Maes Mawr Smallholding
Clean Goat
This is our real life and our home, come on in...
Our smallholding is our life, creating a beautiful life and being as self sufficient as we can be while running our business is everything to us. We are passionate about teaching others and sharing inspiration for others to achieve their own goals when it comes to country living with livestock.
Check out the workshops available.
Now that you're here stay a while and read
The Cottage Notebook, the online publication about various aspects of our life here, the animals and the business. Each month I interview a fellow smallholder, business owner or artist who have created a whole new life in a more rural setting to inspire you to do the same.
If they can so can you!
"Absolutely love your posts. Love your lifestyle and maybe a little bit jealous? ( I love my lifestyle but I need a menagerie like yours). You've made the decision and following your dreams.
Love, love, love your updates. Lisa xx"
"Love the rebrand, and you have indeed inspired us to make the lifestyle change after the brilliant time we had with you and Steve on the smallholding course." Janice
Subscribe to get 10% off when you order at Clean Goat Co, my goats milk soap online shop.
Don't forget to check your junk folder for emails.
Moving Sheep Day SD 480p
ABOUT US
We are a husband and wife team doing it together. Steve works away so I hold the rudder steady while he's away, but we share equal amounts of effort in our home.
Maes Mawr is a Grade II listed cottage located in a beautiful location in the Nantlle Valley. We have a busy little home buzzing with lots of life, from our dogs to the cats, many rescued who control the rodent population. Since we arrived in 2016 we've been busy building what was a house surrounded by empty fields into a functioning smallholding. In 2023 we aim to complete our last an final build the goat barn.
As smallholders the aim is to keep livestock that suits us and gives us something in return such as the dairy goats have given me my goats milk soap business and the ability to make cheese at home and the sheep provide us meat and fleece for me to use to craft into rugs and cushions. If I'm not checking on the stock or making soap then you'll find me in the gardens pottering about creating beautiful spaces for us to enjoy and tending to the vegetables in the kitchen garden. We aim to be as self sufficient as we can and with every year we are gaining on our self sufficient desires.
We've set up our workshops (which for 2023 are on hold due to the goat barn build) with both of us having been previously experienced in training individuals in a professional service based job. I'm completing the Level 2 and 3 RHS Horticulture courses rounding off well over 10 years of working on gardens and garden design having originally trained and worked as a Graphic Designer.
Steve is also a fully qualified teacher and has a Health & Safety Risk Assessment qualification. His specialist knowledge has allowed us to round off the workshops to ensure we hit all the training needs of everyone attending us here. Our aim is to inspire and support others in their aim of becoming smallholders and to introduce individuals to the livestock we have here so people can make informed decisions about what they want to achieve themselves.
Why not subscribe to The Cottage Notebook to find out monthly what's happening here as well as reading up on the interviews of other rural businesses.