A cattle ramp is the first thing you see when you enter most farms.  They’re easy to drive over, when they’re not buckled and bent by huge trucks, but they’re not always great at keeping sheep and cattle from crossing.

The old entry ramp at Esdale was particularly bad.  It was strong.  No truck could bend it, because it was made of concrete with square spaces that were supposed to be empty and frightening to a sheep.

Unfortunately, the spaces were usually filled up with gravel that washed in from the Cavan Road.  That gravel would soon grow grass, sometimes making a thicket half a metre high.

The sheep scampered across and up the road, laughing all the way. Continue reading →