational grass leys ensuring it is kept in good heart with healthy levels of organic matter. The fields are well fenced and all have access to water either from piped or natural sources. A private borehole supplies most of the fields together with the dwellings and steading. The B6456 which bisects the farm allows for the easy movement of stock and machinery.
Average rainfall in the Scottish Borders area is low in comparison to the rest of Scotland with an average of 678 mm in a typical year. Similarly, the average temperatures typically remain above freezing in the winter and warm in the summer with an average temperature of 20°C in July.
Woodland
The woodland compartments, extending to 41 acres, primarily comprise mature conifers which provide shelter and amenity and could provide a valuable timber crop in the coming years. As a result of Storm Arwen, felling licences have been granted for the clear felling and thinning of 30.67 acres. It is the intention of the seller to complete these works and restock the areas which have been clear felled. The farm sits within the "preferred" and "potential" zone in the Scottish Borders Woodland Strategy supporting the potential for further native and soft woodlands to be established.
Sporting
The natural topography combined with the existing and potential woodlands at Cammerlaws provides the foundations for an enjoyable farm shoot. There are two ponds on the farm which could offer exciting duck flighting in the autumn and winter months. Across much of the farm there is a healthy population of roe deer. The shooting rights are currently let for the forthcoming season.