Life in Berneray (Beàrnaraigh na Hearadh in the Sound of Harris, now joined by causeway to North Uist) in the early 1970s was far removed from the romantic idyll imagined by many from the outside. It was dominated by hard work on the croft and at sea, by an unforgiving climate, and by social conventions which were sometimes restrictive but which helped the community to survive and underpinned a rich Gaelic culture.
With over 100 accompanying photographs, this book records in meticulous detail how the crafting community operated, the use of the newly laid and common grazings, the seasonal movement of livestock to and from offshore islands, fishing, peat-cutting, making kelp, Gaelic traditions, the church and the roles of men and women, young and old. It then reflects on present challenges and social life.
Susanne Barding gives a unique account of community life in the early 1970s, placing her acute observations of 1970s Berneray within a wider context – both geographically (not only on the Hebrides but also the Northern Isles of Scotland and the Faroe), and through over time, taking account of the powerful influences which have swept over economic and social trends throughout Europe over the last half-century.
 
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