Reay Country – The story of a Sutherland Farming Family

Author Reay D.G. Clarke (introduction by James Hunter) paperback

Publisher : Birlinn

The Clarkes of Eriboll farmed in the north-west Sutherkand for two hundred years. During that time agriculture was transformed: crofter were cleared off the land and vast areas were given over to the grazing of sheep.
Reay Clarke was proud of his family’s achievements in becoming some of the most noted sheep-farmers in the Highlands, and this account, first published in 2014, is full of fascinating detail about their scial and working lives. However, Clake argues that the dominance of sheep has destroyed the fertility and enviromental diversity of the hills.

The new introduction by James Hunter described the life and work of Reay Clarke, who died in 2017, and draws out the critical importance of his book in addressing how farming has failed, not just in the uplands of Scotland but throughout Britain and elsewhere. Reay Country offers vital guidance on how this can be reversed and agriculturew can eb made sistainable in the future.