Sitting in the North Sea between Orkney and Shetland lies one of the UK’s most remote inhabited islands, called Fair Isle. The National Trust for Scotland (NTS), which owns most of the island, is looking for someone to take over a six-hectare croft, including a four-bedroom house, in late spring.
Crofting is a traditional form of small-scale farming, and applicants must be capable of working the croft and sustaining themselves on the island. They also need a source of income or the ability to work remotely. The NTS is encouraging anyone with useful trade or maritime skills to apply.
It is also particularly interested in anyone with craft skills who could help to preserve Fair Isle. The knitting style is named after the island, and one of the things it is best known for, along with its colonies of puffins, fulmars, and gannets.
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Population 60
Only five kilometers long and roughly two kilometers wide, Fair Isle is home to a tiny community of around 60. Eileen Thomson, a resident and director of the island’s development company, points out that despite its small size, life on Fair Isle is different from what most people assume.
“Families and hard-working folk will have a chance to thrive here,” she told The Shetland Times. “It is not a quiet life or for those seeking seclusion, rather a busy community-based life…We have an excellent primary school and nursery, a well-stocked island shop and post office, a resident nurse to care for us, and endless beautiful places to walk, run, and even swim, if you are hardy.”
The croft vacancy is more than a property listing. It is an invitation to become part of the island community. Thomson says it would be ideal for a family with young children. The school currently has only four pupils, but they are keen for more to join.
Opportunities to move to the island are rare. Housing on Fair Isle seldom becomes available. When it does, the NTS looks for people who are “resourceful and enthusiastic…with the skills, creativity, and care needed to make a success of the unique opportunity.”
To apply, contact the Scottish Land Matching Service. You can also find more information about the lease here.
