Crofting plan aims to attract a new generation to vital industry
● Crofting township built on Skye with a view to attracting young families
It is a labour-intensive job that is normally passed from one generation to the next.
But now a rare opportunity has arisen for outsiders to enter the world of crofting, the traditional Scottish practice of working small landholdings and a vital part of the economy in many rural communities.
A new crofting township has been created at Gillean, on the Isle of Skye, and special discounts are being offered to attract young families.
The hope is a new generation will be inspired to enter crofting and help grow the local population.
Three crofts have been brought to the market by landowners, the Clan Donald Lands Trust (CDLT), and interest is expected to be high among potential buyers.
Two of the units are being specifically promoted at a discounted rate to young residents who live on the Sleat peninsula, the southern most part of the island.
“It is a very an unusual move for an estate to create new crofts but the trust believes this is a tangible step towards traditional crofting and will help maintain a way of life synonymous with Skye and many other areas of the Highlands and islands,” said Angus Kelly of Bidwells, the property consultants employed by CDLT to manage the sale of the new crofts.
“The estate has deliberated long and hard over the proposals and are now delivering real opportunities in the form of good-sized, workable holdings, each with planning permission in principle for a croft house.”
Few crofts come on to the market, according to the Scottish Crofting Federation, and those that do are generally in great demand.
The average size of a croft is around five hectares, but some are only 0.5ha, often with a share in hill grazing which is held in common with other crofters in a township.
Most crofts cannot support a family or give full-time employment, and most crofters have other occupations to provide the main part of their income.
In 2014-15 there were 19,422 crofts, with 15,388 crofters, across Scotland, generating an estimated £86 million annually. Around 10 per cent of the population of the Highlands and islands are involved in crofting.
Jan Wallwork-clarke of the CDLT said: “The trust is keen to encourage new crofters to branch out on their own and by offering a specially discounted rate for young local individuals and families, we hope we can help retain skills and traditions as well as offering a route to a lifestyle and income unique to land management in the highlands and islands.
“We have worked alongside the community to devise a proposal which complements and enhances the locality and we are very excited to offer such a unique opportunity.
“Croft revenues will be reinvested to assist in the running of the estate alongside the Clan Donald Lands Trusts visitor attractions at Armadale that include Armadale Castle and Gardens and the Museum of the Isles.”
The crofts are being sold under crofting tenure to the CDLT and extend to between approximately 6.33 acres (2.565 ha) and 7.91 acres (3.204 ha).
Former farm land, the ground is predominately rough hill along with areas of in-bye land. Each croft includes a share to Gillean common grazing which extends to approximately 50ha.
The Crofting Register, an online database established in 2012 to offer crofters greater legal certainty over their tenancy, signed up its 2,000th property last year.