A Highland fold in the heart of Cardiganshire.
Sixteen cattle, twenty-five acres.
How we got here.
We bought Pencraig Manor in 2021, with twenty-five acres and a fairly vague intention of using the land for something that gave back to the community. The first attempt was six cows off the Preseli mountains — and we will be the first to admit they were wild, uncontrollable, and entirely uninterested in being part of a quiet family farm.
We sold them on and went looking for cattle with kinder dispositions. That search led us to Michael and Sandra Burgess at Oakwood. Michael is out with his fold every single day — grooming, halter-training, talking to them — and the difference it makes to a Highland's temperament was something we didn't quite believe until we saw it.
Meet the cattle.
A group of Highland cattle is called a fold, not a herd. Ours is sixteen strong at the time of writing, with three more calves due before the summer is out.
Fizz
The eldest of our Oakwood sisters and the quiet centre of the fold. Mother to Fergus, and currently in calf to Hugo with another due any day in May 2026. If you're looking for a cow to point your camera at, point it at Fizz.
Elsie
Elsie and Dolly are twins — a rarity in cattle, and one of the reasons we couldn't say no when we saw them. Mother to Ernie, Emur, and (as of this week) Eddie, who is the newest face on this page.
Dolly
Elsie's twin and an equally calm, halter-trained matriarch. Mother to Daisy, Dewi, and brand-new in 2026, Donald. You can usually tell Elsie and Dolly apart by where they're standing — Dolly's the one a few feet behind.
Ella
The only true black cow in our fold — registered with the Highland Cattle Society as Highland (Colour - Black). Currently in calf by Hugo, with her first calf expected in June 2026.
Cybele
Cybele's first calf, Celt, was born on the 9th of January 2026 — a winter baby, healthy as anything despite the weather. The two of them are usually found together at the top of the field.
Daisy
Dolly's first daughter and now a mother herself for the first time — her own calf arrived this spring. The first home-grown granddaughter on the farm.
Hugo
Our current sire — halter-trained, even-tempered, and the father of every calf due in 2026. In a small fold, the bull has to be replaced every few years; he can't be put to his own daughters or sisters, so fresh bloodlines come in regularly.
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A White Highland Bull
Whites are uncommon and beautiful, and we've been on the waiting list for a while. He'll join the fold this spring and (eventually) take over from Hugo as our breeding bull. We'll update this page when he's home.
Murmalow
The bull behind almost every animal in the previous generation of our fold. No longer with us as a working sire, but his calves are everywhere you look in the field.
Eddie
Our newest arrival, born yesterday. A black calf — no surprise, with Hugo for a father — and the first 2026 baby out of Elsie. Welcome, Eddie.
Fergus
Fizz's son, and the eldest of the Murmalow calves still on the farm.
Ernie
Born here on Pencraig farm — Elsie's first. Brother to Emur and (now) Eddie.
Dewi
Born here on Pencraig farm — Elsie's first. Brother to Emur and (now) Eddie.
Emur
Ernie's younger brother. The third Elsie calf, now joined by Eddie.
Celt
A winter calf — born in the wettest week of January and somehow none the worse for it.
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Donald
Dolly's first calf by Hugo, born this spring. Eddie's near-cousin in age and almost his twin in colour.
How we keep them.
Grass-fed across our twenty-five acres in summer; quality hay from a local farm in winter — somewhere between sixty and a hundred large round bales every year, which is the bulk of what your support pays for.
No barns. No winter housing. Highlands hate being shut in, and they're built for it: a long, oiled outer coat over a soft downy undercoat lets them shrug off everything an Atlantic winter throws at them. Even the boggy bits of the field, which they will absolutely make a mess of, given half a chance.
Acres
Hay bales
Days outside
"Highlands hate being cooped up. So they aren't."
Three of ours, on a wall.
If you've walked past the back of the conveniences on the main road through Llechryd, you'll have seen Ash's mural — three of our cows, looking out across the field they actually live in. We commissioned it because the wall was there, and we are very, very proud of how it turned out.
Become a follower of the fold.
If you'd like to follow what the fold gets up to month by month, you can register for free. There's no fee — it's a way for us to keep in touch with the people who care about the cattle.
- A monthly newsletter with photos and news of new calves
- Updates whenever a cow is in calf or a new bull arrives
- The occasional invitation to come and help us groom, move or feed them
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The hay bill is real.
Every donation goes directly into the care of the cattle — vet visits, hoof trims, mineral licks, fencing repairs, and the largest cost by far: between 60 and 100 round bales of hay every winter, bought from a local farm.
A few small things.
We have a small range of bits and pieces — prints of Ash's mural, slate keepsakes, and a handful of others — with all proceeds going back into the fold. New stock is added when we make it.
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