Crofting life talk at society meeting

Appropriate then for the next Arran Natural History Society (ANHS) meeting to hear of a crofting team which aims to farm sustainably and with wildlife in mind.

Ex-National Trust for Scotland Goatfell ranger Sandra Baer and Lynn Cassels have been working their 150 acre croft in the Cairngorms National Park since 2016. Their early crofting days featured in the third series of BBC 2’s This Farming Life and in 2022 they produced a record of their journey into farming in their book This Wild Farming Life.

Despite having no experience in farming, Lynn and Sandra and have since built up a vibrant, diverse rural business where they grow nearly all their own food, produce Highland beef, rare breed pork, pastured eggs and honey.

They now lead tours and courses with attendees from all around the world. Their model is based on farming with nature and their goal through their work and messaging is to help heal the divide between people and the rest of nature.

In Our Wild Farming Life: crofting with nature in The Cairngorms, members will be joined online by Lynn Cassels who will describe how the pair aim to work the croft using natural processes and in harmony with nature while running a sustainable business.

The talk is on Tuesday February 6 at 7.30pm. ANHS members will be emailed the link to the meeting. Non-members can join via Eventbrite at bit.ly/3vHusHz for a donation of £5.

If you would like to join ANHS prior to the meeting - £15 or £25 per household - and save £5, email arrannaturalhistorysociety@gmail.com.