Exodus threatens way of life in the hills

摘要

The tourists may gawp in wonder at the beauty of Lochaber's high, misty mountains, but for the Blackface sheep which spend their lives grazing these steep slopes and the mountain men who manage the flocks and know the hills in all their moods, it is aharsh, wet and unforgiving place. The gradient is steep, the terrain rough and the 120in of rainfall the highest in the country. Yet for generations these hills have symbolised a way of life for a resilient breed of people and their equally hardy livestock who can endure conditions which - by any measure - are physically and economically challenging. You don't farm here to make a fortune but to subsist in a lifestyle that is based on family tradition and a unique sense of belonging.