The closing sale of breeding sheep saw a strong trade seen for all classes and types with customers keen to fill up with replacement stock. Mule shearlings sold to £114 from F & TE Park, Crook with others to £112 from DJ Clarke, Underbarrow and £110 from G Brown, Penrith. Texel x ewes from BR Harrison, Windermere sold to £115 with others at £110 from R & AC Harper, Lambrigg. Older ewes were generally selling between £58 and £80 depending on breed and quality.

There was plenty of interest on hill ewes selling to £118 for 1 crop Cheviots from J Lancaster, Torver who sold others at £112. Rough Fell ewes achieved £60 from J Potter, Tebay and £68 for Swaledales from RN Hoggarth, Howgill. Herdwick ewes from RA Lancaster, Torver sold to £46.

Hill bred shearlings sold to £82 for Scotch Blackfaces from J Parsley, Penrith and £68 for Rough Fells from NC & S Dodd, Kirkby Stephen. Herdwicks achieved £68 from ER Ireton, Ambleside and Swaledales from G Baxter, Lindale sold at £66.

Gimmer lambs sold to £110 for pure bred Texels from JW & J Collin, Barnard Castle. Pure Charollais from BR Harrison, Windermere sold to £100, Mules achieved £92 from TLB & J Knowles, Selside.

Hill bred gimmer lambs sold to £70 for Cheviots from MB Meredith, Coniston with others to £66 from J Lancaster, Torver. Swaledales from F & TE Park, Crook sold at £36 and Herdwicks to £34 from G & SM Stephenson, Ravenstonedale.

North West Auctions held its annual Swaledale breeding ram sale which continues to grow each year, with this year’s sale seeing the most forward. Thanks go to our pre-sale show judge Mr Harry Gillis, Kendal and to our sponsor Lake District National Park Authority. The overall Champion rosette was awarded to a 3 shear ram KM & KJ Curwen, Abbeystead which went on to sell for £320. The Reserve Champion was awarded to the first prize shearling from JH Pedley, Barbon. There was plenty of demand for big powerful tups with the shearling trade topping at £480 from T & H Drinkall, Oakenclough. Other shearling rams sold to £420 from J Hunter, Tebay. Aged Swaledale rams sold to £400 and £380 from RM & D Dixon, Longsleddale with plenty more shearling rams selling past the £200 mark.

Hill bred rams saw Cheviots sell to £500 from KO Stones, Richmond with others selling to £400 from SE & H Robinson, Dunsop Bridge. The Bluefaced Leicester trade topped at £480 for aged rams from RT Parker, Bleasdale with Leicester ram lambs topping at £250 twice from the same home. There was plenty of demand for terminal sires at this sale which saw best types regularly sell in excess of the £400 mark. The sale twice topped at £500, firstly from Lucas & Nairey, Livesey for a Charollais x Texel and secondly for Texels from M Williams & Son, Denbighshire.