Papa Stour is essentially a crofting community with six working crofts. Crofting is a way of life. It can be hard work but also very rewarding. All six crofts have sheep, some have hens, grow their own vegetables and Shetland Kale. Due to the lateness of spring in these northern latitudes lambing is not until April or May. Lambing is followed by annual sheep shearing. Every summer grass is cut to make either silage and/or hay for winter fodder. In the autumn lambs are sold and the ewes then allowed to rest before going to the tups again late November / early December. And so the yearly cycle starts once again.
Text used with the kind permission of Jane Puckey from https://papastour21century.wordpress.com/crofting/
Watch and learn how the crofters on Papa Stour are shearing their sheep and harvetsing the wool as seen in Andy's video.
Jayne Puckey has worked with sheep in Papa Stour since the late 1990’s, both at North House with Andy and Sabina Holt-Brook as well as on her own croft that she acquired in the year 2000.Since then she has built up her own flock of coloured Shetland sheep. As a shepherdess she loves her sheep and over the years has written a series of short stories entitled ‘Sheep I Have Known’. Read their stories here and find your favourite.
Take a look round Crofting Commissioner
Andy Holt's Papa Stour croft for a glimpse
of a day in the life of a Papa Stour Crofter.
