From our small apiary situated on our croft land in Diabaig, Tigh Brachen heather honey is gathered from the heather covered hills surrounding Loch Diabaig, Torridon

It all started when I surprised my father by saying "I fancy a hive of bees".  Then by chance, a few weeks later, a neighbour found a swarm of bees had moved into their wooden letterbox and they needed removing.  So, with my new suit on, smoker smoking, and a lot of trepidation, I successfully removed and rehomed the swarm in a lovely new hive.  That was the beginning of Tigh Brachen Heather Honey.

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7 years and many stings later I now have a small 12 hive apiary on our croft in the Scottish Highlands producing lovely fragrant heather honey.

It has been a steep learning curve!  The west coast of Scotland isn't the easiest place to keep bees - oh that rain and wind (there have been times when I've thought there must be an easier hobby than this!). The inevitable swarm up a tree, watching the dragonflies ambush them as they return to the hives (I now call them winged assassins), swallows and house martins taking their share, dealing with the weather - did i mention the rain?, queen less hives, mice spending the winter munching on the combs (and bees). In fact everything seems to want to eat my bees.

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Through a lot of patience, practice, perseverance and a dedicated hotline to my father at Redhills Honey Farm for invaluable advice, we now have our established apiary.

But there is always something to learn - bees don't read the text books!