Yorkshire Vet, Julian Norton herds sheep in the Lake District for new TV series Friday on the Farm

“It was hard to know how to answer that question. I knew it would be for the popular new Channel 5 series Friday on the Farm and I knew it could be an ephemeral offer, with potential to be changed or cancelled within a day or so, subject to the vagaries of normal life, farmer’s commitments and the whims of the TV world.

I also knew that if I could swap a duty and get there on time, and if the weather was right, it would be something that could be a lot of fun.

So of course, without hesitation, I agreed.

The trip up to Buttermere was a familiar one. As a young assistant, working in Thirsk, I would make the journey on a free weekend or even when a sunny day coincided with an afternoon off.

With my mountain bike packed in the back seat, I could drive across the A66, reassemble the bike, cycle up and down Helvellyn, and drive home. I could be back just in time for last orders at the Blacksmiths’ Arms. But this time, 20 years later, I’d be staying overnight in the Lakes, rather than rushing home.

I met up with Eddie, the young shepherd, and his mates, each of whom was replete with a bunch of two or three rough looking (but very fit) dogs, who would be helping gather the sheep from the fell.

I had helped collect sheep like this once before, when I was a vet student learning the ropes of animal husbandry at a fantastic family farm in Threshfield.

The gimmer lambs were separated from the rest of the flock, dipped and then sent to the sales to provide the robust basis of lowland flocks.

The ewes were sorted, to check their fitness to survive another year on the fell, nurturing a pair of lambs in all weathers.

I loved it, not only from the farming perspective but because it made me feel as if I was part of the fabric and tradition of the hills.

So, setting off with Eddie and his hefted mates rekindled some halcyon memories. It was no understatement to say that Eddie and his Lakeland farming friends were as hefted as the Herdwick sheep, whose DNA was so intrinsically entwined with every contour, gill and crag of the fells where they lived.

Born and brought up on those fells, the farmers knew the landscape as well as the sheep, who had no need for stonewalls to keep them contained.

As we climbed higher, Eddie explained the plan: one by one his helpers would peel off with their dogs to head off the sheep before the pass.

Eddie and I, with his lean pack of faithful dogs, climbed and climbed, almost to the top of the crags that marked the extent of the grazing area.

Views of Crummock Water opened up, with giants like Red Pike behind and the Irish Sea and Dumfries even further away. They took my breath away.

We paused periodically, not so much to regain our breath or to admire the view, but to look for sheep dotted, as they were, all over the fell and to ensure the dogs didn’t miss any.

Eventually, as the dog teams came together, all the sheep on the hill were funnelled down to the bottom of the steep-sloping hillside, towards the farm below.

It had been a great day and a privilege to help Eddie gather his sheep. I resolved not to leave it so long before I returned to the Lakes.

Julian features on Friday on the Farm this week at 9pm Friday on Channel 5.

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James Mitchinson