Croila Croft, Ormiston HIghlands, Glendell, Kingussie

24/07/2024

Following in the footsteps of Brewdog at Kinrara - Standard Life at Far Ralia (Newtonmore / Kingussie have suddenly realised this “greenwashing” lairdship is not a bed of roses 😞
I think they have already had £1.5m in public money from FLS for planting
A national disgrace 😞

Campaigners say sudden sale suggests Abrdn’s use of Scottish countryside was ‘get-rich-quick scheme’

23/07/2024

NFU Scotland reaction to yesterday's National Park announcement !
Urgent review of existing parks needed - listen to BBC Scotland Radio this morning to hear more.

NFU Scotland will continue to oppose Scottish Government proposals for Galloway to become a new national park.

09/07/2024

It is very strange that when people left Badenoch at the time of the Clearances they encountered Indigenous People in Canada in Ontario. Yet we are told there are no Indigenous People in the Highlands of Scotland ? Are we the only place in the world that does not have Indigenous People so we can safely be removed without any harm done by the new Greenwashing Lairds ??

The “uncomfortable truth” surrounding a settlement of immigrants from the Highlands and their impact on Indigenous peoples who lived in the forests where they forged their new life has been illuminated .

06/07/2024

Highland Pony Society Breed Show Programme and Timings at Strathallan Castle for tomorrow Sunday the 7th July 2024 - see you there - I will be down with the driving mares on Sat night (today) by about 7pm - the girls and our young stallion are just coming down on Sun morning 🙂

02/07/2024

Rewilding RIGHT !!
This is what we need to be chasing !!
Please Share !!

23/06/2024

It is not just us that lives the Highlsnd Show - I think these comments are from the USA 🙂

22/06/2024

Check out the preview trailer video on YouTube from the Fieldsports Channels, featuring discussions by Niall Rowantree, Richard Walton, and myself at the Royal Highland Show 2024. We delve into topics like Rewilding, Deer Management, and Indigenous populations in the Scottish Highlands. Titled "Highland Horses and Highland People," we advocate for Rewilding through Restoration, Indigenous perspectives, Geography, Habitats, and Trees - all managed in Harmony. Stay tuned for my upcoming podcast where I explain why these words are crucial for the Hill People's vision of the Highlands. Watch the video here:

https://youtu.be/ZVFBjX58hO8?si=qGJicc4Aa1MwzsQN

Ruaridh Ormiston's family have been working with Highland ponies for more than 150 years. As he prepares to showcase this hardy pony's historical significanc...

21/06/2024

A wee preview video on YouTube of our Highland Show Demos on Deer Stalking Ponies 🙂 At the Royal Highland Show
“Highland Horses and Highland People”
Thanks to David Wright of The Fieldsports Channel 🙂

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVFBjX58hO8

16/06/2024

*** Royal Highland Show Announcement ***
This year for the first time ever there will be a Deer Stalking Demo in the Countryside Arena at the show including 2 stalking ponies from Ormiston Highlands.
The demo will be in conjuction withthe well known Red Deer Expert Niall Rowantree and David Wright of The Fieldsports Channel and Farming Britain TV.
It will be fun and informative but will also give everyone a lot to think about for the future !!
The "SHOW" will be on every day at 1:30pm and 5:10pm from Thursday to Sunday.
Come and hear about the industry, the deer, the people and the ponies. This will be a first so do not miss it :-)

04/06/2024

https://kinema.com/events/six-inches-of-soil-dgycao?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR2pWROzFIggGpu_EwdzaJcM9x_F0pmsOKq6qUuVy-oWMnzmpEK9AXGEsro_aem_AdMGRGPXy-U62-_r1qMWP5eJRBfMb8E6tQkA7zSyu-8k-S1MYhU7XvqYcr7tDuNCMoLKffpPqdfvdep9zRgYFTp9

Get tickets for the screening of Six Inches of Soil

18/05/2024

It’s a while since I have had the float on the tractor and this could be the float’s last mobile job before it starts a new life as a field shelter for livestock for winter 2024 🙂 I have probably had it over 20 years as I bought it over at Boyndir Aerodrome near Peterhead for behind my Unimog - I am sure it will last another 20 years as a field shelter and see me out !!

05/05/2024

I am not a huge fan of "REWILDING" because of the effect it has on the indigenous way of life - but I could accept "REWILDING LITE" and a managed countryside where forestry, farming and nature all exist in harmony and deliver for the environment whilst preserving jobs, homes, cultural heritage and way of life. One thing I think we all took from our recent Swiss study trip was that the public support farmers and want to see them survive and prosper, not sure it is the same here in the UK. For me it was like a dream and to be honest life changing as now I want to fight for similar here.

What are others views on Rewilding and whether it should be MAX or LITE or just NOT AT ALL ?

02/05/2024

Headed home after the most fantastic four days in the Jura Mountains of Switzerland on a Lynx Reintroduction Study. Our hosts were amazing - SCOTLAND: The Big Picture, Trees for Life and Lifescape.
Our group of 15, mostly hunters and farmers, learnt so much and now have a lot to think about .
We love the Siss Rural Culture 🙂
It is honestly one of the best trips I have ever been on 🥳

20/04/2024

An educational post for Rewilders :-) Here are my cows on a friends croft out run - Hill Cows - Outwintered - Heather Munchers - Low Carbon - Bovine Biodiversity Boosters - they are the best thing we could have on our hills and forests.
These are also MOO-vie stars and have starred in many big and small movie and TV productions and because of this have been taught NOT TO FART so their carbon emmissions are less than normal.
Seriously they are low impact grazers, they allow regeneration, in fact they encourage it, they produce half their body weight a year in invertebrates to support other species.
They used to live happily in the hills with the indigenous Highland People before the industrialisation of the Highlands.
What we need is more cows on the hills !! Trees and High Heather are very vulnerable to fire risk and tons of stored carbon can go up in a heartbeat in smoke at the drop of a Swan Vestas or a carelessly discarded bottle that magnifies sun light and starts fires.
Cattle can help keep the hill grazed down and reduce the fire load and fire risk !! They can help store the carbon under the soil and not above it where it is very risky.
Because they are outwintered they have lower input costs in pounds and carbon so are very efficient convertors of herbage to protein and to carbon.
We need more cows and insects and invertebrates rather than apex predators to sort the climate crisis as they will deliver more nature benefits and biodiversity.
Carbon stored above the ground is too big a risk (look at Affric last year) lets concentrate in storing it below ground.
Check out the natural regeneration of trees on this site at Drumguish near Kingussie to see how well it works !!

06/04/2024

Good Luck Sylvia Ormiston - such an important thing to be doing for the future survival of the Highland Pony Breed :-)
Mare owners find it very difficult to have access to suitable stallion to breed from and this will help them have access to stallions but also important bloodlines too :-)

A FORMER stable boss at Balmoral is on a mission to save the late Queen’s beloved Highland ponies. Sylvia Ormiston, 59, plans to carry on the monarch’s legacy by breeding the rare horses — af…

06/03/2024

It is a very exciting time with this press release today as Hill Farmers and Crofters in and around the Cairngorms National Park attempt to take control of their own destiny :-)
We have lots of positive plans for things in the future like education and engagement as well as a strong lobbying body too.
At last count we had approx. 90 members involved and manage over 250,000 acres :-) We are all VERY excited :-)
We would also like to hear from other similar groups that are famer grassroots led in other pasrts of the UK especially in National Parks or Conservation areas :-)

Farmers in the Scottish Highlands have launched the Cairngorms Crofters & Farmers Community (CCFC) to represent farmers' voices in the National Park,

27/02/2024

Please have a look at this very informative website !
Lots of facts and figures on why new National Parks will not be good for Rural Communities!
No to the Tay Forest National Park
PLEASE SHARE

Scottish Ministers will then consider all of the bids, then make a statutory proposal to establish a NP, then they invite a Reporter to undertake a 12 week

27/02/2024

A video of our PEACEFUL protest in Fort William on Saturday from Lochaber Podcats on Youtube :-)
NO to New National Parks !
PLESAE SHARE and Like on Youtube :-)

Lochaber Talks roving reporter eddie was at the protest yesterday. Eddie took footage and interviewed concerned Lochaber Residents. This is episode number 2 ...

26/02/2024

- This is an article from the Scottish Crofting Federation on the Hot Topic of New National Parks - they know they are not good for Crofters and the Crofters know they are not good either hence the 100% rejection by Crofters in Skye and their NP bid was dropped
You might have to google the article to get the link - FB won’t let me share it - Google “SCF No New National Parks”

19/02/2024

I cannot believe that Scotgov SNP and Greens can find money to have New National Parks in Scotland but does not have enough money to build new hospitals and has had to stop work !! The Green tail is wagging the SNP Yellow Dog - Shame !!

Work on hospitals, surgeries and treatment centres have been delayed or paused due to budget pressures.