Doing it for real

[Tengu]

Find a quiet place with sea fishing, shellfish and seaweed....stay there for a summer? You probably could manage that.

Our ancestors (and not so distant ancestors) would try to find a small sea cave

 

[Andy T]

i lived in caithness for 3 years ( two miles away from john o groats ) and i think its possible, although not always entirely legal. the number of rabbits that are there need to be seen to be believed and permission to take them is not hard to get, if i didnt catch 40 in a day then it was a bad day. i know rabbits wont provide the fat necessary but there are enough wildfowl up there to satisfy that. as regards vegetables yes im sure there are some seaweeds that could be eaten but there lots of potatoes grown in caithness and this is specified on many bags of potatoes as they are almost entirely disease free.

the reason new houses are built alongside older crofts is that it is cheaper for the locals to build a new house rather than do up an old one, they are, or were subsidised to such an extent that a new house costing 60k would in reality only cost 6k to the crofter. they are, or were subsidised on every head of sheep they kept i think that this was done by the highland and island development board to try and keep people living in the area.

finding somewhere to live/travel round would be relatively easy as sutherland is the least populated area in the british isles, i also think that stroma was the largest uninhabited island of the british isles and i used to know the owner so if you really want to get away from it all thats the place

 

[gsfgaz]

I would think long and hard about this mate , it's awrite sane you want to abandon ur life and head too the north of Scotland and live off the land . but in reality it's a hard thing to do , taking on a small croft would cost you a fortune and that's even if you could get one , and how would feed your self , maybe rabbits or fish but you have to learn how too catch them first , and the weather up here can be horrendous mate ,and the midges would drive u mad in the summer time
i would advise you to use the 4 years u have to get plenty experience and skills under your belt before you even attempt this plan ...
i hope you make the rite decision mate and it all works out for you , four years is a long time bud , your life could changed for the better ,,,
aw the best ..

 

[deadbeforedawn]

Thanks again for all the reply's
some good comments and sound advice.

 

[Dormouse]

I say go for it! There's nothing more tragic than a dream unfulfilled - especially if it was because you bottled it or allowed yourself to be dissuaded.

However, before anyone thinks I'm being flippant or cavalier, the advise posted above appears sage and you should use the four years before you go to properly plan and prepare with the cautions in mind. You have plenty of time to research the full state of the reality of your idea and make practical and realistic provisions for a successful and safe adventure.

Good luck with bringing your dream to fruition.

 

[Ronnie]

Find a quiet place with sea fishing, shellfish and seaweed....stay there for a summer? You probably could manage that.

These are my thoughts precisely. Miss out the Great Glen if you've already done it, there's not much foraging to be had along there anyway. What you need is fore-shore to scavenge shellfish, seaweed and a bit of fishing. The West coast is beautiful and rich in this respect with many sheltered lochs to explore. The weather changes quick, and it's easy to be caught out in a small boat even in summer so you have to be careful, use your maps and plan ahead.

Some source of income is going to be useful - there's no doubt. It will also integrate you into the local community. Fishing boats sometimes need deckhands on a casual basis, might well do cash in hand if you approach the issue carefully. There's also fish-farm work. This tends to be more corporate, more mundane, and harder to get. But independant mussel and scallop producers often have need of seasonal work. If you have 4 years to prepare, then a course in forestry could set you up. Also, as someone has mentioned, estate worker. Again, a course in land management or some other appropriate subject would set you up well for this.

My advice would be to not even think of trying to survive a winter on the West coast roughing it and living off the land. You will fail. Spend the summer living the dream, making connections, and maybe finding yourself somewhere to overwinter.

All the best