Haytime in Swaledale: Tedding, Raking & Harvesting in the Dales
Over the last couple of days, I’ve been out with the camera capturing the annual dance of haymaking around Reeth, where farmers work from early morning until late evening to gather in the grasses while the weather holds. These photographs show a sequence of that process — tedding, raking, and finally harvesting — all set against the backdrop of Swaledale’s rolling fields and drystone walls.
The process begins with tedding — a vital step in the haymaking chain where the cut grass is spread and turned to allow it to dry evenly. It’s a task that looks almost meditative when viewed from a distance, the tractor moving slowly across the field, fluffing the grass into lighter, looser rows. Once sufficiently dried, the grass is then raked into clean, straight windrows in preparation for collection.
The final stage I captured was the harvest itself, carried out with a Ramsay & Jacks forage harvester. There’s a real sense of satisfaction watching the machinery at work — trailers steadily filling with cut grass that will be stored for winter fodder. It’s a modern operation, but the heart of it remains deeply traditional: community, care for the land, and timing everything just right.
One of the things I love most about photographing this kind of work is how it sits so comfortably in the landscape — both a part of it and shaped by it. These aren’t just beautiful views; they’re working scenes, alive with purpose. Each ridge and furrow tells a story of effort and routine, and each farm is its own small universe of knowledge passed through generations.
