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Donald Macdonald, Donald Cameron, Robert Henderson, Kenneth Henderson, and Peter Sinclair. Heads of the families cleared from Backlass in Caithness to make way for sheep in the early 19th Century. Only the replacement farmstead is left. The school was moved from here in 1950.
Benalisky on the hill through this gate. Hugh Mackay, Angus Mackay, John Reid, William Gunn, Neil Gunn cleared from a township with views over the vast Flow Country.
Innis-nam-mult on the hill ahead alongside dozens of deer during the rut. Robert Gunn, John MacDonald, Donald Sutherland were heads of families here before eviction.
Bualiemore. John Sutherland, John Gunn, George Miller, William Macleod, George Macleod, George Sutherland, Marcus Gunn. Replaced with sheep but not a shepherd's house.
Achscoriclate. Home to these people and their families before eviction: John MacDonald, John Mackay, William MacDonald, Robert Gordon, Kenneth Henderson, William Henderson, Donald Gunn Beg, John Gunn, Alex Gunn, Roderick Mackay, Marwood Sutherland, Neil Gunn, and Widow Gunn.
Donald Ross was the miller of the Allt Nam Beist mill. He was the last to use these stones before eviction.
A longhouse at Carn-nam-Muc. Neil Gunn, William Gunn, Alex Macleod, William Macleod, Alex Mackay, and Fila Mackay and their families were all cleared from this township during the Ulbster Evictions.
These are only a small number of cleared townships found in the one third of Caithness recognised in planning policy as 'wild land'.
The Scottish Government's National Planning Framework 4 aims to look "to support the repopulation of rural Scotland" and "consider whether our policies on wild land need to change".
It's unclear what impact current wild land policy would have on moves to repopulate cleared townships. But planning policy sets out wild land areas "have little or no capacity to accept new development".
Planning policy recognises that "development may be appropriate in some circumstances" and NPF4 could recognise repopulation as an appropriate circumstance so we can renovate Thulachan into high quality social housing for future generations of land managers.
This may seem like a minor aside in the struggle to reclaim the land, in this case from a conservation charity and sporting estate.
But it would be a shame if we resigned this great part of the world through poor planning policy into waiting for the 'trump of the archangel'.
But it would be a shame if we resigned this great part of the world through poor planning policy into waiting for the 'trump of the archangel'.
