The Kerracher Man by Eric MacLeod |
AUTHOR |
"The gentle narrative exists in another time, another place, another world. To most readers it may as well be another planet. Few of us can imagine living without a lavatory, without a secure roof over our heads, without vehicular access to our home - indeed most people would now think such privation to be incompatible with civilization. Far less can we imagine raising a young family in such conditions while somehow managing to scrape a living from the sea and a desolate landscape. Yet this is what Eric and Ruth MacLeod chose to do in 1976; to abandon their comfortable home and jobs for Eric's remote grandparental croft on the wild seaboard of the North West Highlands. There was no clear plan, no exit strategy, no safety net of any kind, just a ruined cottage and the irresistible draw of wildness and solitude gift-wrapped in the almost palpable sense of belonging crofting folk possess for their ancestral land. And there was adventure aplenty. In clear, uncluttered writing this is a tale of honest, back-breaking toil in one of the most challenging mountain seascapes in the Highlands; of naivety and disappointment, of storm, disaster and triumph, yet throughout all of this shines an uplifting and vividly refreshing portrait of personal resourcefulness, unfailing optimism and generosity of spirit." John Lister-Kaye. |
In 1976, Eric MacLeod gave up a promising career in the South of England for self sufficiency in the West Highlands. He took his wife Ruth and their two small children to a derelict family croft, which could be reached only by boat, across the loch, or by walking a mile and a half over trackless hill. In their sixteen years at Kerracher, the MacLeods experienced the beauty and challenge of living in the last wilderness in Scotland. The Kerracher Man is a story of determination and courage, both funny and moving. In the seventies and eighties while the rest of Britain was focused on getting and spending, the MacLeods turned to the land around them, to make a bare living. But they did have a wonderful life. 'Who else has adventures like us?' Eric asks Ruth, when they're in a tight spot, with only their characteristic ingenuity to get them out of it. |
For a copy of The Kerracher Man signed by Eric MacLeod - Each £8.99 + Post & Package as detailed below.
UK ONLY (First Class) |
EUROPE (Airmail) |
REST OF WORLD (Airmail) |
|
PER BOOK |
£1.94 |
£2.73 |
£4.31 |
If you wish, you can order by post by sending a cheque, payable to Eric MacLeod to:
Eric MacLeod, Ruric, Megstone, Kiltarlity, Inverness-shire, IV4 7HW, UK.