The Highlands is the least densely-populated part of Europe - "wilderness" charities help to keep it that way

Landowning charities like the NTS are contributing to the problem of Highland depopulation

A crofthouse, left to the NTS in 2008, lies empty and neglected

The Highlands is the least densely populated part of Europe. City folk may fancy this is because few prefer windswept glens to the bright lights. But that is not true. (For evidence look at house prices.) There are many young couples and families who would love to buy a croft and have what we call ‘a portfolio career’ - a  part-time job, a few sheep, and a cute bothy to do up and rent to tourists. But these properties are vanishingly rare. 

As a result of the shortage of crofts and affordable housing, school rolls are in freefall;  farmers are aging; sheep numbers and food production are going down; hiring staff is a major issue for every business. 

Walking across many a Highland hillside, the remains of dwellings that were abandoned under duress during the Clearances are clearly visible - but it is virtually impossible to get permission to build where people used to live. 

When visitors drive along scenic areas, bare of houses, most probably don’t realise that this is because almost all of it is parcelled into vast holdings that belong to billionaries and businesses; charities and quangos. These organisations are not about to let ordinary folk move onto the land. 

Charities steer to their members

Large private landowners do come under scrutiny  - but the charities and quangos that own perhaps three per cent of Scotland not so much. Several own significant estates  - the National Trust for Scotland, the John Muir Trust, the RSPB, the Woodland Trust. The government quango NatureScot has some too. 

The largest charity landowner in Scotland is the NTS. It is different from the English National Trust, because it has a much smaller membership base and owns mountain areas as well as draughty money pits - sorry stately homes. Last year it spent more than it raised which it put down to cost of living increases.

For understandable reasons, the NTS and the other “wilderness” charities - turn towards the people who pay the bills. Members and potential members want to see ruined castles, red squirrels and Scots pines - not wee semis spoiling the view. Increasing the population of the Highlands is not part of the mission. 

A mountain paradise for nature lovers

For example, Torridon is described on the NTS website as a “Majestic mountain paradise for hikers, climbers, geologists and nature lovers”. Where do those who live and work in the area - or would like to - fit into this picture?

The village of Fasaig (Torridon) was inhabited continuously from the Bronze Age until it was cleared by landowners. The site of the original settlement would be a beautiful spot to live - right behind the community centre, with a view of the sea loch, sheltered by the mountains, set back from the road where caravans of caravans rumble through the summer months. I went to an open dig there in the summer and suggested to the NTS archaeologist that it was the perfect place for housing. He was horrified, protesting that it is an important historical site. 

Is it though? I spoke to an architect recently who was working on a site in the City of London where they found an intact Roman bathhouse. Did that stop the build? Not likely. Edinburgh Airport is on a Bronze Age burial site. Ditto. So the reason not to build on the historic village site of Fasaig is because - well - homes are not the priority. 

This is the patronising sign that locals can read whenever they go to the back of the community centre car park to collect their shopping from a supermarket delivery van: 

“Surviving spirit
Today, the village of Fasag nestles on the shores of Loch Torridon, but there was once a thriving community in the field behind these buildings. The ruins we see today are all that remain of a past way of life.

“Living off the land
For generations, people, animals and crops existed in harmony. But in 1845 the landlord did not renew tenant leases, deciding to replace people with more profitable sheep farms. A thriving community was forced to leave their lands. Some migrated toward the seashore, to eke out a living on less fertile ground; others chose to emigrate in search of a better life.

“Path to the past
Follow the path to the ruins of the old township of Doire na Fuaran. As you walk, try to imagine the living, breathing community that once existed here.”

The answer that leaps to the throat is - Why do we have to try to imagine it? We could start to  rebulld it tomorrow. The NTS would reply that it is not their job to build affordable housing. They have made available a few plots strung along the edge of the road to a housing association. But the prime site that once made up the beating heart of the village and could be again? That will stay cleared. 

Craigloiste - left to the NTS in 2008 - has lain empty ever since

Another example - along in the village of Inveralligin, many a passing walker has stopped at the sight of an apparently abandoned traditional tin-roofed croft house, half hidden by trees, with a sea view. Sometimes they go as far as to knock on the door of a neighbour and ask who owns this neglected dream and could they make them an offer? The answer is it belongs to the NTS. The house was left to them in 2008 and they have not managed to get it together to do anything with it in the 16 years that have elapsed, during which time the house, which was lived in before that, has deteriorated significantly. . 

I messaged NTS about these issues and I got this emollient reply from Will Boyd-Watts, the NTS West Highland Operations Manager 

“Housing is a very significant problem in Torridon and more broadly in the Highlands. We agree entirely with you about the need to provide affordable housing and the sentiment you express about the importance of the people who live and work locally. Our local staff are very much an integral part of the community, and the lack of affordable housing has impacted them as well.

“As a landowner, the Trust has a responsibility to look into ways that it can help to secure the long-term sustainability of rural communities. And because of this, our objective is to deliver partnership opportunities to increase the stock of affordable housing in the local area in a way that aligns with the Trust's core charitable objectives.

“We agree Craigloiste is in an unacceptable state, and it is a serious concern to us. As a charity, we have to ensure we cover our costs and achieve the most we can with the limited funds we have. We have been working collaboratively with the Communities Housing Trust (CHT) for many years to potentially partner on the development of the cottage. Despite this collaboration, the expense of converting Craigloiste into an affordable home has proved very difficult. 

“Mindful of the urgent need for affordable housing, we and the CHT have more recently concentrated our efforts on the potentially more achievable goal of creating several new affordable homes in Torridon above Darroch Park (very near to the site of the archaeological dig you attended). That too has been complex, but it is progressing and I’m pleased to say that CHT has appointed an architect to lead on the house designs and site layout.

“Your final point was about our website. The website provides a very broad overview of Torridon and cannot reflect everything we would like to say.  You’re right that it does focus mainly on the visitor because in general, that is the main web audience, and it highlights the majestic scenery that is often the main draw for visitors. Our stakeholders are many and without doubt the local community, including crofters, are hugely important and are our first point of contact with all the matters you raise.” 

Opaque decision-making

One issue in having a charity or a quango for a landlord may be that there tends to be a lengthy decision-making process that leads by a twisting route to the anonymous office building on the outskirts of Edinburgh which is the NTS HQ. People can’t just roll up their sleeves and make things happen on the ground - witness Craigloiste. Simply painting the roof with agricultural red oxide paint and patching the holes would have helped. 

A neighbour of ours has recently insulated and replaced the tin roof on his croft house - it makes an effective roof. We ourselves painted and patched the roof of our old byre - it took a few hours and has made a huge difference. All we needed was a ladder and a tin of paint. 

But with a hierarchical organisation like the NTS, such an issue presumably gets passed up the chain and lodges at the bottom of someone’s intray for a few years. Meanwhile, the years of neglect take their toll. 

This cottage roof has been repainted with agricultural red oxide

Ownership experiment on the Small Isles

When considering what type of ownership structure is best for the health of a rural community, the Small Isles are a real-world study. There are four of them: Eigg, Rum, Muck and Canna. Eigg’s population has grown significantly since it was bought by the community 25 years ago and, according to a google search, it is now 110 people with seven pupils in the primary school. There are innovative projects to improve the energy supply, build housing and run businesses there.  Muck, the smallest of the group, is owned by hands-on resident farmers. It has a population of around 30 and six children in its primary school. 

Rum, the largest at about two-thirds the size of Manhattan, has a population of about 40 and five children in the primary. It is partly owned by NatureScot. The community took over the inhabited areas in 2010 and since then, the population has doubled. But a messy dispute with NatureScot over a grandiose Victorian mansion called Kinloch Castle persists. The community’s proposal to turn it into accommodation was rejected. They then fought a bid from a rich individual - because this kind of sale would inevitably change the balance of the small community. Kinloch Castle is not an architectural treasure but a monstrosity built by someone with much more money than taste. It should be handed to the community to be turned into apartments - or knocked down as they see fit. They could no doubt re-use the stone. 

Canna is a similar size to Eigg.  The island was left to the National Trust for Scotland by the Gaelic scholars John Lorne Campbell and Margaret Fay Shawe. Canna House is the home of one of the world’s most important collections of Gaelic manuscripts. The house is closed and being renovated - the Isle of Canna website says it will reopen next year. The island now has a population of just 15, and the primary school closed in 2017. 

Conclusion - charities and quangos should sell off small plots of land

The Land Reform Bill now passing through the Scottish Parliament has a provision to break up large private holdings into smaller plots whenever they come to market. This is an important power: the emergence of the carbon offset market and other factors seem to be pushing the wrong way, towards fewer people owning more of Scotland. Areas with a more diverse range of ownership have healthier communities than those which are part of big estates. 

Charities and quangos should also be part of the mission to broaden the ownership of Scotland’s land to include more ordinary people. They should be encouraged, or perhaps legally enabled, to sell properties like Craigloiste and parcels of land suitable for crofting to people who can make use of them. They clearly do not have the resources to meet their obligations as landowners - and that situation will likely be exacerbated by the NI increases in the recent budget. By selling off small plots of land, they could release some more funds and help to rebuild living, breathing communities, instead of just erecting signs to commemorate them.