End of the Rainbow

As previously written, the journey to Croft 5 has been a long, long, long process. You can catchup with part one and part two here if you haven’t already read them.

However the end of the road is finally in sight as the Crofting Commission have approved my application to become the tenant of Croft 5 Enaclete!

It’s not quite time to open the rarest of my whisky yet, however I did enjoy a toast with a glass of the newly released rum from local distiller Isle of Lewis Gin. This spicy number is named after the loch which Croft 5 overlooks and so it was, a fitting tipple to mark the last leg of the journey.

A Learning Curve

Throughout this process (this long, long process) it was important that I stayed focused on the end goal and kept myself busy enough to not to become overly distracted by impatience and frustration.

I believe that keeping active, both physically and mentally, and being outdoors living in tune with the land and the environment is the key to a longer and happier life; indeed this belief was one of the key factors in my decision to live a more self-sufficient life.

Learning and practicing new skills, especially into later life, is beneficial by contributing to resilience, greater happiness and a longer, more fulfilling life. It is also found that maintaining enhanced cognitive function reduces cognitive decline, and keeping busy certainly helps with improved mental well-being.

One of the keys to navigating the challenges that are inevitably coming our way is going to be self and community, and the contributions that individuals make and share as part of that community.

So I took the time that had been forced upon me to learn and practice new skills that would benefit my self, the croft, the land, and anyone else who I could share them with in the future. This sharing process starts below, with me providing some information and resources for new entrant crofters that I have accessed in during the year long wait to move onto Croft 5.

Note: The first part of becoming a crofter should be probably be a course on acronyms!

The Farm Advisory Service

In Scotland the Farm Advisory Service (FAS) offers a range of resources that aim to provide advice for farmers and crofters across Scotland. Primarily this advice is aimed at increasing profitability and sustainability. They run both webinars and in-person training, and have a useful YouTube (YT) channel FAS TV if you wish to catch up on any of the topics or past webinars. They even have interviews and case studies with crofters across Scotland. Less flashy and far more realistic than much of the content on YT.

Are you looking to improve the quality of your pasture but not sure where to start?

Are you looking to understand how you can best utilise your grass?

Do you have a problem with rushes?

Yes, yes, and… I think so?

So I attended the Grassland Roadshow in August. This was a free event and even included lunch! As much as I learned about soil sampling and improving the grassland (and that yes, I have a problem with rushes) I also met other crofters, some experienced and some new entrants who had been where I am now, who were happy to share their advice and experiences with me.

Scottish Crofting Federation

I joined the Scottish Crofting Federation (SCF) shortly after I put the offer in on Croft 5. The benefit of joining the SCF early on was to give me access to the information and training that they provide. I would describe them like a union for crofters. The SCF lobby government and aim to protect crofters and crofting life, and it should be noted that they are a member-led organisation not to be confused with the Crofting Commission, who are the public body regulating crofts on behalf of the Scottish Government.

I have attended many of the SFC online workshops and also their in-person two day training course. I have to say that all of them have been worthwhile and I have learned a lot from all of them. If you are a new entrant to crofting I really think joining the SFC and attending as many of the courses as possible is invaluable. Actually it’s £76 a year, but well worth it for the access to the information, and more importantly, the people with the information.

So far I have attended workshops on:

– Managing internal Parasites (in livestock, I haven’t registered with a doctor on the island yet!)
– Getting Started with Rural Payments
– Croft House Grant Scheme
– Livestock Registration
– Crofting Agricultural Grant Scheme
– Whole Farm Plan

Not forgetting the importance of meeting people in person I also attended the two day Crofting for the Future training course, held at the Pairc Trust Resource Centre which included a visit to my friends at Croft Seventeen, Lemreway.

Many of the above are also available to watch on the SCF YouTube channel, but you don’t get to ask questions of have the same interactions as you would by attending the workshops so I recommend at least joining the webinars.

The two day Crofting for the Future course was especially worthwhile as a new entrant as it was a place to share and discuss ideas, go off on tangents, and ask “stupid questions” in a room of like-minded people is something you just don’t get to do with online webinars.

Crofting Experience

One of the main reasons for attending in-person courses goes back to community and the sharing of resources (in this case knowledge and experience). The attendees may not live in the same village, or even on the island, however they are part of a wider community of crofters.

However I have been fortunate that a huge part of my time on the Isle of Lewis (both leading up to and since moving to the island) has been spent with Croft Seventeen, Lemreway.

Over the past three years I have visited and stayed with them, and enjoyed the opportunity to learn from them the day-to-day tasks of croft life.

It started with bagging horse muck and quickly progressed to stock fencing, with a range of other activities along the way including: building a hen house, rounding up sheep, meeting the coos, cutting silage, eating cake, more fencing, and asking lots of questions (probably lots of times!).

As the time for me to occupy croft moves nearer I have also spent more and more hours at Croft 5. I’ve walked the croft over and over, each time thinking about how I can implement what I have learned and introducing new ideas to my plans for the land, observing the flora and fauna as the seasons change, watching how the water flows after a storm, and which areas are sheltered from or hit by the winds. I’ve also made introductions with many of the neighbours and enjoyed chatting to them about the village past and present, and learning something of the previous tenant.

I’ve also started on repairing the washed out track in preparation for getting a vehicle down to the property (specifically the removal van). 4.5 tonnes of “Type 1” and countless wheelbarrow loads later and it’s now drivable. It also helps the council have dug out the road ditches above, eliminating future run off.

One Last Question

I mentioned patience at the start of this post, and looking back at it now I can’t quite believe how patient I have been. I can be somewhat impulsive, in a good “just get on with it” kind of way. It has seen me right, but perhaps patience is the biggest lesson that I have learned. That’s great, now gimme the keys and let me get on!

So, after 50 weeks, will I be residing on the croft before I have to renew my annual membership of the SCF next month?

Answers on a postcard to Croft 5, Enaclete, Uig, Eilean Siar, HS2 9HH

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