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The ‘hairy Heilan coo’ (The hairy highland cow)

Author Holiday West Highland

NO HOLIDAY picture album of Scotland is complete with- out a photograph of a hairy Highland cow. They are as much a recognised tourist symbol of our country as tartan, heather, kilts and bagpipes. Yet very little is generally known about these formidable looking beasts. Their true origins lie shrouded in the mists of time, a throwback to an age when a thick woolly coat, fierce appearance and strong herding instinct were required for survival.

Today, the faded yellow, rustic red or sometimes jet black coated Highland cattle are experiencing something of a revival, finding great popularity not only with a new generation of wealthy hobby farmers who purchase them for their looks and social status but Highlanders also fulfilling a role in land conservation thanks to their ability to thrive on low quality vegetation that more selective herbivores turn their noses up at. Highland cattle may be direct descendants of the herds of wild oxen or aurochs that roamed northern regions of Britain.

Certainly their breed characteristics are closer to wild animals such as deer than the modern cattle breeds commonly seen on todayÂ’s modern livestock units. Or can they trace their traits and bloodlines from a domesticated strain of cattle brought to our shores by Neolithic man? Recently genetic research would suggest that the most traditional of Scottish cattle are closer to livestock found in Syria or Turkey, regions which have been attributed with the first domestication of wild cattle.

Whatever their past, they are without doubt fearsome and formidable looking beasts, yet they have a reputation of being peaceful, content and docile. The colouring of their shaggy coat has changed dramatically over the years as light colouring became something of a fashion icon. The breed’s ancient stronghold was in the Western Isles where they were known as ‘kyloes’ or ‘black cattle’. Although there were lighter coloured animals among the herds – browns, duns, reds and mottled yellow – the predominant colouring was black.

Over several generations, and particularly during the Victorian era when ‘fashion’ became of great importance, it became desirable to have a small herd of wild looking Highlanders roaming the grounds of country estates. These ‘ornamental’ livestock became increasingly popular with brown, red and yellow coats, to the extent that these have become the colours we recognise as ‘traditional’, although black is now making something of a comeback. In the 1900’s there were in the region of 150,000 black cattle throughout the Western Isles, plus considerable numbers in the Northern Isles and Highlands. With poor soils and little harvest to allow winter feeding, there was an annual exodus in late summer as up to 30,000 cows and calves were walked on drove roads to fattened on the richer pastures of southern Scotland and northern England. These arduous journeys involved huge distances being covered, with cattle from the barren croft lands of the Outer Hebrides and west coast townships being gathered together. Drovers would swim or ferry cattle across the narrow sea straits or ‘kyles’ to the mainland before setting off on recognised drove roads to the ancient market centres in central Scotland such as Crieff , Stirling and Falkirk.

During these long treks, man and beasts experienced numerous hazards. Rivers in flood, steep mountain passes blocked by early snowfalls and the threat of cattle thieves lying in wait in the remote glens. Strong, muscular bodies carried on short sturdy legs gave these cattle the ability to cover great distances over rough terrain, with their thick, double-layered coat proving an effective barrier against the cold while the rough outer layer shed wind and rain.

The characteristic shaggy fringe of hair, or ‘dossan’, hanging over their face protects the eyes against the elements and even today’s pure bred Highlander will survive in conditions that no other modern breed could tolerate. After a period of rapid decline at the end of the 19th and 20th centuries, when modern methods of farming switched the focus of UK cattle production towards quick growth rather than the ability to survive, Highland cattle have again found popularity thanks to their ‘age-old’ characteristic of being able to convert the poorest of pasture into high quality lean beef.

Valuable traits which lend them ideal for ‘low input’ organic systems. The international emphasis on conservation has also proved an opportunity for the Highlander to gain wider recognition as a land conservation ‘tool’ as cattle – unlike sheep or deer – control vegetation while allowing trees to regenerate. From the heights of the Austrian Alps or the South American Andes to the flat lowlands of nature reserves in the Netherlands, you will now find Highland cattle doing what they do best.

If you want to take a Highland cow or two home with you to graze the lawn, the main markets are held at Oban in February and October. But be prepared to dip deep into your bank account as a good pedigree Highland bull may cost you in the region of £10,000 while a ‘hairy Heilan coo’ may set you back £5,000.