Our Farm Next Door suffered a significant setback on Tuesday, May 20, as Amanda Owen delivered a candid and “difficult” update about conditions on the farm.
The popular series chronicles Amanda, her former husband Clive, and their nine children as they restore a 200-year-old farmhouse in the rugged Yorkshire Dales. The current second series continues to follow their painstaking work at Anty John’s farmhouse.
In the latest episode, viewers witnessed the New Year arrive in Swaledale amid ongoing renovations. Builder Richard was busy installing floors, pipes, and electrical systems, while the family carefully tended to their pregnant sheep scattered across the hills. However, just six days into January, the farm was completely engulfed by heavy snowfall, bringing activities to a halt.
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Amanda reflected on the harsh winter, explaining, “If you go back six or seven hundred years, the people who lived here left during winter—and you can see why.” She added, “There are colder places, wetter places, and windier places, but when you combine all those elements here, it creates a perfect storm of hardship.”
Clive emphasized the unpredictability of the farm’s winter climate, noting that January and February often bring heavy snow. “Everyone gets a little snow, but here it can be extreme,” he said. “You have to be cautious, or it’ll shut you down.”
The snow buried the grass beneath a thick blanket, forcing the family to supply extra feed for their sheep. Amanda described the effort as “exhausting,” both mentally and physically. Her eldest son, Reuben, commented, “I’ve not seen it as bad as this for a long time.”
Later, Amanda recounted an ordeal when she became trapped in a vehicle on a snowy field. “It’s quite difficult to travel; we keep getting stuck,” she said. “The snowdrifts are deceptive—some areas are shallow while others are dangerously deep.”
Amid these challenges, the family’s resilience and determination to restore their farm remain unwavering. Our Farm Next Door continues to showcase the realities and rewards of rural life in the Yorkshire Dales.