Crofters rights

I met a different crofting  neighbour today.
His croft is at the bottom of the hill and ours is more than half way up the hill, so we are more likely to be in our cars when we pass each other by

But today he was out with his camera. He is apparently the chief cameraman for-  The South Side (of the glen) Common Grazing Association.
The hill above our croft is MAMBA (miles and miles of bugger all) but - since time immemorial the crofters have had the right to graze their animals on it - and they do. Goodness knows what the animals find to eat.

Well - as I mentioned in a previous blog "Duck shooting"- the sporting rights on the hill have been sold to a rich man from Essex, who has brought in 1,000 or so ducks and is now happily shooting them all.

The ducks live on the Lochan with the unpronounceable Gaelic name. To get there, he has not only almost destroyed the existing track, which the crofters use to access their animals on their quadbikes, but he has built new tracks all over the place, so that his paying guests can go On Safari. They don't seem to like walking.

He has not asked permission from or even first notified the crofters. Gates have been left open so that animals can escape and new gates have appeared, were none were before, so that animals can't be accessed.

Crofters don't like this sort of behavior. Oh no! They have their rights - Crofter's Rights.

But - The rich man from Essex has the sporting rights and he his rights too.

Whose right takes precedence?
Well - the crofters - usually - but the rich man from Essex doesn't know that yet.

Hence chief cameraman crofter was off to photograph the damage

I almost feel sorry for the rich man from Essex.
Once the crofters are aroused en masse - he doesn't stand a chance.

However I don't feel sorry for him
He left a rude note on our car, asking us not to park in the place by our croft where we have always parked and no doubt the horse and cart was parked by our ancestors before us.
He then turned up wanting to buy our croft house from us.

Unfortunately voting for Scottish Independence would not stop this sort of thing. The sporting rights can be sold to anyone from anywhere
 But no Scottish Highlander would have been stupid enough to buy them on this hill.

Anyone could have told him that there is nothing to shoot here and never will be except rabbits.
Ducks will not breed up there on the Lochan with the unpronounceable Gaelic name and he has just shot the few remaining grouse. Pheasants were tried a few years ago with no success and there are no red deer just a few roe deer.

Sadly Mr Rich man from Essex - you have bought a lemon - with some very disgruntled crofters attached.
and  the disgruntled crofters always win.