Graze anatomy How 10 residents of tiny Scots island are creating a new society on the hoof
Pedigree Highland calves mark the remarkable rebirth of Inner Hebridean island of Ulva
FOR islands tottering on the edge of the map, boosting the population is often at the very top of the agenda.
And on the west coast island of Ulva, bought by the local community for £4.65 million four years ago, the task is even harder: its population had dwindled to a mere five people, too few to even attempt to keep centuries of farming and agriculture ticking over.
For more than 15 years, farming was at a standstill. Troughs were left to rust, barns once filled with pigs and hay lay empty, and bracken was allowed to run riot, eventually growing chest high across once-lush fields of grass, herbs and wildflowers.
Now, however, the tiny island – which since the community buyout has already successfully doubled its human inhabitants – is bracing itself for a minor population boom, with the expected patter of tiny hooves.
Highland cattle reintroduced to Ulva two years ago are expected to deliver the first pedigree calves to be born on the island in recent memory – marking a pivotal moment in the island’s rebirth.
Not only will their arrival next year herald the beginnings of a new Ulva fold of Highland cattle – itself something of a unique selling point when they eventually go to market – they will also play a particular role in enabling the Inner Hebridean island’s land to become productive again.
For as well as providing visitors with charming photo opportunities, the new fold will be put to work chomping away on the overgrown vegetation to allow new growth to flourish and, as nature takes its course, spreading seeds and improving the land as they go – an important job in the challenge of restoring a proper agricultural presence for the first time in decades.
Indeed, the livestock are being seen as a symbol of how far the island has come since it was bought by North West Mull Community Woodland Company in June 2018.
Transformation
ACCORDING to Ulva’s development manager Wendy Reid, while Ulva might not appear significantly different from the outside, the cattle, the arrival of a new stockman to tend to them and a flurry of activity to refurbish homes – among other work behind the scenes – is subtly transforming island life.
“We’re now able to see changes and it will only continue to develop,” she said.
“We’ve got to go at a pace that’s appropriate for the island. Some people may think it’s slow progress and expectations may be that we should be quicker and doing more, but you have to bear in mind that there are people here whose lives are changing.
“They have to get used to it. So, while life isn’t massively different, it’s slightly different.”
Ulva, a favourite spot for Beatrix Potter, Sir Walter Scott and visited by James Boswell and Dr Samuel Johnson, suffered under its 19th and 20th-century owners. Although its population stood at 859 in 1841, by 1920 it had fallen to 150. In more recent years, it had slumped to just five residents. With just a passenger ferry linking it to Mull, no school, shop or proper roads, the island struggled to attract families. Farming drew to a halt.
Population: 10
THE buyout, however, has already doubled the population to 10. New residents include Ulva’s new stockman Phil Bertin, a former marine engineer turned policeman who later moved to Harris to take over a croft, and his schoolteacher wife, Shona.
They have moved into the island’s refurbished manse, while new owners for the island’s popular restaurant, The Boathouse, are in another recently revived property. In all, six homes have been upgraded and one is waiting for a new tenant – another major landmark in the island’s revival and one that was not without its issues. “There have been the obvious challenges,” said Ms Reid. “Everything from the smallest brick to the biggest item had to be brought over.” Ulva’s narrow, rough tracks struggled under the weight of forklifts and required constant maintenance, while simply getting contractors from one place to the next on electric buggies was difficult. “Then we discovered none of
There have been the obvious challenges. Everything from the smallest brick to the biggest item had to be brought over
the sceptic tanks at the properties were working – they were all broken,” she added.
That added to the £1.5m refurbishment bill while £500,000 has also been spent upgrading the island’s pier to enable better access for visitors and fishermen.
The community group is now considering its next project – the Thomas Telford-designed church has a leaking roof and rotting floor – while there are plans to convert Ulva House, a fine B-listed mansion home which was once occupied by the island’s previous owner, Jamie Howard.
Go with the flow
CONSTRUCTING more houses on the island will have to wait until work can be done to upgrade Ulva’s water system and reinstate its reservoir – expensive but necessary as the current system is not adequate for more properties, Ms Reid explained.
Until then, focus is on the cattle and hopes that as well as reviving the land, they may inspire a new generation of farmers, boost biodiversity, and help support corncrakes and rare species such as the slender Scotch Burnett moth.
The first Highland cows were delivered by the Maid of Ulva, a barge owned by a local fish business in 2019, and were later joined by sheep and a further group of heifers, bullocks and, significantly, a handsome bull.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s On Your Farm programme, Ulva’s stockman Mr Birtin, who brought some of his own cattle from his croft in Harris to add to the Ulva herd, said: “Ulva has got good grazing.
However, it hasn’t been utilised to its fullest extent for a good number of years, which has led to less-than-ideal grazing conditions.
“Highland cattle have a very specific way of how they graze. They would rather graze a variety of different species rather than monoculture just grass and they have developed a very unique way of how they move around the ground. They are much lighter and have a different gait from other animals which opens up the ground in a more delicate way, rather than trampling.”
The arrival of new Ulva-born Highland calves will be a significant moment, he added. “There will be the first lot of calves born next year – the first pedigree Highland cattle born on Ulva for a long time. It’s quite a special thing to happen.”