Decision making in a small community I’ve been thinking a lot about how we make decisions here on a small scottish island and am trying to articulate my thoughts. The original version of this essay was short, to the point and needed work, it also assumed knowledge of our particular island situation. I’ve tried to make this version more readable while still emphasising my points about democracy and accountability in a micro-community making some very big decisions. How do we m

How a tree is helping me fear less There’s a very tall beech tree behind my house; this one has the capacity to slice through my home like a knife through butter. The storms last year took out a lot of trees - it was carnage, one narrowly avoiding the house by leaning on a BT mast instead - don’t ask why I live next to a BT microwave mast - the perils of this can be discussed another time. I’m concerned that less surrounding trees and the shallow root systems around here - th

I’m sitting here in my conservatory, looking out at the cold grey sea and the angry grey sky. It’s hailing; loudly. I shiver uncontrollably. February. A month sent to try us. The winter months are long, dark and quiet on a distant island with just 43 residents. In October the tourist numbers start to significantly dwindle, but we have Halloween and bonfire night to look forward too. Halloween means a party in the village hall, dressing up, carving pumpkins and swedes. My pers

What does it mean to be afraid of the dark? We can still see the Milky Way here, can you? On the Isle of Rum, the night sky is almost untouched by artificial light. As an international Dark Sky Sanctuary for a whole year, we just celebrated with our first dark sky festival. The skies here can be impossibly clear. It really hammers home our miniscule place in the infinite universe, not just in space but in time too. The massive Andromeda galaxy, which we can see on a clear nig

When the Rayburn was finally removed from the house in 2009, I felt a grief I hadn’t expected. When I first met it, in 1999, I was 27, with a baby and almost nothing else to my name. We were allocated a house, but I wasn’t that keen on it. The thing about tied housing, though, is you get what you’re given. It was an old building, but it looked like an ugly bungalow and had been used as a bothy for volunteers and ghillies. Years of itinerant workers passing through had left th

The piece that explains how I work Living on a small island comes with many challenges. Making a living is just one of them. With limited employment opportunities, finding a way to make ends meet requires some level of skill, entrepreneurism, sheer hard work and acknowledgement that having one niche might just not be enough to see you through. I didn’t set out to run a multi-faceted business; until the last twelve years, my life had been painfully reactive. There was little p

A tale of a house at the edge of the weather The wind. It’s blowing so hard we can barely open the front door. I try to look through the conservatory windows and squint; they’re coated in a blurry layer of salty sea spray. They’ve been this way for a week and will stay so until the wind decides to change direction. There’s no point cleaning them yet—the salt sheen would return immediately. There was no swim today. The freezing wind and rolling waves said, I don’t think so. I

or, a horsebox, a frozen hill, and how a proper “sownuh” came to Rum It was a cold December day in 2023. The ground was frozen solid — perfect conditions for towing the horsebox I had acquired down a tricky hill, through a mostly iced-over river, and along a very bumpy off road track back to the village where I live. About a mile altogether. Not far, you might think, but not an insignificant journey and certainly not one to be underestimated. A friend and I had spent the day

Now that I live mostly by myself, I find I am increasingly short of human company. I am constantly surrounded by three cats, a Lazarus goldfish (he or she is easily ten years old), and five hens who visit the doorstep every morning asking for food. I feed them, they leave, then come back asking for more. Some tame ducks and greylag geese have started eating their food instead. They need to sort out their own pecking order. I feel especially by myself after my youngest daughte

Getting home shouldn’t be this hard There are a lot of angles to choose from when writing an article about our ferry service, this one is just me feeling disappointed about today’s cancellation. It’s a beautiful clear day, occasional flurries of snow and a light but bitterly cold northerly wind, perfect sailing weather for our ferry, but today it has cancelled due to a technical issue with its propulsion control unit. Usually when it’s a technical issue, rather than weather r

How to get a Christmas tree, island style. For most people getting a Christmas tree involves going to a shop, tree farm or ordering one online or over the phone, not so here, none of the above apply. The nearest shop selling Christmas trees would be around Fort William and that being a ferry crossing away and 45-mile drive or 1.5-hour train journey and two overnight stays makes it a not useful option. Every year that I have lived here we have set off at the beginning of Decem

In recent years, living on Rum, my daily rhythm has transformed in ways I never expected. The island’s quiet pace invites you to slow down and connect deeply with nature and yourself. I have started writing weekly on Substack about my experiences - I’m sharing stories about island life, running a small business, and the simple joys that shape my days here. Today, I want to take you through some of the most meaningful parts of my journey: wild swimming, breathwork, and vegan c

Having just read this article in The Herald https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/24241797.kinloch-castle-delphi-study-will-report-autumn/...

I've been wild swimming in the sea for a good while now, I'll relate how I got into that later but I wrote this after a particularly...

I live on Rum, Kinloch Castle is a part of the landscape I inhabit, I see it daily. It was a busy hostel, then it closed, it was open for...

As of next year, 2022, Ivy Cottage will be changing the food it offers. Whilst all the meals will still be delicious and homemade, they...

With luck, Ivy Cottage and Bramble Bothy will be reopening on April 26th. We are excited and nervous, we've had no guests for such a long...