Interview with resident Edale farmer - Andrew Critchlow

20-01-2023 • 56 mins

How does Kinder Scout influence and impact the communities that live around it? In this interview we hear the perspective of a resident farmer in Edale. Andrew Critchlow shares fascinating historical information about Edale and Kinder Scout, his knowledge about farming, and his interest in land management. At the end he describes what makes him wild about Kinder Scout, and what his life here has taught him. While listening, you can experience atmospheric background sounds recorded from the area - headphones will be best for this.

Andrew Critchlow is the county advisor of the Derbyshire branch of the National Farmers' Union (NFU), and a part-time farmer. He lives at Shaw Wood farm in Edale with his wife Anita, in the same home as where he grew up.

Andrew went to Edale school, Hope Valley college, Lady Manners sixth form in Bakewell, and then to Nottingham University where he studied Agricultural Science. He lost his father in 1986 so he took on the farm with his mother when he was 20 years old. He modernised the farm, expanded the dairy herd, and in 1992 took on looking after Grindslow House farm for the Noel family until he decided to step back from full-time farming in 2006.

Since then he has been representing the farming industry and agriculture in Derbyshire, including his work for the NFU since 2012.

Reference

NFU

Kinder Beer Barrel Race

Correction

Andrew said the old sheep pens on the bottom of the moor were on the west side, it was in fact the east side of Crowden.

Recording date

This interview was recorded in Edale on 30th November 2022.

Host & Production

Host & Editor - Sarah Lister, About The Adventure

Art designer - Alec Boyd, The Northern Project

Supported by Peak District National Park