Latest news with #ScottishHighland
BBC News
10-04-2025
- BBC News
Inside the Leicestershire country park with mixed herd of cattle
You might not expect to see Scottish Highland and English Longhorns cows roaming in a park when out for a walk, but that's exactly what you'll find in Hill Country Park in Woodhouse Eaves is home to one such herd and from April to October the cattle are in view of visitors as part of a heathland restoration Robert Lee said the animals are "fantastic conservation grazers" and help to restore and manage habitats in the park."As the cows wander around they create little pockets of enriched grassland and areas of depleted grassland, creating a lovely mosaic of different micro-habitats across the area," he said. Mr Lee said the mixture of cattle, which includes a small black Dexter cow, were selected because they like to forage, adding they are "quite happy eating rough materials"."The cows eat the grass down, but they also eat things like brambles and tree saplings, so they control the area for us," he said."Without any grazing pressure the area will naturally return to woodland."The ranger said over the years wildlife in the country park, run by Leicestershire County Council, has thrived."Many species have adapted to living in the heathland environment - plants, butterflies, insects and a lot of bird species," he said. Mr Lee said during the winter and colder months the cows are moved to fields not accessible to the said although the cattle are used to visitors and people taking photographs, he advised people to keep a "respectful distance" and for dog owners to keep their pets under control or on a Lee added it was important for owners to clean up after their pets as dog poo could carry diseases which could be "really detrimental" to the animals."Leaving bits of plastic around, especially bagged poo, cows have been known to choke on it," he said.
Yahoo
06-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Area farms to showcase new attractions this spring
From miniature cows to tulips and trains, local farms continually seek new ways to engage guests. A new 4-acre tulip field will brighten the landscape at Lakeland Orchard & Cidery in Scott Twp. this spring as the property along Lakeland Drive will open a month earlier than usual, said farm manager Julianne Roba. Roba noted plans for the tulips — imported from the Netherlands — have been in the works for several years. 'There is a really special spot at the orchard — it was strawberries, then it was sunflowers and now it's our tulip field,' she said. 'It has a really gorgeous view over the mountains.' A tulip festival — tentatively scheduled for Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from May 3-18 — will provide an opportunity for unique photos and a picturesque ride through the field on the Lakeland Express train, Roba said. Additionally, customers will be able to build their own custom bouquet using precut tulips. 'As farmers, we always have to follow the weather and see what's going to happen, but the tulips are up out of the ground and they're tracking to have blooms right around the first weekend in May — hopefully through Mother's Day,' Roba said. 'You put these bulbs in the ground and hope they come up. When they started to poke out of the ground, the excitement we felt was amazing. I'm out there every single day looking at them.' Along with the tulips, Lakeland Orchard will also introduce a variety of new baby animals this upcoming spring season — from May 3 to June 1, Roba said. 'Spring is a time for babies and we'll have two miniature donkeys, two miniature Scottish Highland cows, lambs, baby goats, chicks and ducks, sheep and llamas,' she said. Roba believes children and adults will enjoy interacting with the animals in the new barn on the property. 'People can get up close with different kinds of animals,' she said. 'The baby ducks are so cute and of course the miniature donkeys and cows are going to be super fun.' Lakeland Orchard will also introduce some new menu items for the spring season, including a carrot cake doughnut, Roba said. 'I think my favorite part about our job is having to try all these different doughnuts, all the time, and pick the best flavors,' she said. Brown Hill Farms in Lemon Twp., Wyoming County, also teased new attractions for the spring season — notably a 70-seat, disabled-accessible passenger train that will transport guests to the 5-acre tulip field, co-owner Michele Brown said. The tulip festival at Brown Hill Farms is tentatively scheduled to begin April 26. A new 23-foot windmill — with an observation deck — will provide guests with a beautiful view of the Endless Mountains and the tulip fields, Brown said. Many popular fall children's activities, including a corn pit, giant slide, trike track and giant sandbox, will also be available this spring, in addition to baby animals like Highland cows and rabbits, Brown added. A coveted spot among photographers, Brown said the farm will also have some new backdrops this spring. 'It's one of the main points of the farm — we have a huge following of photographers,' she said. 'It's always at the front of my mind to have new and fresh photo areas. This year we're doing a lot of repainting and changing old props to look new.' Brown Hill Farm typically contains about 60 varieties of tulips each year with some new ones mixed in, based on availability. 'I usually get three-quarters of the same every year and I'll take a look at the newer varieties from Holland and choose which ones I want to have in the field,' Brown said. As cold weather persisted throughout March and into April, Brown believes residents will be eager to soak in the sunshine as temperatures rise. 'Everybody is always ready to get out and see color as soon as spring hits,' she said. 'The field looks exceptional this year, too, so we've had a really good start to the season.' Roba shared a similar sentiment about turning the page from a dark, dreary mindset to more cheery thoughts. 'Every year, spring in Northeastern Pennsylvania feels like magic,' she said. 'You think it's going to be winter forever and then you see something green and your soul feels restored.' A structure with a cut-out heart that will give guests photo opportunities sits in storage waiting to be brought out for the season at Lakeland Orchard & Cidery in Scott Twp. Friday. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)Employee Gordy West works on the new windmill attraction at Lakeland Orchard & Cidery in Scott Twp. Friday, April 4, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)Co-owner of Roba's Family Farm Jeff Roba gives a tour of some of the new attractions that will be featured this coming season outside of the animal barn under construction at Lakeland Orchard & Cidery in Scott Twp. Friday, April 4, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)For the tulip season, 500,000 bulbs were planted on four acres of land at Lakeland Orchard & Cidery in Scott Twp. Friday, April 4, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)Co-owner of Roba's Family Farm Jeff Roba points out the interior of the 'Baby Animal Days' petting zoo in a barn under construction at Lakeland Orchard & Cidery in Scott Twp. Friday, April 4, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)Tulips begin growing at Lakeland Orchard & Cidery in Scott Twp. Friday, April 4, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Have you ‘herd?' Pair of Scottish Highland cows escape in Redmond
Have you 'herd?' The King County Sheriff's Office says a pair of Scottish Highland cows escaped their yard. During the afternoon of March 31, deputies were called to English Hill in Redmond to help wrangle Bracken and his pregnant girlfriend named Thistle. 'Luckily the happy couple started moooooooving and herded in the right direction,' the department said. Deputies followed closely behind to make sure the couple didn't make a break for it. 'We had no beef about helping as there was so much at 'steak' here,' the department joked online. 'Like the gate latch, this was an open-and-shut case.' Have you herd? Recently, a pair of Scottish Highland Cattle escaped from their yard and hoofed it out in the roadway. King County deputies were called to help guide them back home. Ultimately, Bracken and Thistle were steered in the right direction by deputies, but not before a quick stop to a neighbor's yard, in search of greener pastures. We had no beef about helping as there was so much at steak here. Like the gate latch, this was an open and shut case. Posted by King County Sheriff's Office on Thursday, April 3, 2025
Boston Globe
07-03-2025
- Boston Globe
The hills are alive … with the sound of rebranding and renovation at the Trapp Family Lodge
Advertisement True lederhosen-loving 'Sound of Music' fans know that after the von Trapp brood escaped from the Nazis in Austria (they departed by train, not on foot) in 1938, they came to the United States. Eventually, the family settled in Vermont, which reminded them of the mountains of Austria. The von Trapps lost everything in World War II and toured continuously throughout the 1940s, singing to make ends meet. During these tours, Maria told the audience they should visit the family at their home in Stowe. Lo and behold, they did. The family rented out rooms in the house in the late 1940s, making it the first unofficial Airbnb in Vermont and laying the groundwork for the Trapp Family Lodge, which opened in 1950. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Seventy-five years later, the Lodge has a new name and look. Last month, it was rebranded from the Trapp Family Lodge to the von Trapp Family Lodge & Resort. It's currently undergoing a multimillion-dollar renovation with refreshed guest rooms and common spaces. The lodge retains an old-world feel despite the new carpets, upholstery, and wall coverings. It's still intended to evoke the feeling of staying at a classic chalet in Austria. A newly remodeled room at the von Trapp Family Lodge & Resort in Stowe, Vt. The hotel recently underwent a multi-million dollar renovation. Kate Carter Adding 'resort' to the name is fitting because the Lodge is more than a place to rest your head on a pillow and dream of Edelweiss. It has a fitness center, indoor pool, sauna, hot tub, disc golf course, tennis courts, pickleball courts, a climbing wall, mountain biking, cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing. You can also tour the sugar house — the Lodge produces its own maple syrup — visit with the herd of Scottish Highland cattle, or meet the sheep. It sits on 2,600 acres, complete with a microbrewery and kaffeehaus. Before you ask, yes, there is a resort fee of $35 per day, but did I mention you get a chance to mingle with the cutest cows in Vermont? Advertisement 'We realized that people are interested in a lot of the things that we do daily, things they wouldn't have access to in their own lives, so we started offering things like visiting the cows and meeting the sheep,' said von Trapp Frame. She was born Maria Kristina von Trapp, and in addition to her grandmother, she also has an aunt named Maria von Trapp. She goes by her middle name of Kristina because another Maria von Trapp at the Lodge might cause some confusion or overexcite guests already giddily walking about crooning, 'When you know the words to sing, You can sing most anything.' von Trapp Frame's grandmother passed away in 1987 at 82. Her father, Johannes von Trapp, is the sole surviving child of Maria and Captain Georg von Trapp. He is retired and, from all accounts, is 'Sound of Music'-ed out. A herd of Scottish Highland cattle roam the fields surrounding the von Trapp Family Lodge & Resort in Stowe, Vt. von Trapp Family Lodge & Resort The Trapp Family Lodge probably would have remained a small guest house, just another family-run hotel serving fine apple strudel. But when Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein adapted the von Trapp's inspiring saga into 'The Sound of Music' for Broadway in 1959, new guests began arriving, some more interested in the singing family than Stowe. When the film adaptation premiered in 1965, the Lodge became a mecca for fans who wanted to see the real-life von Trapps and experience some 'Sound of Music' feel-good magic. Advertisement Because the movie airs annually on network television, regularly returns to theaters as 'The Singalong Sound of Music,' and was revived for NBC as 'The Sound of Music Live!,' it remains a presence in our collective The von Trapp family, after arriving in the United States in the 1940s. The family's story was told in the 1965 movie "The Sound of Music." von Trapp Family Lodge & Resort 'I've wanted to come here for decades,' said Mary Mosher, a retired special education teacher from Saratoga Springs who began glowing when the prodigal granddaughter/von Trapp royalty entered the wine cellar for the tasting. 'I've always loved 'The Sound of Music,' and coming to this place is like a dream.' I took an informal poll of every guest I encountered, and each said, without hesitation, that they were here because of 'The Sound of Music.' Guests eagerly asked von Trapp Frame to pose for photos with them or inquired about growing up in Stowe among her famous family. Kristina von Trapp Frame, granddaughter of Maria von Trapp, is director and executive vice president of the von Trapp Family Lodge & Resort. Christopher Muther/Globe Staff 'It's quite powerful for people,' said von Trapp Frame, 54, who oversees the Lodge with her husband, Walter Frame. Her brother Sam has temporarily stepped aside from the Lodge to focus on raising his family. 'People want to share their memories with me. It could be a story about watching 'The Sound of Music' with their late grandmother or a family trip to Salzburg. But it's something I hear every day.' There's also a well-attended daily history tour, which includes an introduction with stories from a staff member who worked at the hotel when Maria von Trapp was still alive. That's followed by a film featuring Maria returning to Salzburg. At the end of the program, von Trapp Frame comes in to answer any remaining questions. Advertisement Some guests are surprised when they check in and find that the film isn't playing on a loop and that there isn't a nightly singalong of the Broadway score. But von Trapp Frame sees this as an opportunity to educate guests about her real family rather than the film. The Trapp Family singers didn't belt Broadway show tunes. They sang traditional folk songs. She grew up without a television and admits that she's never seen the entire movie, just bits and pieces, although she has seen the stage version. 'I call 'The Sound of Music' my sci-fi parallel universe family because the movie was filmed in different locations from where my family lived,' said Kristina von Trapp Frame, granddaughter of Maria von Trapp. Here's her sci-fi family in a scene from "The Sound of Music." The Boston Globe - The Boston Gl/Boston Globe 'I call 'The Sound of Music' my sci-fi parallel universe family because the movie was filmed in different locations from where my family lived,' she said. 'They were different people. All the kids had different names in the movie. Rodgers and Hammerstein wrote all the songs for the play in 1959. They're brilliant songs, but none of that is what our family sang. So, there's 'The Sound of Music,' and then there's the von Trapps. We're not the same.' She also points out that her family didn't profit from the blockbuster movie. In 1955, Maria von Trapp sold her life rights and autobiography to a German film producer for $9,000. In doing so, she did not receive royalties from two German films, 'The von Trapp Family' and 'The von Trapp Family in America,' and also nothing from the Broadway and theatrical incarnations of 'The Sound of Music.' Advertisement An aerial view of the von Trapp Family Lodge & Resort. The hotel is celebrating 75 years in business in 2025. von Trapp Family Lodge & Resort A plan to build a museum on the grounds is taking shape to clarify the distinction between factual and fictional stories. Remarkably, the family still owns the hotel independently, with the help of 'a significant investor' who is a family friend. Von Trapp Frame has two college-age daughters. She said neither has shown an interest in joining the family business so far, but she points out that when she was that age, she also was not planning to return to Stowe. But, as corny as it may sound, she said she finds joy in giving people an escape, whether they care about 'The Sound of Music,' the von Trapps, or even if they want to surround themselves with scenery. In German, the word to describe it is gemütlichkeit . There's no English equivalent, but it means conveying a feeling of warmth, coziness, and contentment. 'There's so much happening in the world that weighs heavily on people. If we can provide people happiness, no matter where they find it here, then I feel like we've succeeded,' she said. Rooms start at $235 a night. von Trapp Family Lodge & Resort, 700 Trapp Hill Road, Stowe, Vt. 800-826-7000, A cross-country skier traverses the trails at the von Trapp Family Lodge & Resort in Stowe, Vt. von Trapp Family Lodge & Resort Christopher Muther can be reached at
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Fluffy Scottish Highland bull on the loose in Connecticut town, evading capture for days
No bull. A Scottish Highland bull has been wandering Kent, Connecticut, since Tuesday after escaping from its home. Efforts to corral the runaway bovine have been unsuccessful, according to a Facebook post from Kent Animal Control. "He was last seen over the line in New Milford, but if he heads back into the Hollow, please don't chase him!" the post said. The bull's owner and Kent Animal Control did not immediately respond to NBC News' request for comment. Officials note folks should not be overly concerned about the escaped animal's temperament. "They are known for being a very docile animal, never showing any aggression and are very low stress to keep and manage," according to Scottish culture website Highland Titles. "Within their herds they have a great understanding of their own social hierarchy and never fight," the site said. "They also enjoy the company of humans, often approaching walkers seeking affection." This article was originally published on
