Sheep

The last sheep we saw were the Cotswold flock from Wolfville in Nova Scotia — a breed that comes from the Cotswold Hills of Gloucester, England (along the Bristol Channel). The sheep above and below were photographed in the Scottish highlands between the border lands and Jedburgh. Many grazed amongst discarded scotch/whiskey bottles and wind turbines.

The Scottish Blackface are by far one of the most common breed of sheep found in Scotland (and the UK). They are tough, resilient, and adaptable with long coarse wool that protects them from any weather the Scottish Highlands can dish out. One interesting physiological characteristic of this breed is both the male and female sheep have horns; horns that are often used as the head of walking sticks.

These particular sheep were pretty friendly. They seemed unfazed by our curiosity and photo snapping. For some reason we’d stopped on the side of the road; I can’t remember why — perhaps it was to look at the sheep or stare in awe at the wind turbines that littered the hills. Later in the day we stopped at the Jedburgh Wool Mill to pick up sweaters that are also pretty good at warding off the cold.