An Lot

We follow young crofter Donald ‘Sweeny' MacSween on his croft in the Isle of Lewis, a croft that has been in his family for over 100 years. Sweeny first captured the imagination of BBC ALBA viewers in 2015 in the first series, as he tried to turn his passion for crofting life in to a full-time occupation. Three years on we join him again and follow Sweeny across his first year full-time to see if he can make it all work.

In the first of six programmes we see the challenges of winter on the croft with the famous ‘Beast from the East', and some really cold weather making an appearance. As a full-time crofter Sweeny is also constantly exploring new ideas to ensure a steady income throughout the year. We see one of these new ideas lead him to a new hobby - knitting – as Sweeny heads to the Isle of Skye to get creative with his wool.

There is never a dull moment on the croft for Donald "Sweeny" MacSween, and there is always something to be done.

Having made it through a very wet winter Sweeny now focuses on new life on the croft as we head into spring. It is one of his favourite times of the year, and it's all go as one of his sows goes into labour, but this is one that he has to keep a close eye on.

He also deals with the challenges of lambing; a time of very little sleep and plenty of early starts. With over 50 already lambed he's half way there, but his early morning checks prove vital as he finds out when he needs to give help to one of his sheep which is struggling.

This isn't the only sheep he has to help. Sweeny lives on one of the most rugged coastlines in Britain, and although it's beautiful it can be very dangerous for the animals as he knows all to well. He calls the local mountain rescue in to help one of his sheep distressed on the cliff edge.

It's late spring on the croft and as always things are really busy with plenty to keep Sweeny on the go. The lambs are doing well, and there is more happy news with Sweeny welcoming the first calf to be born on the croft since his grandfather was a crofter - very special times!

Meanwhile, while searching for some missing sheep out on the moor, Bud proves his worth when coming to the rescue of a sheep in distress, while back on the croft Sweeny also hosts a visit from pupils from ‘Sgoil a' Bhac' as they help him with feeding time.

Sweeny also finds time to learn another new skill as he tries his hand at clipping sheep with electric shears – and it's not quite as easy as he thinks!

It's the middle of summer and Sweeny is taking advantage of the fantastic Lewis weather during the hottest summer on record, as he and David do some work on the house which he plans to let for self-catering.

He takes a trip to Uist to meet crofting legend Ena MacDonald, who is an expert on Highland cattle, and also visits ‘Uist Wool' as he explores ways to make the most of his Hebridean sheeps' fleeces. There is also a big community day in Ness for the tractor run, and his dad comes to his rescue when Sweeny struggles to get his pigs loaded in to the trailer!

Now in autumn and with winter approaching, things aren't quite so hectic for Sweeny but there's plenty still to be done!

He does some wool grading as he prepares his fleeces for sending to Uist, and also checks out how things are progressing with his self-catering project.

Sweeny also achieves another milestone – with his own meat being stocked and sold at the local shop in Ness.

It's also the end of the line for the last of the chickens, and he takes them off to a new home at the Lews Castle College, where they will be well looked after by some of the local students. Meanwhile, his cows are also heading for a change of scene as he gets them out to the moor for the winter months.

He also has the excitement of an awards ceremony after being nominated for the ‘Young Crofter of the Year'. Will Sweeny bring the trophy home to Ness?

After following Sweeny over his first year as a full-time crofter, the final programme of the series sees him take some time to reflect on the last 12 months and look ahead to the future.

The support of family, friends and neighbours has been really important to him, as he often he needs some extra help. One young man who has been vital to things is David, who is always on hand to help out. Lambing was a crazily busy time, and the early morning rises weren't always Sweeny's favourite part of the day!

There was also a massive 2018 highlight for Sweeny with the first calf to be born on the croft in 60 years. Then there were the pigs and the piglets, and of course the hens - busy times indeed! Vital to his plans was to maximise the income he could bring in, and there was another proud moment when he saw his own meat being stocked and sold in the local shop in Ness – as well as meat boxes heading to the mainland by post. He also explored how he could get more from his wool – and even had a go at knitting!

Sweeny's hard work was also recognised in the best way possible as he won ‘The Young Crofter of the Year Award' - a fantastic way to end his first year as his own boss on the croft.