Notice Board

New Property To Let

See property  to let page for information on current properties to let on Newbottle Estate.

Fishing Permits

Fishing at the Cottage lakes

The Estate has historically let village children fish for free on the lakes at the bottom of the Cottage gardens. The idea behind this contribution to village life is to give bored children something positive to do in the summer holidays and hopefully inspire them to develop a new interest.

Unfortunately, despite valiant efforts by various people, over the last few years the situation has deteriorated and no longer reflects this intention. We are now facing various problems from people fishing there with no permits, children feeling excluded and people over fishing the lake. We have received a number of complaints about the impact of the fishing and therefore we want to remind everyone of the rules and tighten things up. It has not always been very obvious where to get a permit but from now on all permits will be issued from the Estate office. The Estate has not issued any permits for 2010 and as permits have always had to be renewed annually, this means no-one currently has permission to fish. From this season, all permits will be issued from the Estate Office from May 1st of each year. This year we intend to issue a maximum of 10 permits with priority being given to:

• Young people of school age
• Residents of Charlton, Forceleap and Newbottle

There are conditions applicable to all permit holders. These include:

• Permits need to be renewed annually and so all permit holders have to reapply each year irrespective of their history of fishing at the lakes. Click here for an application form.
• The fishing will only operate from June 1st – September 14th
• All permit holders must have their permit with them and produce it on request from any member of Estate staff
• Other conditions will be laid out on the permit.

We understand that many people love the lakes and have spent many happy hours there, but we have to balance this with the problems we are facing. We have to re-establish the rules if the lakes are to still be fished going into the future. With this in mind we apologise to those who have fished there for years but the conditions laid out above apply to all.

Cattle at Newbottle Estate

We hope you, like us, enjoy having cattle around the village. And that is the point I want to make, that the cattle are now outside grazing. Although cows are generally docile they can be unpredictable. It is extremely rare for cattle to chase people, although young stock may follow you due to curiosity. Nearly all incidents of members of public being injured or worse have been associated with dogs. Although the risk is low, your actions can reduce the risk further. Here are some tips for you:

• Keep your dog on a lead when in a grass field
• Avoid walking with a dog straight through a bunch of cattle.
• Avoid walking between the cows and their calves. Calves often lie in a group while their mothers graze across the field. Do not go too close to the calves and keep your eyes open for cows wanting to get to their calves and let them pass.
• Move quietly and calmly through a field with cattle in.  
• In the unlikely event of cows seriously chasing you, let go of the dog as they will probably be chasing the dog rather then you.
• Keep your eyes open as it is sometimes not obvious if there are cattle around. If the field is grass assume it has livestock in and keep your dog on the lead. 
• If you walk into a field and cattle seem to be distressed or are running around something has frightened them and the risk of being chased is higher. In this case avoid going in the field and feel free to report this to the Estate
• Finally, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE close the gates!

Dog fouling on silage ground

This is the time of year when we start to grow the grass to be made into silage for next winter. We exclude the cows from some fields and let the grass grow until it is cut in mid June. Cattle can catch various diseases from dogs and the main way disease is transmitted is through the cows eating dog poop in the silage. The best way to stop it is to stop dogs fouling the crop. So, if your dog does his business in a silage field please scoop your poop for the benefit of our cows. The silage fields around the village are Allotments (opposite the cemetery) and The Folly, which is the big field you cross on the bridleway from the dip below Charlton. Thank you for your support!   

Cattle on the move!

As you all know we do have to move the cattle across the roads around Charlton from time to time. This is for essential management tasks such as keeping their vaccination program up to date or bringing the cows in to scan them etc. We do this as efficiently and safely as possible and would like to thank everyone for your patience. Nearly everyone gives us friendly wave even when they are momentarily held up. Thanks.

Newbottle Funride

This year the Estate is part of a team of people organising a funride around the Estate and beyond.  It is a great opportunity to ride around a beautiful bit of countryside with around 30 jumps to tackle should you so decide. For more information click on the logo opposite.

Access to the Estate

We are very proud of the Estate and are very happy to share it with others.  Throughout the year you can access the Estate via the footpath and bridleway network as well as numerous permitted paths we have created for your enjoyment. You can find out where the public rights of way are by looking at an Ordnance survey map. The Estate also gives permission for many organisations to organise events throughout the year from fun runs to ploughing matches, free fishing for local people to opening the gardens. By the same token we are also trying to run a business which, by its very nature, creates multiple hazards from moving large animals to operating farm equipment, using firearms to the use of chemicals. This can create a problem. Please enjoy the Estate but respect it by sticking to the countryside code. For more information please visit www.countrysideaccess.gov.uk. If you would like to discuss an access issue, please contact the Estate office.