Deserted Village

This photo shows the remains of a deserted village in The Sma Glen in the highlands of Scotland. This highland township was typical of the groups of dry stone houses in Scotland before the clearances in the 18th and 19th centuries.In much of Scotland the land was taken from the people when landowners,empowered by legislation in London, brought in sheep as an attempt to make the countryside more profitable. Now in the 21st century the Tourist trade is the most important industry in the area. Bizarrely many of these tourists are descendants of the people who were driven to emigrate.