really old style living?

RAS

seasalt wrote: »

I have no idea how easy it is to buy a croft if you are not already a tenant. Crofting tenancies are usually assigned within the family or at least within the township, sometimes to the highest bidder. They don't very often come up on the open market and you still have to be approved as a tenant by the Crofters Commission. (Croft houses - as opposed to croft land - are different. They can be bought and sold as the feu - house plot - has usually been decrofted.)

Which is why you get English people thinking they have bought a croft when actually they have bought a croft house and have no title over the land around them which they hope to farm. Then they discover that the land could be assigned to someone else in the township and that even if the Crofting Commission assign it to them, other crofters may have rights of way over the land, as well the landlord retaining all sorts of feudal rights. Encountered a few shell-shocked people learning crofting law the hard way.

Regarding lets SS, my friend was looking to a year-round let, which was the problem. He could get a winter let but needed year round accomodation.

seasalt_2

We have just lit the rayburn for the first time this winter so we will be warm. I am already on my second lot of waterproofs today! As well as it lashing with rain and blowing a gale, the sea was all but breaking over the coal store at the pier when I went to buy some this morning - power lines down too so tills not working. Fortunately it is back on now - feel sorry for the hydro boys, mending poles in this weather!

seasalt_2

RAS wrote: »

Regarding lets SS, my friend was looking to a year-round let, which was the problem. He could get a winter let but needed year round accomodation.

Yes, that's one of the reasons DD1 now lives and works in Glasgow.

I'm english too but had no intention of crofting when I came here - scared of cows for one thing - just that I went and married one - not a cow - a crofter!

RAS

seasalt wrote: »

I am already on my second lot of waterproofs today!

My sister commented recently that when they moved, she had not anticipated that she would have different sorts of water/weather proof gear; for fine mizzle on otherwise warms days and windproofs down to full lash ups for when it is chucking it.

Sounds like it is not so much coming down as being blown horizontal SS?

RAS

seasalt wrote: »

Yes, that's one of the reasons DD1 now lives and works in Glasgow.

Which is why it is so bleeding hard to regenerate and repopulate these areas. Unless you can inherit as croft at a relatively young age (parents decroft the house and then assign the croft to you and you then have to work it and build your own house), it is really hard to find anywahere to live. It was hard enough before the land laws came in but now.

I am assuming SS from your comments on crofting law that you are off the West coast rather than in the Northern Isles?

You will probably be aware of one or two of the imfamous cases where landowners have sold off crofting land, often retaining the grazing land for themselves, and then announced that their estates are not covered by crofting legislation.

mardatha

If it stopped raining long enough then we could have a revolution !!

RAS

mardatha

We have had two sunny spells in the last week; one of which lasted an hour. Otherwise it has ranged from overcast with occasional showers to chuck it. Right now it is steady rain. At least its not combined with high winds this week.

mardatha

We seem to have torrential rain and a baby hurricane. Horizontal rain, branches, leaves and if the sheep werent sodden then they'd go as well! :rotfl:

seasalt_2

Hi RAS, yes, west coast. Still raining but at least the wind has died down a bit

ginnyknit

Manchester is very cold and wet Chickens need wellies! Been round the charity shops but they all seem to be full of pretty basic stuff nowadays, they have definately had a down turn in the last 6 months. So glad I got out of the business would be very frustrating to try and make targets and have area manager on my back all the time.

I find it very interesting to hear about crofting. It always seems a very hard life when they visit them on TV which was the limit of my knowledge till now.