The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Community => Coffee Lounge => Topic started by: Smiler on January 10, 2010, 08:13:49 pm
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I've been offered the chance to lease a property with 15 acres of (croft)land on the island of Lewis. The only thing is ... I've never even been there! Can anyone who's been there on holiday, or who lives there, give me an idea what it's like? I have been to Skye many times so am hoping it's kind of like that!
I understand that the house is quite near Stornoway. My plan would be to be as self-sufficient as possible, but obviously will need money to pay the rent, bills etc - again, advice on how feasible it is to pick up any kind of work would be most appreciated.
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i don't know were your from. but you will need another income sources. everything is more expensive than on the mainland. your not going to be able to grow all your veg. but you will need to check with folks from the outer Hebrides to find out what does. its a big cultural change. make sure your croft is registered to you. winters are longer and wetter.
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Oh wow! That sounds awesome!
(If you decide to decline, do let me know! ;) ;D)
It's a wee bit like Skye, but fewer trees (i.e. nearly none!). Windswept, rugged and beautiful. Dark in winter, but light all night long in summer. Sounds like an adventure in any case - do keep us posted with developments!
By the way, I've been reading a fair bit of the "Life at the end of the road" (http://lifeattheendoftheroad.wordpress.com/) blog recently. It's by a chap who's crofting on Raasay. Be warned though - you may be inspired to do something similar! ;)
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Hi Smiler
We have a croft on the Isle of Lewis about 7 miles north of Stornoway. As others have said it is very windswept here, up to 120mph winds in winter and had a 60 mph gale in June last year which knocked the garden about a bit!
Land here can be very variable and much of what used to be croft land has had the drainage neglected for too long. Where is the croft you're being offered?
With a bit of shelter you can grow a lot of things but nothing too tall. We gave up on Runner beans and sweetcorn and it's too cold for french beans outside. We have had about 1" of snow since xmas and it got as cold as -5 one night. Temperature band is much smaller than other places warmest day in 4 years has been about 21 degrees and coldest about -5 degrees. Also you need to be prepared for the midges which are a plague between June and September most years.
If you want any more info, or want me to look at the place you have been offered just PM me.
Regards
Dave
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Thanks everyone for your replies. So far the information I have about this croft is very limited, because it's through a friend of my husband's so I got the info kind of "second hand". Hoping to get some more details over the next couple of days, and then the plan is to take a wee trip up to have a look. Very exciting!
Dave, get the kettle on ;D
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Hi Smiler
You're very welcome to visit us, if you come to Lewis, and discuss aspects of living here. Just let us know when to expect you.
We do run a B&B too but don't want you to feel obliged to stay with us, a visit will be fine. :)
From our own experience and that of others who have come (and some who have left soon after) the hardest thing to get to grips with is the wind and rain which are fairly persistant during winter.
Good luck
Dave
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As a non-resident, but married to a Stornowegian with parents and family still there, I can tell you that my own experience is that the culture shock is the biggest issue. The weather, apart from the terrible storms in late autumn/winter, isn't dramatically different from the mainland, in fact the winters tend to be a bit milder. But that wind...
What I find difficult getting used to when I'm back on the island, are the limitations in various aspects of life: there's not the same freedom of movement on a Sunday, or indeed at any time unless you've got plenty of money: the price of fuel is astronomical. Things in Stornoway itself seem to be changing, slowly, but the Church still has a pretty firm grip on life in the islands, so there's no popping out for some shopping or to the cinema on a Sunday. We've gone out for drives on Sundays, and driving through some communities is... interesting... with unconcealed disapproving stares from the people heading to/from church ::) I had a funny experience one Sunday in going to the petrol station, run by a Norwegian, and it was pretty busy, but few folk spoke to each other, even those who knew each other, everyone trying to pretend they weren't actually there on the Sabbath :D
The island itself is beautiful, particularly the beaches on the west, and of course the mountainous isle of Harris is stunning too. We tend to travel up via Uig on Skye, landing at Tarbert a couple of hours later, and driving the 40 mins up the road to Stornoway - it's a better, and cheaper, journey than the 3 and a half hour ferry ride from Ullapool.
It's a great place, I don't know if I could live there myself, and I know it was incredibly difficult for my husband and friends of his generation to grow up in, but if I wanted to remove myself to somewhere totally different, peaceful and harkening back to a simpler and less commercial existence, then I'd have no hesitation in going to live there. :)