Durness

Keoldale

One and a half miles south of Durness, where the road meets the shore of the Kyle of Durness is the road end to Keoldale and the ferry to Cape Wrath . The earth works of an Iron Age fort and numerous cairns can be found at Keoldale. The standing stone, erected as millennium project by the Durness Youth Club, is a recent addition close to the Iron Age fort site. Today the activity at Keodale is Keodale Farm.
	Manager Jock Sutherland Shepherds full time: Alistair Sutherland and Stephen Mackinnon part time: Janet Roberts
Keoldale Farm is in the far north west of Sutherland in the Scottish Highlands on 30000acres of hill ground running from Sandwwod Bay to the Kyle of Durness.
	There is 2,700 ewes and gimmers, 680 hoggs(ewe) kept yearly fro stock, 145 stock tupps kept for use on farm and hiring out to local crofters in Kinlochbervie i.e., Durness, Scourie amongst a few other places.
No female sheep are purchased, just rams from top flocks of an average size. They must have god skins to keep the water off their back, clean white hair with no black spots on their heads or legs. Sheep are not fed on the hill.
Keoldale joined the HISHA health scheme from its inception and has encountered no problems. All female sheep to be used for future breeding are tested for scrapies. All the tups have been scarpie tested and have shown excellent results. Midi Visna test on a pick of the stoll tups and all the results were clear. They are farm Assured.
	All in lamb ewes come home to the farm for lambing. They are returned to the hill as quick as possible. The sheep are obviously more comfortable on open hill than small parks. Shepherds on foot carry out all the gatherings. They do not use quads or other forms of bikes. Lean ewes are fed in February as and when required.
Keoldale must be one of the only farms in the highlands to have a nine-hole golf course on its land. The course is set amid some spectacular scenery with views looking across Balnakeil Bay where porpoises and whales can sometimes be spotted.
The MOD own land adjacent to Keoldale that is used as a bombing range and sheep sometimes strays on to the range. This does not prevent Keoldale farm being very environmentally conscious and much of the ground is SSSI and under the review of SNH. The RSPB work closely in connection with the unique corncrake population and there are areas fenced for birds.
	Every September Keoldale host’s sheepdog trial and Scotland ’s top handlers and their dogs attend.
This winter of 2002-2003 has been one of the best known. The sheep are looking good and healthy and the lambing ewes were very strong, producing big lambs. The weather has been very good. Tight skinned sheep are easily kept healthy and make good mothers. They survive well on good scenery and not a feedbag! Sheep have to be hardy as well as healthy to live in the hills. Cash ewes sold for £50 in 2002 at Lairg, the main sale for ewes/ weathers/ ewe lambs. They went to Mr. Whitford St. Johns Kirk Biggar. The previous year the cash weathers to Mr. Jeff Bell in Cumbria for restocking his farm along with ewe lambs from Keoldale and the north after the foot and mouth epidemic. In the past a price of £60 has been obtained. Dingwall sales are for the late lambs and ewes where Keoldale have good returns. Lambs sold fat in February fetch £55 from the slaughterhouse in Dornoch. The top tup price paid fro a Keoldale Farm tup was in 2002. £4000 was paid for a 3 sheep tup and a second sale matched the previous farm record of £1800. The top price paid by the farm for a purchase was £2300 to Kitiradwell Estate. Buy the best and you get the best most times if the quality is there. In April 2003 a new herd of Sim X Heifers with Lim& Sim calves at foot and Shorthorn cross cows were purchased to start a new herd. The last time cows were on the farm was around 20 years ago. It is anticipated that this will bring improvements to then ground. A pedigree Shorthorn Bull from Kocknagail in March came. Calves have to be easily calved and hardy to stand the weather. Back to Top