One thing we aren’t short of is Scottish History. I could begin anywhere but as the granddaughter of a crofter the highland clearances which began in the 1800s are of particular interest not least because the highlands are my favourite part of Scotland and the clearances still affect the people and landscape of the area today. We can chart the beginning of the clearances to the introduction to a breed of sheep called The Great Cheviot brought to Ross and Caithness in around the 1790s. The crofting system worked by crofters paying rent to landlords for which they got a small amount of land. These were kept quite deliberately small so that the crofters would need to take on second jobs that benefited the landlord. But landlords soon worked out that despite the hard work of the locals they didn’t generate much income for the landlords and looked to find other ways to make more money. Sheep farming with the new breeds of sheep looked to them like the way to go and the evictions began. Crofters were moved from the land to coast so that the sheep could meet the demand for wool and mutton coming from further south leaving the crofters all but surplus to requirements. Evictions weren’t gentle affairs, houses were burnt and if you were too slow or old to get out in time the fires were started while you were still inside. The population of the highlands fell dramatically at this time and to avoid having to support the evictees landlords actively encouraged them to emigrate.
There are still crofters in the highlands today and but tourism is a bigger generator of income for the local economy now and given the landscape it is not difficult to see why. I recommend you got to highlands to find a part of the world like nowhere else on the planet. As big fan of beaches there are some of the best you will ever see, if you are a walker you’ll find a lifetimes worth of challenging climbs and walks. There are watersports, cookery courses, and enough Scottish history for anyone with a passion for the past.