The Farming Life
Farming Life on the Buchan Coast
Cruden Bay and the surrounding Buchan region boast a farming heritage as rugged and enduring as the coastline itself. For generations, families carved out a life against the relentless North Sea winds, cultivating the land and tending livestock with perseverance and ingenuity. Coastal farms faced the dual challenges of harsh weather and salt-laden soils, demanding resilience and resourcefulness. Farmers relied on intimate knowledge of the land, weather patterns, and seasonal rhythms to thrive, often living off what the soil and sea could provide.
This connection between people and land created a distinctive culture of practicality and self-sufficiency. Every tool, seed, and animal had its place and purpose. The landscape itself shaped the rhythm of daily life: long hours in the fields during planting and harvest, tending cattle and sheep, and ensuring the survival of both family and farm. Many of these coastal farms remain family-run today, preserving traditional practices while adapting to modern challenges.
A contemporary example is Nethermill Farm, where Harry Smith and his father Davie have continued the family’s farming legacy while creating the Nether Mill Path, a network of walks recently opened on the outskirts of Cruden Bay. These paths allow visitors to experience the land as farmers have for generations, connecting people to the rhythms, beauty, and resilience of the Buchan countryside.
The story of Buchan’s coastal farmers is one of quiet heroism: ordinary people living extraordinary lives through skill, persistence, and an enduring connection to the land. Families like the Smiths show that this legacy is alive today, inviting others to share in the simple, enduring joys of rural life.
Inland Farming: Life on the Rolling Lands
Just a few miles inland from the coast, Buchan’s farms occupy gently rolling land that stretches far across the horizon. The soil here is fertile, allowing for more diverse crops and larger herds of livestock than along the windswept shore. Life was still demanding, with long hours of physical labor from dawn to dusk, but the open landscape offered opportunities for growth and abundance.
Families cultivated potatoes, oats, and turnips while rearing sheep, cattle, and poultry, forming the backbone of local rural communities. Skills were passed down through generations: plowing, crop rotation, animal husbandry, and repair of tools and buildings were learned through observation and experience rather than formal instruction. Neighbors relied on each other for support during planting or harvest, and local fairs and markets were central to both economy and social life.
Farming here was deeply connected to the rhythms of nature, with every season bringing its own responsibilities and rewards. While modern machinery has replaced much manual labor, the values of hard work, careful stewardship, and respect for the land remain. Visitors to these inland farms can experience a landscape shaped by generations of dedication—open fields stretching into the distance, working animals, and farmsteads that bear the mark of human care and persistence.
Jimmy Cantlay: A Life Rooted in the Land
Few embody the spirit of Buchan farming better than Jimmy Cantlay of Ogston Farm, Slains. Remembered by his daughter Jill on the Doric Future website, Jimmy’s life reflects a deep connection to the land and a dedication to the simple, essential rhythms of farming life. His days were shaped by the needs of his animals and the seasons, rising early to tend to cattle, sheep, and crops, all with a quiet diligence that left no room for complaint.
Jimmy’s insight and knowledge were rooted in experience, observation, and respect for the natural world. He lived sustainably, wasting nothing, and making use of every part of the land. Despite failing eyesight and the physical toll of decades of hard labor, he never lost his commitment to the farm or the lessons it taught. His wisdom was understated, given in moments of importance rather than freely, reflecting a life lived fully and attentively.
After Jimmy passed, his family often raised the Canadian flag on their “wee bit but and ben” located on Errollston Road in remembrance of their father and his fascination with pioneers setting off from Scotland to Canada. Jimmy’s story is a testament to resilience and contentment, illustrating the enduring values of Buchan farming culture, and the quiet legacy he left in both land and family.
Jill Cramphorn (Jimmy’s daughter) unfurling the Canadian flag in as she remembers her father at the family’s ‘wee bit but an’ ben’ near Cruden Bay.
The Flag Still Flies
Doric Future and Doric TV
That quiet legacy of land and culture left a lasting impression on Jill. Inspired by her father’s deep connection to Buchan life, his quiet wisdom, and her own rich heritage, Jill’s passion for preserving the stories and sounds of North East Scotland grew over the years. That lifelong bond with her roots led directly to the creation of Doric Future and Doric TV—cultural initiatives based in Cruden Bay, Aberdeenshire, dedicated to celebrating the Doric dialect and North East heritage.
Founded by Jill in 2019, Doric Future began as a platform to share the unique stories, language, and traditions she grew up surrounded by. In 2020, she expanded the initiative by launching Doric TV, an online video channel that quickly gained international attention for its engaging features on regional history, language, and culture.
Doric TV offers a wide range of programming, including interviews with local residents, explorations of regional music and folklore, and in-depth historical features—such as a three-part series on Cruden Bay’s role in the UK’s oil industry and energy transitions. The initiative regularly collaborates with community groups like the Cruden Bay Folk Club and is supported by organizations including the Port Erroll Heritage Group and Foundation Scotland’s NorthConnect Legacy Fund.
Jill’s creative archiving has also earned widespread recognition. She entered films into the Doric Film Festival in 2021 and 2022, winning first prize in the Group category for her short film Doric Future. Today, her extensive body of work is preserved as a permanent cultural resource, having recently been integrated into the prestigious archives at the Elphinstone Institute in Aberdeen.
To explore the archive or watch the latest features, visit the Doric Future website or their YouTube channel.
Just Far I Bide (Doric Film Festival 2021)
A Sense O’ Time – Doric Future (Doric Film Festival 2022)
Farming Traditions and Tools of the Trade
Buchan’s farmers relied on a combination of practical skill and simple tools honed over generations. Wooden plows, hand-forged implements, and horse-drawn carts were once staples of every farmstead. Knowledge of the land—where to plant, when to harvest, and how to preserve crops through the winter—was passed down orally, forming a living library of rural expertise.
Traditional practices extended beyond the fields. Cattle and sheep breeds were carefully selected for resilience, barns and dykes built to withstand coastal gales, and crop rotation ensured the soil remained fertile. Every season demanded meticulous attention: planting, weeding, harvesting, and storing. Communities celebrated milestones with fairs and gatherings, exchanging not just goods but also stories, songs, and techniques.
While machinery and modern methods have transformed agriculture in recent decades, echoes of these traditions remain. Stone walls, barns, and cottages still stand as markers of a heritage built on persistence and ingenuity. Understanding these tools and customs allows visitors to appreciate the depth of human effort that shaped the open, gently rolling landscapes of Buchan and sustains the culture of farming to this day.
This image details the close proximity of the Nethermill Path to the Village of Cruden Bay
The Legacy of Buchan Farming
The farming heritage of Cruden Bay and Buchan is not just about labor or production; it is a cultural identity, rooted in resilience, resourcefulness, and connection to the land. Generations of families, from coastal stewards to inland cultivators, have shaped the fertile fields and influenced local life, creating communities that honor both tradition and innovation.
Visitors exploring these areas can witness a living history: working farms, timeworn cottages, and landscapes that bear the imprint of decades of human endeavor. Whether it is the stories of individuals like Jimmy Cantlay, or the work being carried out by Davie and Harry Smith on the Nethermill Path, they remind us that farming is more than a profession; it is a way of life, defined by care, knowledge, and deep respect for nature. Experiencing this heritage offers a profound connection to the past and a greater understanding of the land’s continuing role in shaping community and character. Buchan’s farmers leave a legacy of quiet courage and steadfast commitment, reminding visitors that even in the modern world, there is great value in simplicity, hard work, and the enduring bond between people and the earth.
Principal Sources
- Local knowledge, personal memories and community contributions relating to farming life in Cruden Bay, Slains and the wider Buchan countryside
- Historical and agricultural references relating to farming traditions, land use and rural communities across Aberdeenshire and the Buchan region
- Research into traditional farming practices, including crop cultivation, livestock management, seasonal work and the skills passed down through generations
- Personal reflections and family memories shared by Jill Cramphorn in relation to her father, Jimmy Cantlay of Ogston Farm, Slains, and his lifelong connection with the land
- Information and local insight relating to Nethermill Farm, Davie and Harry Smith, and the creation of the Nethermill Path as a way of connecting visitors with the farming landscape around Cruden Bay
- Historical references relating to rural crafts, agricultural tools, farming buildings and the changing nature of farming practices in north-east Scotland
- Original written content, photography and digital storytelling created by Cruden Bay Life to celebrate the people, landscapes and traditions that continue to shape farming life in Buchan
Image References
Unless otherwise stated, images featured in this article are sourced from contemporary photography, community contributions or original creative material produced for Cruden Bay Life.
The farming landscape around Cruden Bay and Buchan has been shaped by generations of people who have worked the land, cared for animals and adapted to the challenges of changing seasons and conditions. Images are intended to capture not only the physical landscape of fields, farms and pathways, but also the connection between people and the places they have cared for.
Photographs of working farms, farming families and rural locations help preserve the continuing story of agriculture in the area, showing how traditional values and modern approaches exist alongside each other.
Where creative interpretation or digital artwork is used, these images are intended to support storytelling and atmosphere rather than represent exact historical records.
We are grateful to farmers, families, photographers and community contributors whose knowledge, memories and images help preserve the story of farming life in Buchan.
About Cruden Bay Life
Cruden Bay Life celebrates the history, landscapes, people and stories that make Cruden Bay and the surrounding Buchan coast unique.
Every article begins with curiosity, research and a desire to understand the places, people and traditions that have shaped this remarkable area. Some stories are found in archives and historical records, while others are preserved through personal memories, family histories and the voices of those who continue to live and work within the community.
The Farming Life reflects an important part of Cruden Bay’s identity — the connection between people and the land. Farming has shaped the landscape, supported generations of families and created traditions that continue to influence rural life today. The story of Buchan farming is not only about agriculture; it is about resilience, responsibility, knowledge and a deep respect for the natural world.
Alongside traditional research methods, we make thoughtful use of modern creative tools—including artificial intelligence—to assist with research, editing, illustration, music composition and visual presentation. These tools allow us to explore new ways of sharing local stories, while historical evidence, editorial judgement and respect for our contributors remain central to everything we publish.
Researched by people. Enhanced with modern creative tools. Inspired by history. Created for today’s audiences.
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