Scottish woman cutting & harvesting peat for fuel. a Peat Harvester in peatland fields, Isle of Sky, Scotland, UK
Peat banks are a familiar sight on the Isle of Skye where the peat bogs are very flat, these peat banks provide excellent fuel similar in many ways to coal. Peat has been used as a household fuel for many centuries. The deeper layers can be rich in anthresite which the main constituent of fine coal. Peat is usually cut in late spring with a tool called a peat knife or tosg (sometimes toirsgian, or tairsgeir) which has a long wooden handle with an angled blade on one end. The peat bank is first cleared of heather turfs. The peat, now exposed, is cut using the peat knife and the peats thrown out on the bank to dry. A good peat cutter can cut 1000 peats in a day. Once dried,the peats are carted to the croft and built into a large stack
Size: 5120px × 3413px
Location: Broadford, Isle of Skye, Scotland, UK
Photo credit: © MediaWorldImages / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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