Achiltibuie Local Customs

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The Highland Cow is one of the oldest breed of cows in Scotland. Although you now can see them in many parts of our world, they are most at home in the West Highlands and Islands. They were kept by the crofters as a single house cow providing the family with milk which was used to make butter and cheese. Their long hair was used in weaving and eventually hide and leather were used for a variety of uses. The Highland Cow is a hardy beast, they have to be to take on the weather elements, they can survive in temperatures as low as -20 c and they can calf in snow if they have to. Another name for these animals is Kyloe taken from the Gaelic word Kyle -meaning a narrow stretch of water between two pieces of land. To tell a bull from a cow just look at their horns - the males have curved horns while the females have straight ones. Black was the original colour for the cows but the stunning redheads became the popular choice in the early 19th. Century. They can also be brown or blonde. The cattle are now kept - not in a herd as you would imagine, but in a fold, they are now breed for their lean meat. The Highlander is drop dead georgeous in a windswept sort of way, no wonder they grace so many postcards - one look at this canny beast will melt your heart and almost turn you into a vegetarian.