A shieling was a small turf hut with a stone wall base, lived in during the summer months by folk (usually women and children) from townships lower down the Highland straths. They took the cattle to feed on the lush high-ground pastures in the upper straths. They haven't been used for around 200 years since the townships were cleared during the notorious Highland Clearances.
Uploaded to Geograph by Nick Lindsay on 13 May 2008
Photo © Nick Lindsay, 13 May 2008. Licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons licence