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Peat Bog (Photograph by Kelly)
The photograph above shows a peat bog in the Outer Hebrides following peat cutting. Peat deposits are found around the globe, all over scotland but also in places such as Ireland, Finland, Poland, Russia, the Netherlands, Scandinavia and nothern Germany. In many areas of Scotland the peat is cut into slices and allowed to dry naturally and then used as a fuel.
Many of the islands of the Outer Hebrides still use peat as a fuel to this day. To many concerned about global warming this may not appear very environmentally friendly. However cutting peat is part of the Hebridean culture. When I first visited the Hebrides (Isles of Harris and Lewis in 1982) the sweet and pungent aroma of burning peat was very distinctive and I was often able to smell a village before I could see it. Today (2007) it is still common to smell peat burning in the winter months but it is not as common as it once was.
It was only back in the 1950's and 60's that peat cutting was a community wide activity. The whole village would head out to the moor and cut a persons peat, a sufficient amount for one year, then move onto the next persons bank. It was a relationship building experience with families thoroughly enjoying the days hard work.
Back to : - Peat Cutting - Hebridean Fuel
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