The object of this week across the Minch, is for community trusts to learn from each other, and finetune their management approaches. Because although there have been more land and estates coming under community control in recent years, they are spread thought Scotland. Unlike neighbouring crofters and farmers, few can look over the fence to see how their neighbours are going about things. You don’t get much of a view of Gigha’s four wind turbines from Langholm’s Tarras Valley Nature Reserve.

Topics of common interest will be discussed among the 10 different groups – from green income ideas to tourism; sustainable finance models to community engagement; woodland management to housing; nature -based enterprises to peatland carbon markets, and many more.

One who is very keen to attend to head to Lewis and Harris for the events (organised by Community Land Scotland – CLS – and Community Land Outer Hebrides -CLOH) is Stuart Williams. Indeed he will have to make six ferry crossings to get there and back to his home on the Orkney island of Rousay. He has only been in his job as manager of the Rousay, Egilsay & Wyre Development Trust (REWDT) for a little over a month.

“I was in West Wales until six weeks ago, managing a heritage railway. It is not the obvious background for addressing the social and economic development of three small islands with only 270 people between them.  I went to Lewis and Harris last year on holiday. It was one of the reasons behind my strange move. I got the bug.

“I am looking forward to going back, but this time to learn. I don’t have a background in land management. This trip is a great opportunity to go and see how other people do it.”

The REWDT bought the 1710 acre Trumland Estate on Rousay in 2020, with support from the Scottish Land Fund, he said.

“Although we own it, there are a lot of grazing rights on it. Consequently, it can be quite difficult to work out what we can and can’t do. Talking to like-minded people will help. There is a lot of bog and wildlife, grouse, hen harriers, short-eared owls. There is also the wind turbine on Rousay owned by a sister company ‘Rewired Ltd’,  which gifted the trust £180,000 last year.

“We have tourists coming. Many are interested in our bird life. But we want to be able to offer them more, to increase the local benefit. At the moment we don’t have places for them to spend their money and contribute to our economy. It would be great to provide community facilities that would also appeal to visitors, promoting sustainable methods of transport. So they can leave their car on the mainland.  I am looking to steal some good ideas from Lewis and Harris. Plagiarism may be the way forward.”

Another looking forward to the trip is Mark Perry, Lead Ranger of the Viewpark Conservation Group in North Lanarkshire. “For me this study trip to the Outer Hebrides is a wonderful opportunity to learn about other organisations; to hear their stories, experience new methods of working and most importantly, to build relationships for my site for the future.”

In 2020, after a 16 year campaign, the Viewpark group purchased 171 acres of the Historic Douglas Support Estate, which dated back to the 17th century. Known locally as  “our Glen”, the landmark buyout secured the historic piece of green space for future generations. Plans to expand the nearby Strathclyde Business Park in 2004 had led to the formation of the group, which continued to try to ensure this green space was protected from further development.

Mark said that when he first arrived in 2021 he was “floored by the potential”:

“Here was a property, steeped in history that had since been reclaimed by nature to become an oasis of rich woodland and wild meadow at the centre of a concrete jungle. For many locals the discovery of ‘the glen’ had occurred during the pandemic years; a countryside escape on their doorstep. We are not a manicured municipal park, we are muddy walks in wellies and the opportunity to see wildlife in its natural habitat.”

He and his wellies should not feel too out of place in the Hebrides.

Neither should Jenny Barlow, the Estate Manager of the Tarras Valley Nature Reserve. After all there is a lot of heather across the 10,500 acres of Tarras Valley and Langholm Moor which the Community Development Trust, Langholm Initiative bought from Buccleuch between 2021 – 2022. This followed 2 historic community land buy-outs which raised £6m to become one of the largest projects of its kind in the South of Scotland.

She said : ”A nature reserve has been at the heart of community plans to help tackle climate change, restore nature at a landscape scale and support wider community regeneration efforts in Langholm.  There are emerging plans to develop glamping, a bunkhouse and a potential field study centre, aimed at boosting eco-tourism in Langholm and supporting local businesses. But projects that will not undermine our ecological efforts to ensure the nature reserve is sustainable. We are in the very early days of our community land ownership journey so we were delighted to be invited to visit the Outer Isles to learn from more established initiatives and embed some of this learning back into our developing plans.”

She and the other trust representatives will be travelling to meet the community landowners of the 56,000-acre Galson Estate in the north of Lewis. The area boasts sea cliffs, sandy bays, pasture and moorland. Its near 2,000 residents live in 800 households across 22 crofting townships.

Owners Urras Oighreachd Ghabhsainn (UOG), the Galson Estate Trust won praise for the way they protected vulnerable residents during the Covid pandemic and accompanying lockdowns.  They stepped up again when the cost of living crisis hit in past months. Some £80,000 was spent supporting residents. Children’s activities and sports were subsidised, as were lunches for the elderly provided with other local groups. There were additional initiatives. Everyone over 80 or medically challenged, got a warm blanket. Some would see this as a metaphor for Galson’s community ownership.

The money comes from three 900kW wind turbines owned by a UOG subsidiary. They earn around £500,000 a year net, money which is invested entirely in the local community.