Meet the crofting family who are living life the traditional way

They work from dawn to dusk, and only watch TV when the wind blows, but the Pococks insist they wouldn’t swap their croft for the world.

Many people dream of the good life. Imagine living off the fat of the land, raising your own animals, and being entirely self-sufficient with the rolling Scottish glens as a stunning backdrop.

No mobile phones, no noisy neighbours, no double-glazing salesmen at the door. It sounds idyllic.

“That’s not quite the word I’d use to describe it,” laughs Iain Pocock. “In fact it’s the last word I’d use!”

Iain, 42, and his family are one of the last real crofting families left in Scotland. While the rest of us are at work pondering which ready meal to microwave for dinner, the Pocock family dad Iain, mum Sasha, and their four children are busy butchering their own meat or scouring the land for firewood.

This traditional family, who live near Glen Affric, are featuring in a BBC Scotland documentary this week about their lives, and the struggle they’ve had to get connected to something most of the population take for granted the power grid. They rely on a wind turbine or generators if they want to watch telly. If there’s no wind, then there’s no Downton Abbey. But the Pococks don’t have time to get bored they look after 19 horses, 12 sheep, six dogs, five pigs, two cows, two geese and a clutch of hens.

Sitting in his croft in front of a furnace which has to burn 24 hours a day Iain took a few moments from his busy day to explain the ups and downs modern crofting. Usually he’s on his feet from dawn until his wife can get him to sit down for his dinner at around 8pm. Even after dinner there’s work to be done taking care of the Pocock’s pony trekking business.

With his eldest son and daughter living away, his two youngest boys, Ewan, 12, and Douglas, 10, are at his side from dawn until dusk during the school holidays

“It’s nice to sit down for a while, I don’t usually get the chance,” Iain explained. “It’s non-stop from first thing in the morning.

“The kids work hard during the day, but they enjoy it. If there’s something that has to be done, like fixing the tractor or chopping down trees, they like to get involved.”

For the Pococks, that includes raising and slaughtering their own animals. Iain isn’t too concerned about squeamish city types worried about killing what might seem like family pets.

“We do feel close to these animals,” says Iain. “We birth them, nurture them and care for them. We’re indebted to them. But when the time comes then the animal is slaughtered humanely, by our hands. This is the reality of where food comes from. I think our way is more honest, really.”

The independence required to live the crofting life has rubbed off on Iain and Sasha’s four children.

“They’re instilled with a work ethic and the ability to be self-sufficient,” adds Iain. “My youngest is 10, but he can milk cows, plant fruit, chop down trees . . . he even has a decent knowledge of animal husbandry. The children aren’t wasting away in front of a PlayStation. Mainly because they don’t have one.

“It’s a nice spot. My dad is buried here. He died in the croft so I just planted him up the garden!”

Living in the middle of nowhere gives Iain and family a unique perspective when he travels to the city. Only last week he was in Edinburgh to visit his daughter, Sarah, 18, who has just started university.

“The first thing she complained about was the heat,” chuckles Iain. “The doors in the croft are wide open all day, all year, so she’s maybe used to it being a bit cooler.

“One thing I always notice when I visit the city is the dirt. When city slickers visit the croft, they always complain about how muddy it is, usually while they’re wearing white shoes.

“But in Edinburgh the gutters are full of dirt and stoor. When there’s a gust of wind you get hit by sweetie wrappers!

“And what are those shoes that people wear all about? Some men were wearing long and pointy-toed shoes with no grips on them. What use are those?”

As hard-working a life as it is, you’d think Iain and Sasha would enjoy a well-earned holiday abroad.

“Abroad? Why would we go abroad?” Iain answers immediately. “I went abroad once. Didn’t like it. Once a year we go up to Loch Bervie and camp on the beach. It’s perfect!”

For Sasha, 38, the good life suits her fine. She was an outdoor girl before she met Iain, while he worked with the Forestry Commission. When she fell pregnant, Iain said “let’s go home” and they moved into his parents’ croft to raise their family.

He said:“I look around at the croft and the way we live, and it is rewarding.”

Power to the Pococks is on BBC2 Scotland at 9pm on Thursday.

The world according to the Pococks

6:30am: Wake up, have a cup of tea and get ready for the day ahead.

6:45am: Take the boys and the dogs out and feed the animals and check they’re all fine.

9am: Breakfast of tea and toast.

9:30am: Go and gather some firewood from the local forests.

10:30am: Sasha takes some pony trekkers out.

11:30am: Chop firewood a daily job as the Pococks rely on their furnace for heat.

12:30pm: Lunchtime a hearty meal of a sandwich, soup and cheese and oatcakes.

1pm: Harvest some crops.

3pm: Mend fences.