If you've visited Romney Marsh recently, you may have noticed a hive of activity across the fields. This is one of the busiest and most rewarding times of the farming calendar, as two major events overlap – harvest and shearing.
For many people, harvest signals the end of summer. For farmers, it's the culmination of a year's hard work. Every field of wheat, barley, oats, oilseed rape and beans represents months of planning, nurturing and, ultimately, hoping that the weather is on your side. In recent years, harvest has started earlier than it did just a couple of decades ago, with warmer temperatures and changing weather patterns accelerating crop growth and creating new challenges for farmers.
Whilst the combines begin rolling through the fields, our attention is also focused on another important harvest – our sheep's wool.
Harvesting Nature's Wonder Fibre
Unlike many people imagine, sheep don't naturally shed their fleece. Each year they need to be shorn to keep them comfortable and healthy throughout the warmer months.
Watching a professional shearer at work is quite remarkable. In just a few minutes, years of skill and experience transform a heavy fleece into a beautifully rolled blanket of wool, all whilst ensuring the welfare of the sheep remains the absolute priority.
Here at Romney Marsh Wools, our flock of over 1,000 Romney sheep, together with our small flock of Merino sheep, produce one of Britain's most remarkable renewable fibres.
Every fleece tells a story.
Not All Wool is the Same
One of the questions we're asked most often is:
"Why does some wool feel softer than others?"
The answer lies largely with the breed of sheep.
Our Romney sheep produce a wonderfully versatile British wool that is durable, breathable and naturally resilient, making it perfect for everything from duvets and pillows to throws, insulation and gardening products.
Alongside them, we also keep around 60 Merino sheep. Merino wool is much finer, with fleeces on our farm typically measuring around 15–18 microns, giving it a softness comparable to alpaca fibre. It creates beautifully soft yarns that are ideal for knitting and garments.
Together, these breeds help us demonstrate the incredible diversity and versatility of British wool.
Nothing Goes to Waste
One thing we're particularly passionate about is ensuring every part of the fleece has a purpose.
Some of our wool becomes luxurious knitting yarn.
Some is transformed into beautifully warm bedding and homeware.
Some becomes natural wool pellets to help gardeners improve soil health and retain moisture.
Even the natural lanolin found within wool inspires our skincare collection, including our much-loved soaps, lotions and repair balm.
It's our way of celebrating one of nature's most sustainable fibres and ensuring that every fleece continues its journey long after leaving the sheep.
A Wonderful Time to Visit
Summer is a fantastic time to experience the countryside.
The golden fields are ready for harvest, combines are busy at work, sheep are enjoying life in lighter summer fleeces and the farm is alive with activity.
Guests staying in our Romney Marsh Shepherds Huts often tell us how fascinating it is to wake up surrounded by working farmland and witness the changing seasons first-hand. No two visits are ever quite the same, and harvest offers a unique glimpse into one of the most important times in the farming year.
Whether you're enjoying breakfast overlooking the fields, spotting wildlife across the marsh or simply relaxing under the stars after a day exploring Kent, there's something rather special about being immersed in the rhythm of a working farm.
Celebrating British Farming
Harvest reminds us that farming is a year-round commitment. Long before the combines enter the fields, seeds have been sown, sheep have lambed, crops have been nurtured and countless hours have been invested in producing food and fibre.
It's a season of hard work, optimism and gratitude.
So, whether you're knitting with our British yarn, caring for your skin with our lanolin collection, improving your garden with our wool pellets or escaping to one of our shepherds huts this summer, you're helping to support British farming and one of the world's most remarkable natural fibres.
From all of us at Romney Marsh Wools, we wish farmers everywhere a safe, successful and sunny harvest.