Sheep play an key role in the economy of the island, and Thistle Camp volunteers lend a hand in clipping them.
Some of the fleeces will be used to produce hand-spun yarn for the world-renowned Fair Isle knitwear.
Fair Isle is owned by the National Trust for Scotland who organise yearly Thistle Camps there. Participants in these camps assist the crofters with their activities and closely integrate into community life. They so have an unique opportunity to experience and understand the daily life on the island. Some typical activities include, among others:
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Sheep play an key role in the economy of the island, and Thistle Camp volunteers lend a hand in clipping them. Some of the fleeces will be used to produce hand-spun yarn for the world-renowned Fair Isle knitwear. |
| Haymaking, providing food for the livestock during the winter, is a traditional summer activity. | |
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Weeding: removing obnoxious weeds such as thistles or ragwort, which is mainly done by hand rather than recurring to the use of herbicides. |
| Drystane dyking: constructing and repairing the drystone walls which have been a part of the island landscape for centuries. Properly built, they can last that long in fact! | |
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Fences represent a more modern form of enclosure. Nevertheless, their erection is a skill on its own to which Thistle Camp volunteers become acquainted. |
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© 2001 LHOON
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by the author
Last update: 2001-08-21
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