Author Topic: Crofting Law (Read 5861 times)

Pigtails · « **on:** May 02, 2009, 04:55:49 pm »

Can anyone advise as to the law of crofting?
As a registered tenant crofter, can I plant wildflowers on the field margins on my croft land?
and also on very wet areas,
my mind is boggling looking for answers on the internet.

My thinking is simply to attract the bees and butterflies, a sort of very small scale biodiversity.

Please advise,

Crofter · « **Reply #1 on:** May 02, 2009, 09:13:10 pm »

Hi Pigtails

If your a tenant of a croft then you can plant what you like on you croft land. Talk to SEERAD though as you may also be able to get a grant to plant your wild flowers!

Dave

Pigtails · « **Reply #2 on:** May 03, 2009, 09:51:31 am »

Thanks Dave,

that is what I thought, don't know about talking to seerad though, don't want to be tied to any of their hairbrained schemes and I am only talking about a very small area.

Cheers!

Crofter · « **Reply #3 on:** May 03, 2009, 11:08:27 am »

I only mentioned it because we want to plant a small coppice wood here on Lewis and discovered that a grant is available for the trees and the fencing. Only clause seems to be that we keep it as trees for 5 years...........Duh?

Dave

Pigtails · « **Reply #4 on:** May 03, 2009, 06:24:25 pm »

Hi again,

Lewis? you lucky people.
We just moved off an island in the inner hebrides after thirty years.
We moved to the north of Scotland where we are ecstatically pleased with "our lot".
Our Croft has never been improved, the land you could say is virgin land ie; nothing on it or in it.

There are so many things we want to do, and we are aware of the all the schemes going through Sgrpid and others
but we just want to do these things in our time at our pace as opposed to being stuck in any regime,

Like yourselves we also wish to plant woodlands / shelter belts and a small orchard, of native trees and other non invasive species.

When the time comes, we will consult with all the relevant bodies in this regard but we won't be entering into any schemes, not even for the grants.

We do however, appreciate you're mentioning it, because not everyone knows about all the grants that are available to crofters and farmers.

Is your coppice sustainable? have you future plans to use the wood? and then replant?
Biodiversity intrigues me no end, I love it!
Don't however, love SNH who appear to put their noses into everyone's lives whether invited or not.

Crofter · « **Reply #5 on:** May 03, 2009, 08:37:35 pm »

Hi Pigtails

hope to plant the coppice this year. Alder, willow, birch, rowan, hazel and some fruit trees in the middle where it's sheltered. Should be sustainable on a 5 year rotation once established, obviously we'll leave the birch and rowan growing as they don't coppice.
Where in the north are you? I used to live in Lybster and son & daughter live in Wick.

Dave

Pigtails · « **Reply #6 on:** May 04, 2009, 08:07:55 am »

We are in Sutherland, near Strathy Point.
www.29brawl.net

We love it, Brawl is remote without being too remote if you know what I mean.
On our previous farm we were eleven miles from the nearest village, here, we are just four miles from Melvich.
On our previous farm we had no near neighbours, here we have one next door and Strathy village less than a mile away.
We were Ag tenants, now we are crofting tenants.

We still have not fully explored the area (been too busy) but would hope to see Lybster one day, Wick we've been to several times
on mad shopping trips.

Wick is ok, too.

What made you move to an island?
Are you remote? in location.

Crofter · « **Reply #7 on:** May 04, 2009, 11:00:06 pm »

What made us move to an island? Well mostly price I must admit. We got a 3 bedroom 1970's house, barn and 4.5 acres for £100,000! We are not remote at all. Live in a township of 50 crofts, neighbors both sides and 3 villages between us and Stornoway which is 7 miles away.
Now we're here, we would not change it for the world. Just got to get it to a stage where we can support ourselves without working ourselves to death.

Dave

Pigtails · « **Reply #8 on:** May 05, 2009, 08:25:58 am »

Well crofter those are very reasons indeed!

I have never been to the Western Isles, although we did think about it prior to moving to Brawl,
unfortunately there was nothing suitable came up,

we thought to "downsize" but that hasn't happened yet, despite our best efforts!! Haha

Happy crofting!

Birdie Wife · « **Reply #9 on:** May 05, 2009, 10:55:09 am »

Do you know who your local Crofting Commission rep is? They would be able to advise you. Mine was very helpful

. I think you'll probably be able to find out from their website.

(I'm not a crofter - yet - but I also live in Sutherland and I'm currently finding out more...)

lordlonk · « **Reply #10 on:** May 08, 2009, 05:12:55 pm »

This thread will be very interesting to me as i look every day online on homes and crofts for sale.

I so hope i take the plunge to move and have a smallholding and i am drawn regular to the benefits that harris and lewis have to offer.

I am looking at the crofting laws but get confused

Crofter · « **Reply #11 on:** May 08, 2009, 05:42:30 pm »

Hi Ian

Good to see you back! If you have any queries, just ask. I may not know all the answers but it seems like there are a lot of crofters on here and between us we're sure to know. Quite a few crofts with houses for sale just now on the islands but I suppose it's not a good time to buy if you need a mortgage.

Dave