Crofting and the coming of the railway

As you walk up Croyard Road you are soon out of the village and into open countryside. This is a country road with no pavement and you should walk on the right hand side. If you would prefer not to walk on a road without a pavement, you can skip to the next stop before you leave the village.

The fields on either side will grow a variety of crops but by far and away the most commonly grown in this part of the world is barley. We are too far north to successfully grow wheat but barley, which can mature in a short growing season, is perfect for these climes. The vast majority of our barley is used in the production of Scotch whisky, so who knows, maybe in a decade or so the crops growing in the field you are walking past will be in your glass as you relive memories of your time in Beauly.

You may also see some livestock in the fields. Beef cattle and sheep thrive on these pastures. If you happen to see some brown and white animals with impressive curly horns they are a prize flock of Jacob's sheep reared by one of our local farmers.

If you look up the hill onto the braes, you will see many small cottages dotted across the landscape. While some of these are now attractive residential properties they would traditionally have been croft houses. Crofting is a form of land use, or tenure, unique to the north of Scotland. This allowed a family to rent a small plot of land with a cottage where they could grow some crops and raise a few animals. The proceeds of the Croft would not, on its own, sustain a family so the crofter would also have another job. They could be involved in road working or construction, manufacturing furniture or weaving cloth. Others may have repaired farm machinery or been the local postman. Thanks to this way of life the depopulation of the most rural parts of Scotland was slowed and acted as a base for the region's resurgence in recent years.

When you get to the small hump backed bridge stop for a moment and look down on the railway. This line was opened in 1862 during the height of the Victorian railway boom. It opened up the North of Scotland to the rest of the country in a way that had never been possible before. It allowed raw materials such as timber or grain to be transported easily to the south. It also opened up the large southern market for our fine beef, fish and of course whisky. When Queen Victoria chose Balmoral in Deeside as her holiday home it became fashionable for wealthy people from across the UK to rent some of the large houses for a season and enjoy fishing, shooting, walking and other pursuits.

From the bridge turn back towards Beauly and retrace your steps until you come to a sign for Cnoc na Rath (pronounced Croch) on the right hand side.