I have a small homestead here in southwest Idaho and I agree that most info about homesteaders is either far right or far left. I am neither but often don't see a lot of other homesteaders (represented online) that have neutral motivations. Lots of bible and faith talk in the homesteading world contrasted by the food forests and no-till methods I've seen on Youtube. For me, homesteading is all about the magic and joy of growing food and finding a deep connection with the land. I was happy to come across this post :)
I am so glad you found me! I couldn't agree more that the polarization of homesteading can make finding community difficult for more moderate people, and in my opinion it makes it hard to enter this little world.
And an extremely basic overview of the Highland Clearances at this link. This is one of the reasons why there are Scots (and people descended from Scots) all over the world I guess.
I found this an incredibly insightful and interesting read. Lots of good points to reflect upon. Living in Scotland the opportunity to 'homestead' is incredibly limited. Vast swathes of Scotland are owned by landowners for hunting, forestry, etc. The reality is that 91% of Scotland's 5.5 million population live on only 2% of its land - mostly in towns, cities and the 'central belt' area around Edinburgh and Glasgow. The Highland Clearances effectively removed our birthright to the land and was an act of British imperialism that people tend to overlook these days.
Whilst not impossible to buy a small croft somewhere in Scotland it is often prohibitively expensive and there's no guarantee that services like decent fast broadband to allow homeworking would exist for example. I feel that the Scottish Government needs to do far more to address the above to allow greater proportions of our population the ability to live outside urban areas and pursue different lifestyles. The prices of property in cities like Edinburgh are ridiculous this is part of the reason. I do enjoy city living but I also feel that I don't have much of a choice in the matter, which is incredibly frustrating.
This is so interesting, Nicola! I had no idea about the Highland Clearances. Those numbers are actually crazy.
A lot of Maine is privately owned, and if you go way up north it's all owned in huge tracts by paper/timber companies. However, it is still relatively easy to find and buy some acreage -- certainly much easier than it sounds like it is in Scotland. When we went to Norway this winter they had an interesting system where actual farms are VERY inexpensive provided you can prove you are actually *farming* them - the government will even pay you to farm. But rural homes that might be vacation homes are extremely expensive.
(The interesting thing too - maybe for a future essay - is the balance and difference between 'farming' and 'homesteading'. A lot of people want to go rural and have a few chickens if they can, but actual farms are disappearing. )
That's really interesting to know about large areas of Maine being owned by timber companies too. A lot of Scotland is owned by 'absentee' landlords who e.g. live in the Middle East but own forestry as an investment. And don't get me started on the landed gentry. This is part of the problem here for sure!
Recently there have been some occasions where a community was able to buy their land collectively to safeguard it from sale to a company or whatever. It's not easy though.
When you visit the Highlands and see the ruined crofts on places like Strath Naver it is incredibly depressing. Not that I want to romanticise it, those crofters had a hard, hard life - but the Clearances were unforgivable. Profit over people!
The Strattons used to have a smallholding in Perthshire. When I've researched my family history it's interesting to see how my ancestors moved to work in the mills following the industrial revolution. I bet I have some distant family in Maine though - I know there's a place called Stratton, and Stratton Mountain, for a start!
I have a small homestead here in southwest Idaho and I agree that most info about homesteaders is either far right or far left. I am neither but often don't see a lot of other homesteaders (represented online) that have neutral motivations. Lots of bible and faith talk in the homesteading world contrasted by the food forests and no-till methods I've seen on Youtube. For me, homesteading is all about the magic and joy of growing food and finding a deep connection with the land. I was happy to come across this post :)
I am so glad you found me! I couldn't agree more that the polarization of homesteading can make finding community difficult for more moderate people, and in my opinion it makes it hard to enter this little world.
I find your bold point of view refreshing and inspiring.
And an extremely basic overview of the Highland Clearances at this link. This is one of the reasons why there are Scots (and people descended from Scots) all over the world I guess.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zxwxvcw/articles/zr7pmfr
Link to stats quoted in above comment: https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/news/2022/91-percent-of-scotlands-population-live-in-2-percent-of-its-land-area
I found this an incredibly insightful and interesting read. Lots of good points to reflect upon. Living in Scotland the opportunity to 'homestead' is incredibly limited. Vast swathes of Scotland are owned by landowners for hunting, forestry, etc. The reality is that 91% of Scotland's 5.5 million population live on only 2% of its land - mostly in towns, cities and the 'central belt' area around Edinburgh and Glasgow. The Highland Clearances effectively removed our birthright to the land and was an act of British imperialism that people tend to overlook these days.
Whilst not impossible to buy a small croft somewhere in Scotland it is often prohibitively expensive and there's no guarantee that services like decent fast broadband to allow homeworking would exist for example. I feel that the Scottish Government needs to do far more to address the above to allow greater proportions of our population the ability to live outside urban areas and pursue different lifestyles. The prices of property in cities like Edinburgh are ridiculous this is part of the reason. I do enjoy city living but I also feel that I don't have much of a choice in the matter, which is incredibly frustrating.
This is so interesting, Nicola! I had no idea about the Highland Clearances. Those numbers are actually crazy.
A lot of Maine is privately owned, and if you go way up north it's all owned in huge tracts by paper/timber companies. However, it is still relatively easy to find and buy some acreage -- certainly much easier than it sounds like it is in Scotland. When we went to Norway this winter they had an interesting system where actual farms are VERY inexpensive provided you can prove you are actually *farming* them - the government will even pay you to farm. But rural homes that might be vacation homes are extremely expensive.
(The interesting thing too - maybe for a future essay - is the balance and difference between 'farming' and 'homesteading'. A lot of people want to go rural and have a few chickens if they can, but actual farms are disappearing. )
That's really interesting to know about large areas of Maine being owned by timber companies too. A lot of Scotland is owned by 'absentee' landlords who e.g. live in the Middle East but own forestry as an investment. And don't get me started on the landed gentry. This is part of the problem here for sure!
Recently there have been some occasions where a community was able to buy their land collectively to safeguard it from sale to a company or whatever. It's not easy though.
When you visit the Highlands and see the ruined crofts on places like Strath Naver it is incredibly depressing. Not that I want to romanticise it, those crofters had a hard, hard life - but the Clearances were unforgivable. Profit over people!
The Strattons used to have a smallholding in Perthshire. When I've researched my family history it's interesting to see how my ancestors moved to work in the mills following the industrial revolution. I bet I have some distant family in Maine though - I know there's a place called Stratton, and Stratton Mountain, for a start!