A crofter's diary with Chris Dyer – August 2021

Crofting runs through the very essence of Shetland – every island, parish and community.

Originating in the centuries-old harsh reality of subsistence agriculture, crofting today is forward-looking, diverse and energetic with a number of organisations playing a crucial role in promoting the excellence of Shetland produce to a truly global audience. In Shetland, If you or your family don’t work a croft, then the chances are you know someone who does and thus the majority of the population has an intrinsic bond with environment, animals, history...and weather!

Chris Dyer was not from an agricultural background when he relocated to Shetland over 15 years ago to take a professional position as an archaeologist with Shetland Amenity Trust. How did he end up in Shetland running a native and heritage breed croft focused on biodiversity, sustainable production and the historic environment?

Let’s meet him.

In April 2006, I was 24 years old and standing at a train station over 600 miles away from Shetland in Hull, East Yorkshire.

The ground-breaking Planet Earth television series, narrated by David Attenborough and accompanied by the mesmerising, uplifting music of Icelandic band Sigur Rós, was everywhere and seemed to be telling me there was more to explore and discover. A fresh start.

I had an interview for an archaeological job in Shetland although, not having visited before, it seemed a rational decision to take a couple of days and travel within the isles to build a picture of whether this was somewhere I would be happy to live. Six hours on a train with a few changes, a brisk walk through bustling Aberdeen city centre and checking in for the overnight ferry to Lerwick. Spring was in the air.

As morning dawned, spring had morphed into summer and on entering Bressay Sound shortly before 7am, breakfast was enjoyed against the backdrop of a cloudless sky with seabirds arcing overhead and the spectacular 180m cliffs of the island of Noss (where I later got married, but that’s another story!) clearly visible.

It’s perhaps fair to say that many people travelling to Shetland for the first time immediately recognise the relative absence of trees, a combination of prevailing North Atlantic winds and saline environment. As an archaeologist and historian, I could not quite believe my luck! The landscape was illuminated as a canvas, a living tapestry where, for over six millennia, the activity of human settlement has been fossilised and preserved.

From prehistoric houses to Iron Age brochs and from Viking longhouses to post-medieval castles and vernacular architecture, Shetland had it all within the first 24 hours.

And yet, the following morning, apocalypse! An enthralling westerly gale brought wind, rain and hailstones that helpfully compelled me to improve my outdoor wardrobe with alacrity once I had made the move north.

The speed with which conditions changed was both exciting and challenging, feelings that have remained remarkably consistent in the years to come as I scrutinise the forecast to make decisions that enable animals to seek shelter more readily or protect newborn lambs. No two days ever the same? Surely a phrase that was born in Shetland!

Having worked across the north of England on archaeological excavations, I was delighted to be successful in the interview that permanently brought me to Shetland and allowed involvement in a range of truly engaging public heritage projects. To start, I found accommodation in King Harald Street, Lerwick, which was a perfect central location to get my bearings close to all major amenities.

After a year, I had the opportunity of renting in the South Mainland at Scholland, Dunrossness and many an evening was spent visiting the multiperiod archaeological site at Jarlshof, enjoying coastal walks looking for porpoises and orca from the pristine West Voe and Quendale beaches and viewing the cacophony and din of returning seabirds on the high sandstone cliffs adjacent to the Sumburgh Head Lighthouse.

There cannot be many better post-work expeditions, immersed in the unique natural environment and surrounded by generations of history.

After a year in Dunrossness, I moved north to the island of Bressay, a seven minute ferry crossing from Lerwick. As any islander will attest, there is no better way than the inter-island ferry for exchanging news and engaging in conversation and I felt immediately welcomed within the community of just over 300 people – to the extent that in 2017 I was elected the Guizer Jarl and led the Bressay Up Helly Aa festival!

Although not from an agricultural background, I had volunteered at farms during my weekends in Yorkshire. I sought to continue this by acquiring more experience during busy lambing seasons in Bressay, learning new skills and making valued friendships.

In 2014, the opportunity arose to buy a house and adjacent croft ground at the south end of the island, a short distance from the mid-Victorian Bressay Lighthouse. It was now or never and my wife and I moved to Garths Croft.

Native and heritage breeds, the environment and historic landscape have always inspired and motivated my professional occupation and personal passions. Becoming custodians of a croft has allowed us to put theory into practice; building hundreds of tons of drystone dykes to establish and protect a newly-planted woodland, encouraging pigs to cultivate and improve ground reseeded with crops or wildflowers, respecting the admirable qualities and astounding fleece colours of the Shetland sheep and, of course, welcoming visitors to our island home to share stories and experiences.

Since making the move, Shetland has provided a wealth of opportunities in every sense.

I sincerely hope you enjoy the diary entries from Garths Croft, Bressay, in the months ahead.

If you are inspired to find out more about life in Bressay, check out our area guide.

Garths Croft Bressay is on Instagram @garthscroftbressay