Welcome to Pen-y-Lan Fibre Flock

Wool grown in Wales

Quality Fibre Grown with Love

Pen-y-Lan fibre flock has been producing outstanding quality fleeces, knitting yarns and hand made knitted and felted goods, and registered breeding stock since 2010. We are based in Carmarthenshire Wales, on our farm which sits high above the Cothi valley.

We have a passion for producing the best quality fibre from our mixed flock of sheep, which includes pedigree Icelandic's and Black Leicester Longwool sheep as well as many different cross breed's that have been bred for their wonderful fleece and quite nature.

All our sheep are individually known to us and it's this close bond which we have with them that makes our small 62 acre farm a joy to live and work on.

Our sheep are sheared at various times of the year depending on growth, quality and weather conditions, with high welfare standards being a top priority.

We are registered 'Farm Assured', and partake in annual veterinary reviews on our flock health, and we also have annual farm and flock inspections to assure continued top class flock health, and safety.

Our Icelandic sheep are all pedigree and registered with the Icelandic Sheep Breeders of the British Isles group. https://isbobi.co.uk/

I often refer to our Icelandic's as 'Viking Sheep' as they are direct descendants of the sheep that the Vikings took with them on their travels to Iceland in the 9th Century, making them one of the oldest breeds of sheep in the world. They are a quiet and docile breed which makes them an ideal choice for smallholder's that want sheep that produce outstanding fleece. Demand for pedigree Icelandic sheep in the U.K. outstrips supply so for anyone wishing to start a flock it's best to get in touch well in advance of lambing time in April each year.

Icelandic sheep have a double fleece - a soft underfleece called 'thel' and a long hairy top fleece called 'tog'. 'Thel' and 'tog' are Icelandic words to describe the fleece. The fleece is highly prized by hand-spinners, and is hugely in demand by felt makers wishing to produce 'Cruelty Free' fleece rugs.
Fleeces come in a variety of colours from light and dark browns, dark and light greys, white, and black, with 'spotting' also frequently occurring.

Our Leicester Longwool sheep are a more recent addition to our fibre flock, but are proving to be just as adorable as the Icelandic's. We wanted to add another rare breed of sheep to our flock which could produce a top class fleece, but also wanted to help maintain the breed. These sheep are important today, as there are now fewer than 500 registered ewes, which makes the Leicester Longwools one of the rarest native breeds in the U.K. All our Leicester Longwool sheep are registered pedigree with the Leicester Longwool Sheep Breeders Association https://www.llsba.co.uk/

Excerpt below taken from the LLW sheep breeders page.

To preserve any rare breeds it is important that they are valued. They hold a unique store of genetic traits which are now recognised as valuable to the national commercial flock, being very hardy, good mothers, and providing wonderful fleeces and exceedingly good mutton. They can play a positive role in modern agriculture.

Leicester Longwools can trace their heritage back over 200 years to sheep breeder and agricultural pioneer Robert Bakewell (1725 -1795). They were developed at Dishley Grange in Leicestershire to produce a big framed animal to supply large quantities of meat and wool to meet the demands of the workforce at the start of the Agricultural revolution. This made it a very important breed in its day.

Our cross bred sheep are a mix of Shetlands, Gotland's, Teeswater's, Icelandic and Leicester Longwool crosses, all purposely bred to produce a quality fibre.