Lottery Ticket Jack Pot!!

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Paul Plots

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Lottery Ticket Jack Pot!!
« on: September 23, 2010, 23:42 »
Lottery ticket win!!!  :)

…………that’s what I need first then a large lump of lovely land and away we go… I can picture it now: Me, owner of a small holding and a comfortable, eco-friendly cottage-style home.

But… What is a small holding?
           What size would one be?
            Are they solely for producing crops or is there space for leisure interests too?

Help me dream…. Share your experiences and desires.

Tell me more as I’m fascinated and nosey!!
« Last Edit: September 24, 2010, 14:30 by Learner »
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GrannieAnnie

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Re: Lottery Ticket Jack Pot!!
« Reply #1 on: September 24, 2010, 00:12 »
You got us all excited there Learner!  Bad boy!

I took this from Self-Sufficient.co.uk!

A smallholding is a small farm with a property in which the smallholder lives, and land on which fruit and vegetables are grown and livestock bred. The amount of land in a smallholding is typically much more than would be found on an allotment plot, but less than in a commercial farm - i.e. between 2 and 50 acres.

In Australia a smallholding is called a hobby farm, in New Zealand a lifestyle block, and in America and Canada a homestead. The terms are interchangeable, but in South Africa, UK, and Ireland 'smallholding' is used.


But the law changed a few years back and even our half acre is classed as a smallholding! or 'holding' as they are now called!

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Val H

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Re: Lottery Ticket Jack Pot!!
« Reply #2 on: September 24, 2010, 00:22 »
I find it incredible that 50 acres could be classed as a small holding! We're more than grateful for 4.
Val
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John

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Re: Lottery Ticket Jack Pot!!
« Reply #3 on: September 24, 2010, 00:23 »
Back in our 20's (the 1970s) - we wanted to have 5 acres as Saint Seymour suggested and to be totally self-sufficient. Val would be happily knitting muesli whilst I shovelled the smelly stuff into the methane digester.

Now, some 30 years later we worry that 4 acres may be a bit much to cope with. I think the ideal size depends on what you want to do with it and what sort of lifestyle you want. I don't believe it is possible to make a good income from small scale non-intensive farming, but you can make an partial income from it. Indeed, this is the Franco-German model of part time farming. You can also benefit from not needing so much money by being somewhat self-sufficient.

They're certainly not just productive units - although for us, leisure includes improving the productivity of the land and improving its environmental impact.

Going back onto size of holding - for us, the specification was larger than 2 acres. We looked at some 1 acre places and didn't feel they offered enough scope. However.. the 44 acre place didn't daunt us as you can always let out the excess land. In fact, we will let out the land on this one for the first year whilst we get settled and established.

We're also very lucky that we have a 'job' income that doesn't depend on where we live so long as we've internet access. However, all typing and no physical labour makes Jack a tubby boy.. so planning on more hard graft :)
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Paul Plots

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Re: Lottery Ticket Jack Pot!!
« Reply #4 on: September 24, 2010, 00:27 »
Thanks GA.... sorry no intention to mislead but my dream would be to have aslice of space big enough to grow what I want and share with all the family and friends.

I wanted to know about other people's experiences of having a small holding...

Is there room for:
  • everything you might have on an allotment plot and more
  • all sorts of fruit trees and bushes - enough to make and never buy jam again
  • trees - big and small - even a copse
  • wild birds by the flock full
  • long grass left to form areas of pasture so all the different grasses seed and wave in the breeze
  • a Roma caravan
  • a pond and frogs, sand and smooth lizards, slow worms and grass snakes
  • voles, moles and shrews
  • old sheds, timber piles and rotting logs, peaceful seats, open views, huge compost heaps and piles of rotting leaves
  • space for kids to come and camp and hide and play without trampling
  • room for quality storage buildings
  • space for hidden gardens, wide herbaceous borders and rose arches

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John

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Re: Lottery Ticket Jack Pot!!
« Reply #5 on: September 24, 2010, 00:49 »
You could do all of that on a couple of acres of good lowland land.

To us, the shopping list was based on some knowledge of what we could afford would buy.

We wanted (maybe not in order)
  • Some privacy, not total isolation but more space around us than we have on the estate
  • No busy road nearby so our moggies can reach old age
  • A house with enough room to work from - condition depending on price
  • Enough land to cope with veg & fruit growing (which isn't that much) plus some poultry, plus some pigs and possibly goats / sheep
  • Enough land to grow enough wood to at least make a contribution to our energy needs

In our search we looked well above our budget but Fron Dirion is the only one that ticked all those boxes. For example, we found a wonderful house with 2 acres of decent land but the land was split from the house by a road and so breaching the second point.

We'll be happy to share with friends and family - we hope that many will choose to come and stay, use us as a base for their holiday. And on cold winter nights we'll watch the sun set over the sea before warming ourselves by the wood burner.




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joyfull

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Re: Lottery Ticket Jack Pot!!
« Reply #6 on: September 24, 2010, 08:03 »
there was me with my begging bowl at the ready  :(. Bad Learner for building my hopes up  :tongue2: :lol:.
I never thought of registering my place as a small holding until I discovered Grannies was one and we have about the same sized plot. I did think about a couple of goats but I hate goats cheese and milk so that idea went out the window, then thought pigs but not over keen on a lot of pork so that idea followed suit. I really love lamb and beef but we aren't big enough for cattle, so if I ever decide to get a couple of lambs or if Learner does win the lottery and wants to throw some spare cash in my direction then things will have to stay the same  :)
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Paul Plots

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Re: Lottery Ticket Jack Pot!!
« Reply #7 on: September 24, 2010, 08:49 »
You could do all of that on a couple of acres of good lowland land.

To us, the shopping list was based on some knowledge of what we could afford would buy.

We wanted (maybe not in order)
  • Some privacy, not total isolation but more space around us than we have on the estate
  • No busy road nearby so our moggies can reach old age
  • A house with enough room to work from - condition depending on price
  • Enough land to cope with veg & fruit growing (which isn't that much) plus some poultry, plus some pigs and possibly goats / sheep
  • Enough land to grow enough wood to at least make a contribution to our energy needs

In our search we looked well above our budget but Fron Dirion is the only one that ticked all those boxes. For example, we found a wonderful house with 2 acres of decent land but the land was split from the house by a road and so breaching the second point.

We'll be happy to share with friends and family - we hope that many will choose to come and stay, use us as a base for their holiday. And on cold winter nights we'll watch the sun set over the sea before warming ourselves by the wood burner.





That's a dream for me to be working on...... especially the bit that includes friends and family  ;)

PS I did buy a lottery ticket... need to check it before the sell-by date is up.  ::)

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GrannieAnnie

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Re: Lottery Ticket Jack Pot!!
« Reply #8 on: September 24, 2010, 11:26 »
Unless you win a BIG amount Learner, I think about 5 acres is realistic for what you want.  We do a fair amount of stuff on our half an acre.  We have a polytunnel and 3 greenhouses, a 20ft container, 10x20 workshop that is now a turkey house!  2 large henhouses, 3 medium henhouses and 6 small henhouses.  My big veg patch has been taken over by the turkeys, and I'm just getting my new one up and running nearer to the house. 

We have a couple of fruit trees, but only the apple is producing anything decent, but there is still room in the big grassed area for more, letting the chickens roam around the"orchard"!!!

And there is still room for a lawn and patio!

And that's with half an acre.  So imagine what you could fit into 2-5 acres!!

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prakash_mib

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Re: Lottery Ticket Jack Pot!!
« Reply #9 on: September 24, 2010, 12:49 »
Learner! I wanted to starts this subject.    :(
anyway, I have been trying to work this small holding stuff out but I have absolutely no idea who to ask and how to proceed.
My first question will be where would you get these properties? I cant find them with regular estate agents or at their websites.
with GA's post what they are doing on half acre, we would be chuffed if we get 5 acres.
but where and how is my first question.

John.
Great for providing bullets and you should make a stiky post only editable by mods of checklist for smallholding. Thats an absolute neccessary me think.
One kid is handful. Two kids.... Example for chaos theory. Hats off to my mum who managed three...

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GrannieAnnie

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Re: Lottery Ticket Jack Pot!!
« Reply #10 on: September 24, 2010, 13:03 »
Prakash, land for smallholdings isn't cheap that's the first problem!

You can still buy land cheap, but without a house on it.  then you have a real problem getting planning permission to build anything other than a barn!

Brian and I bought this place for £85,000 8 years ago, but it had an agricultural tie on it.  we asked the estate agent about that and he said well as Brian already rears poultry, you comply with the tie.  Okay, so we bought the place, but when we wanted permission for a poultry house, the council said that we didn't comply with the tie as we came from out of the area!  Although we already raised poultry in Essex, the tie on this place meant that we should have lived in the 'locality' !!

So we tried to get the tie lifted.  First time didn't work, but after 2 years and £6,000 we actually got it lifted, which means we can now sell to anyone who has the money! 

But now, prices have shot up so much, that we can't realisitcally afford to buy anywhere around here for the sort of money we'd sell this place for.

but if your place is worth a bit, choose the sort of locations you are interested in, and contact any local land agents, companies like Rural Scene, & Brown & Co sell farms etc.

There are loads of places in Wales, but even there they are no longer cheap!

One of the problems was that retiring farmers liked their houses, but as they got older could no longer work the land, so a lot of land was sold off, leaving just half an acre with the house.  Then when the farmer dies, the house is sold, but of course, no land with it.

My Brian keeps on about places with 20+ acres, but he is 64 next month and I'm 60, so I know we don't have the money or energy to do it.  He of course, thinks he's invincible!!

I think I'd be happy now with enough garden to grow my veg, keep half a dozen chickens and a workshop where I can lock Brian in now and again!!!   :lol: :lol:

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GrannieAnnie

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Re: Lottery Ticket Jack Pot!!
« Reply #11 on: September 24, 2010, 13:29 »
This one would be nice if it was a bit nearer!   :D

http://www.ruralscene.co.uk/details/3397_KR770D.pdf

But then it would be a bit more expensive too!!   :D

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joyfull

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Re: Lottery Ticket Jack Pot!!
« Reply #12 on: September 24, 2010, 13:37 »
wow that place is sooooo cheap, plenty of room for jimbo and his lorries and for me to have chickens and sheep  :). The cost of shipping 20 lorries (most in various states of restoration) though would make it a bit prohibative  :(

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GrannieAnnie

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Re: Lottery Ticket Jack Pot!!
« Reply #13 on: September 24, 2010, 14:01 »
 :lol: :lol: :lol:

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Paul Plots

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Re: Lottery Ticket Jack Pot!!
« Reply #14 on: September 24, 2010, 14:35 »
This one would be nice if it was a bit nearer!   :D

http://www.ruralscene.co.uk/details/3397_KR770D.pdf

But then it would be a bit more expensive too!!   :D

That looks lovely but where's the cycle lanes?  :unsure:  :lol:  :lol:



Apologies Prakash..... if I had known you wanted to start this thread I would have waited....especially as my lottery ticket still has not been checked!  :lol:
« Last Edit: September 24, 2010, 14:38 by Learner »


 

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