Lynbreck Croft

In their own words...

We moved to Lynbreck in 2016 and took on what can best be described as a derelict agricultural unit. There was only one building intact - a small wooden cabin which we live in. Everything else was either tumbling down or non-existent. An early vision was to grow our own food, so we set about creating a kitchen garden which over the years has developed into a super productive area.

In late summer 2020 we decided to take the plunge and build our first polycrub. For us, it was the obvious choice as at 350 above sea level, we are very exposed and directly opposite the arctic plateau of the Cairngorms. To keep costs down, we did a self-build and within just a few weeks our first Polycrub was built.

Our first growing season was in 2021 and we were absolutely blown away by the crops we were beginning to harvest. Everything from tomatoes, courgettes, cucumbers, corn, chickpeas, chillis, peppers, even melons! And despite the weather we get from high winds to snowstorms, the polycrub stands firm.

We've been so inspired by what we can produce that in 2023 we built a second Polycrub, part funded this time through the Crofting Agricultural Grant Scheme to grow produce for sale in our local community. It's so hard to get high quality, fresh, organic, and local produce that we thought we'd see what we can produce and sell into our local community.

The Polycrub has also been a great talking point on our tours and teaching space on our courses. It's a wonderful way to get people engaged in talking about the importance of growing food, and we always say if we can grow it here, you can pretty much grow it anywhere!