Product Description

Crofting is a particularly Scottish way of managing the land that is now breathing new life into the Highland glens. In recent high-profile cases in Assynt, Knoydart and the islands of Eigg and Gigha, local crofters have taken ownership of the land on which they have lived as tenants for generations. Communities that were left deserted by the Clearances of the nineteenth century have once more got a future. In this new, greatly expanded edition of her bestselling "Crofts and Crofting", Katherine Stewart describes how crofting has evolved over the years. Life on the crofts is, and always has been, hard and seldom materially rewarding. And yet it has created a rich tradition, marked by community spirit, personal warmth, respect for the land and toughness in the face of adversity. This new edition updates the crofting story for the twenty-first century. A ground-breaking Crofting Act is now putting crofters, with their environmentally sustainable small farms, at the forefront of land management in the Highlands. In the new era, information technology is transforming the options available and removing the isolation which was so often the crofters' greatest burden. This book is a complete guide to the history, working methods and future outlook for a unique way of life.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #455599 in Books
• Published on: 2005-05-20
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: .39" h x 5.50" w x 8.52" l, .38 pounds
• Binding: Paperback
• 160 pages

Review
'... shows how this unique way of life has a future again.' Scottish Field 'It is crammed full of a lifetime's thinking and gathering, and will be a worthy addition to the library of anybody who believes that crofting had a past filled with value and can have a bright future.' The Shetland Times 'A revised and much-expanded edition of an expert consideration of how crofting has evolved over the years.' The Scots Magazine

Scottish Field
'… shows how this unique way of life has a future again.'

From the Inside Flap
Many people’s image of crofts and crofting is one of trim, thatched cottages nestling in sheltered glens, the soil of which yields all that is necessary to ensure to ensure a good life of self-sufficiency. There is little reality to this idyllic picture. Life on the crofts is, and always has been, hard and seldom materially rewarding. And yet, over the years, a rich tradition has evolved in crofting areas, a tradition marked by community spirit, personal warmth and iron will.

Crofting is simply a way of life which transcends the values of modern materialistic society, a unique culture in which crofters have to be truly one with their environment.

Katharine Stewart live on a croft for many years. Her experiences during this period of her life were recounted in her book A Croft in the Hills. She has since helped to set up a crofting museum next to her home near Loch Ness. Among her other books are A Garden in the Hills, describing the life of her garden during the course of the year, and A School in the Hills, about the schoolhouse in which she lives and the way in which children of the Highlands have been educated over the years.