Rare sheep clear cliff of gorse

There are only about 2,000 Hebridean sheep in the UK

A rare breed of Scottish sheep has been drafted in by the National Trust to help make overgrown countryside in north Devon more picturesque.

Ten Hebridean sheep are grazing on the cliff tops of Baggy Point, eating gorse and bracken blighting the landscape.

The breed originated in islands off the west coast of Scotland. There are currently only about 2,000 in the UK.

The trust said that in the two weeks the sheep had been grazing, the area had already seen some improvements.

They were put on the Morte Estate following a chance conversation between National Trust area warden Jonathan Fairhurst and Michael Cotton, who had just moved to the area and was looking for somewhere for his flock to graze.

Short-footed

Baggy Point is famed for its scenery but the trust was concerned about dense areas of gorse, which dominate much of its southwest slope.

Mr Fairhurst was talking to Mr Cotton about the problem with the gorse and how it was difficult to get sheep to graze there because many local trust tenants did not want their sheep out on cliffs.

Normally black, with up to four horns each, they have thick coats which can withstand the winter weather and are short-footed, making their position on the cliff tops less precarious than that of other breeds.

Mr Fairhurst said: "Michael said he was trying to find somewhere for his sheep and we realised they were suited to the job."

He added that they were breeding from the flock this year and in a few years hoped to have up to 40 sheep grazing on the estate.