Crofting

Camuscross is a crofting township, with 37 registered crofts and 30 crofters.  Each crofter has a croft - which is a piece of in-bye land where crofters traditionally grew their crops.  Most crofts have a croft house on them - the crofters' home. 

Most crofters also have a share in the common grazings, used for grazing cattle and sheep.  The common grazings is managed by a Common Grazings Committee.  In recent years they have applied for funding to set up woodland planting and regeneration schemes, build an animal handling pen and crush and put up fences.

Ten years ago, there was only one crofter ploughing and growing crops on his croft.  In 2008, 8 crofters have patches of tatties on 9 crofts.  The number of cattle and sheep in the village has increased and a number of crofters keep or have kept pigs.  A number of crofters have hens. 

Here are some photos showing the work done through a crofting year:

Crofters Fencing Carrying posts for the woodland regeneration scheme fence by Allt Duisdale during winter 2007 © Susan Walker 2007	Carrying turning posts Camuscross crofters carrying turning posts for the new fence during winter/spring 2007 Photo © Susan Walker 2007
Ard Ghunel fence Crofter carries roll of netting out to fill in gaps on the Ard Ghunel fence. This was put up as part of a Rural Stewardship scheme to allow grazing on Ard Ghunel but allow the scrub trees outside the fence to regenerate. Photo © Malcolm Parsons 2008	Tattie drills Crofter making tattie drills with his Massey Ferguson 35, one of an increasing number of tractors in the village - some even more ancient than this one! Photo © Malcolm Parsons 2008
Malcolm Harrowing Crofter's son harrowing ground for sowing with corn, undersown with grass seed on No 39 Camuscross Photo © Malcolm Parsons 2008	Evening harrowing Harrowing in an unusually dry spring. Photo © Malcolm Parsons 2008
Shearing sheep Shearing sheep in the new fank (animal handling pens) built by the crofters as part of the Township Development Scheme Photo © Malcolm Parsons 2007	Herding cattle Bringing the milk cow home from the hill (common grazings) Photo © Malcolm Parsons 2008
Fetching peats Using the tractor to bring home the peats, cut on the common grazings © Malcolm Parsons 2007	Taking in the hay A full trailer load of hay ready to be taken home and stacked in the barn for the winter feeding. Photo © Fergus Walker 2007
Hot pigs enjoy the sun on No 8	Hebridean sheep enjoying winter hay