Welcome To Croft 167

Croft 167 is a family run croft in the North Highlands of Scotland. We are tenants of approximately 20 acres of mixed croft land – woodland, pasture, and peatland – with access to several thousand acres of common grazing across West Clyne and the Clynelish Moss.

food • fibre • flora • fauna

Rooted in Nature; Fresh Produce from Slow, Sustainable Farming

Croft 167

One of our ambitions for the croft is to produce high quality and nutritious food for ourselves, and the wider community. The global food system is powerful, but vulnerable.

Small scale, local producers have a role to play in preserving and enhancing habitats, feeding communities and conserving rare and heritage breeds of plant and animals.

With this in mind, at Croft 167 we aim to develop several ranges of produce, seeking to reduce waste wherever possible.

We will be producing a limited amount of Hebridean hogget and mutton each year, along with fleeces and wool. The best way to keep up to date with when these products will become is available is to sign up to our newsletter.

CROFT 167 Livestock

Hebridean Sheep

First and foremost, we have our pedigree Hebridean flock. Over centuries, these sheep have been grown and bred to withstand the tough conditions of the north Highlands, however, due to the rise in popularity of bigger commercial breeds, they ended up at risk of disappearing altogether by the 1970’s. They have been brought back from the brink by the efforts of dedicated breeders and the Hebridean Sheep Society to the numbers we see today.

Resilient and wily, they are well suited to the rougher grazing we have available here. Thriving, not just surviving, they produce meat, wool, skins and horns.

Native Breed Cows

We choose native breeds for preference. Cows play a completely different ecological role to sheep, and the two can live and graze in a complimentary manner. Happily, they can also act as ‘end hosts’ for each other’s gut parasites, helping to break any parasite cycles; combined with carrying out fecal egg counts, which allow us to target worming only when absolutely necessary, we’re able to reduce potential reliance on worming medicines.

This is better for the animals, better for beneficial insects, better for wildlife, better for the soil, better for us.

Croft 167 Ecosystem

As part of the croft ecosystem, and for our own consumption at the moment, we also have poultry and pigs. These will become available at a later date to our wider community.

CROFT 167 Orchard

Growing Our Own

When it comes to long-term resilience, everyone thinks of ‘growing their own’, but with lots of plates spinning, this can be easier said than done! One way we have sought to do this is by planting an orchard.

During our re-fencing of the croft, we ended up with a small corner of ground that was perfectly good, but not really much use for grazing. We decided to establish an orchard there. Seeking advice from Scottish Heritage Fruit Trees we put trees in the ground in the winter of 2024/25.

Fruit Trees

We planted a range of fruit trees, apples, pears and plums with some more unusual cherries, crabapples and damsons. As with our livestock, we wanted trees that could tolerate cold, wet weather and produce fruit in a short growing season, though in the coming years, drought tolerance may feature more and more.

When we got married, we asked friends and family for contributions to the orchard and this has created a lasting, growing legacy for everyone involved, not just for us. In the future we will produce both fruit and fruit products.