AUCTIONEERS were surprised by the high price paid for sheep grazing rights near Hawes.
The 60 sheep gaits on Abbotside Common, the first to come up for sale for ten years, had a guide price of £200 each, but brisk bidding took them to £320, a total of £19,200.
Last week's joint public auction between Hawes Auction Mart and George F White attracted great interest. The sale followed the death of the original owner.
The 9,500-acre Abbotside Common, with a total registration of 7,864 gaits, is renowned for producing the highest quality Swaledale sheep.
Each gait allows the owner to graze one ewe, including followers, until September 29 in each year in which the lambs are born.
Nigel Foster, a partner in George F White, said: "We were surprised at the high price, given the poor state of farming, but the result shows land values are holding up remarkably well."
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