Anyone who has lived in a rural community knows of the close bonds that develop between people. The Highland and Island communities through isolation terain and weather have very strong bonds and great warmth and humour with a far more relaxed attitude to life than mainstream Britain though remaining very much in touch with modern living.

 Often living in these areas means hard physical work and if involved in crofting or smallholding having to have a second paid job and having little time to do the jobs that need to be done. Not much time to browse the internet or trawl through pages of search engines to look for what you want. We have tried and will continue to try to find the relevent information for you and post the links here grouped into categories we think will be relevent to you.

This website is meant as an information resource for crofting, smallholding, small farming and Island/rural lifestyle and anything related, primarily for Scottish Highlands and Islands but some information is also relevent to people with similar lifestyles elsewhere in the UK.

Or, maybe you just want to visit the Highlands and Islands, there's links here to interest anyone and set out in an easy to use format. Have a browse and find what you are looking for(we hope) and come back regularly we will be updating as we go along to make your visit more enjoyable;maybe hang around in the forum too and make friends.

 If you should find any websites you think will be relevent to others in the areas covered here,that we have not already posted, email the links to us and we will post them here to share with our little on-line community.

Hope you didnt burn something in the oven whilst reading this !! Thanks for your time.

Our forum is:- "A self help group for sharing all your stressful experiences of your self inflicted lifestyle.Swop advice, trade, barter,heckle,make friends(but not enemies)generally talk rubbish or while away hours of valuable time when you really should be getting on with something useful. We hope you enjoy coming here and making a few friends "

 self inflicted life-style is a lighthearted reference to the hard life we subject ourselves to in fulfilling our dreams to live differently to the majority of people, by 'Living off the land' (or at least attempting to!!!) raising Livestock and Poultry,growing vegetables and making our lives generally more wholesome- well-- more interesting anyway!!

 With this choice of lifestyle often comes hardship and frustration, hours of toil and often little money but on the whole we accept that we just would not live any other way. Crofting has traditionally been the way to live this 'lifestyle' -more a necessity than a choice in the Scottish highlands and Islands- never a lucrative way of life more a reasonable assurance of survival into the next year!

Modern living has brought changes to the way people live but the crofting way of life is still extremely important to those that live in the more inhospitable regions of Scotland. In other areas of the British Isles smallholdings, market gardening and hobby farming has brought the same fortunes or misfortune however you look at it. Many family farms are being squeezed out of existence in the commercial farming of today and that means many will be forced into the same category as the crofters, smallholders and hobby farmers.

What unites us though is a common bond to feel responsible for ourselves to grow produce we can be proud of (sometimes!) and our sense of humour,because lets face it if you dont have one you wont survive very long. We hope that you will come here often and share with us all your trials and many tribulations and try as we do not to take life too seriously.

 Dont forget to add this forum to your favourites so that you can come back or we will be sitting here waiting a very long time indeed! we look forward to meeting you very soon

http://www.crofting.info/forum/index.php

There is a gallery attached to this site for you to sign up as a member and create your own album and share your best pics with others.   

Crofters and Smallholders Anonymous Photo Gallery