50 years living off grid on a remote island in Orkney

My parents have been farming a rare breed of seaweed-eating sheep on a remote island in Scotland called Auskerry for nearly half a century, but age and ill health is forcing them to face a future away from our island home. With so much still to do on the farm, I left my job as a TV reporter in Cardiff, Wales for four months in order to help. I took a camera and some lenses and decided to make a YouTube series to show what life is really like on the island where I grew up, and was named after.

In episode 7, we encounter a major problem with the petrol pump we use to collect drinking water from the natural spring that flows through the cliff, plus mum shows off her vegetable garden that's taken decades of hard work to cultivate, and then we unpack all the food we need to sustain a life on an island with no shops!

Please share and subscribe for future episodes. I'd love to see your comments on the series so far as it's the first time I've done something like this.

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Shot on my Sony A7C (28mm, 35-70mm, 70-180mm lenses)
Audio with DJI wireless lavs and Rode Videomic NTG

#farmingdocumentary #islandlife #remoteliving #orkney #offgrid #scotland #countrylifestyle #howpeoplelive #rurallife #islands #hardlife #primitivelife #farfromcivilization #traditionallife #everydaylife #countrylife #oldculture #dailylife #farfromanyroad #countrylife #vloglifealone #survivallife #alone #ruralfarm #nature #relaxing #lifeinnature #islanddocumentary #hardlife #hardwork #cabin #happylife #familywork #remotefamily #naturelife #offgridliving #wilderness #shepherd #shepherd'slife #travel #adventure #traditionallife #food #sustainability #agriculture #wildlife #slowlife

[hamishauskerry]

Thank you so much for your support for my videos! As a family we're facing a lot of challenges to our way of life, but knowing what we do is resonating with people around the world genuinely makes it easier to approach the future. If you'd like to support the creation of future videos, please consider donating at ❤

[stuartmynard]

What an absolute treasure your Mum is Hamish. A woman who found herself exactly where she chose to be. I'm sure life has and will continue to bring you and your family challenges but what an incredible life you've all had. It must be heartbreaking to see things change for your parents the way they are. Bravo to you for making a gentle and loving tribute to them and the rich life they've lived. Thank you very much. Stu

[Reet]

A hard but deeply satisfying life. Your mother is a powerhouse.

[celesterakhale]

Every video I watch makes me quite emotional.This is such a unique life..will people ever live like this again?Feels like a different world.Thank you for sharing it with us...

[ericgoss]

I love that your mom dresses very stylishly, with jewelry and matched outfits, even though she’s only with family and there’s no one else around. Sorry that your dad is in decline - how heartbreaking.

[NimrodScott]

My wife and I are really enjoying this YouTube series. A few weeks before Christmas we were watching and I got the idea to order two knitting kits for my wife. They arrived and made for wonderful Christmas gifts for her. So she gets to knit that beautiful wool from those seaweed eating sheep and we share in a little bit of the magic of Auskerry.

[emmaraft]

The lighthouse is a good symbol for people who have an inner light and shine it for us.

[abigailnunns]

So exciting to hear that your mum is coming out with a book! Definitely keeping an eye out for that.

[lewisdean]

I am lost for words, in a world where most of us are consumed with the digital culture and buying the latest item we then find people just wanting a simple life.
Well done ♥️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[sarahjines]

What a hard life it seems to be, yet your parents don't care to leave, and you children have fond memories of it. I admire your parents very much.

[angelabranem]

Thank you for allowing us this window into your parent's lives. So grateful that they are willing to sacrifice their hard won privacy to allow this. It's fascinating to watch them navigate and create a successful, thriving life on a remote island with all the inherent challenges. They are just incredible human beings!

[HalsPals]

I have ancestors from the Orkney Islands from the 1700s. I can't imagine life ever being easy there. Thanks for sharing your experiences.

[ronroelevink]

Can't believe you have butterflies and bees there. But then, there are more flowers then I would expect and the vegetable garden looks amazing! Astonishing, what your parents have created.

[tylerjones]

The best to your parents. They've had a really different kind of life there; you and your brothers too. Glad you are there to help them out. Your company is most important too.

[alanwilliamson]

A wonderful video and it's very pleasing to see your Dad being supported in his need. Congratulations to your Mum as well and all the very best for 2024.

[ghlasbrae]

So glad to see a new post! Stay healthy and keep us updated! Love the garden.

[FIL]

Just found the videos. A sublime place to be. I expect the living requires much hard work and skill but a lovely way to be sharing a life. Thank you for allowing the insight to this. Phil - Suffolk.

[jamesrawlings]

Wonderful and the most beautifully constructed videos. We are farmers in Somerset and watch these deeply poignant videos and know how frustrating it is seeing your dad change. My father in law has a similar condition and fully under stand the heart ache it brings. I think as farmers or ‘guardians of the land’makes life choices a lot more difficult. I never comment on any content on line but this has really got me. Thank you.

[IcelanderUSer]

Being from Iceland this way of living used to be quite normal there. Although you’d have hot springs in Iceland to heat your home and water. Bravo for turning out so normal.

[gregphillips]

I look forward to each video.Wish there were more.