THE JOURNAL
Ed Sandys lives in the Lake District, in Cumbria, in the north of England, with his wife, Lucy, and their three children. Sandys runs the family estate, Graythwaite, which he took over from his parents almost three years ago. Graythwaite Estate is set over 5,000 acres of land, alongside the shores of Lake Windermere, near to where Beatrix Potter lived. The Sandys family has lived here for more than 500 years.
Today, the estate has 38 holiday cottages that can be rented, including Silverholme, a Georgian manor house overlooking the lake that you can hire for stays or weddings, and activities from off-road driving to clay-pigeon shooting on offer, too. These enterprises help Sandys fund his other passion: nature preservation and land sustainability. The ambition is to repair the damage caused by the agriculture of yesteryear – intensive sheep farming, for example – and to work with local organisations to promote social responsibility in order to create a better and long-lasting future for the estate, wildlife and the people that come to enjoy it.
It is, as you can see, a spectacular setting. Ospreys soar in the skies above, thanks to a release programme initiated a decade ago; the same with the red kite and squirrel populations that thrive on the estate. Today, the focus is on soil structure, carbon capture and water quality. Sandys has created new wood pasture by planting 15,000 native trees, introduced extensive cattle grazing using ancient native breeds and encouraged wetland creation that plays host to myriad species of wildlife and plant life.
“It’s nice to have someone who doesn’t judge you and is always there for you”
And a keyworker supporting Sandys in all of this is his five-year-old golden retriever, Fendi (she is a working retriever, thus the reddish hue). Fendi follows Sandys wherever he is and for whatever he’s doing. She sits on the back of his quad bike when he’s checking on the cattle, jumps in the tarn – a small mountain lake – when he’s overseeing the rewilding project up there, bounces around in the Land Rover when Sandys heads off to check on properties and projects or meets with the team who work with him on all aspects of running the estate. Fendi is fully aware of the comings and goings of all the guests staying in Graythwaite’s various dwellings. And, being a retriever, she’s obviously good at retrieving: anything from a dead trout at the bottom of the lake to a beer accidentally dropped from the boathouse.
“Fendi is just the most loyal, loving and loopy dog,” says Sandys, who chose a retriever because he wanted a bigger dog, but not a labrador, as everyone else seemed to have one of those. She is like a shadow; clearly devoted to Sandys. And, Sandys says, as well as being a natural country dog, she is patient with his young children, even when they play with and poke her when all she wants to do is sleep after a long day’s toil. Her most unusual, and sometimes annoying trait, Sandys says, is an ability to open a door both ways – it’s hard to keep her in or out of anywhere.
Obviously, living somewhere with weather as unpredictable as the Lake District, and spending so much time outside, Sandys’ working wardrobe has to be weatherproof and practical. But when he’s not battling the wind and rain, a good coat, nice jeans and soft knitwear are his attire of choice – investment pieces that will stand the test of time. It’s an ethos that matches his ambition as the custodian of Graythwaite to ensure it remains in good stead for his children and future generations. And with Fendi loyally by his side, his job is that much easier.
“It’s nice to have someone who doesn’t judge you and is always there for you,” Sandys says. And he’s right. Watch the film above to see Ed Sandys and Fendi on the estate.
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