About
We’re Karina (the tall one who does most of the admin) and Jo (the short one who does most of everything else!). Two ex-travellers who swapped life on the road for a new adventure here in Caithness.
Our Story
Before life at The Crofter’s Snug, we lived very different (and much more conventional) lives. Karina worked as a Farm Administrator, while Jo was a Primary School Inclusion Leader. We both enjoyed our jobs but by 2015, we were starting to dream about something else - a camping trip to Ireland that year planted the seed and we began to imagine a life with more travel, more adventure, and less of the daily rat race.
In October 2017, we hitched up a shiny new caravan and boarded a ferry to Santander. Nine months later, we returned to the UK — briefly — just long enough to trade the caravan for a motorhome. We set off again, touring for another seven months and spending time in Scotland between trips, before finally returning home in July 2020 after an incredible year-long journey through 14 European countries.
After three years of full-time travel, we found ourselves at a crossroads. Brexit was looming, long-term travel was starting to look complicated, and during the first lockdown (spent beside a lake in Sardinia — we know, poor us!) we began talking seriously about what might come next. Jo missed chatting to people; Karina missed having a desk for her laptop.
Then we heard, through friends, that The Crofter’s Snug was for sale.
In the autumn of 2020, we drove through the night to come having arranged a viewing. It was a “wow” from the moment we arrived — it ticked every box. Five weeks later, we had the keys, waved goodbye to the previous owners, Kirsty and Steve, watching them tow their caravan away as they headed off to begin the next chapter of their story. Roles reversed!
There is a small twist of irony here. When we toured this area in 2019, we’d planned to do the North Coast 500. We travelled anti-clockwise, starting up the east coast — but standing at Duncansby Head, pointing out to sea and joking about “land ahoy” (Jo insists we absolutely did not shout that!), Karina did some late-night research and by morning we were boarding a ferry to Orkney instead.
A few weeks later, we carried on to Shetland, eventually returning to Aberdeen — without ever touching the west coast. And now? Well... the NC500 is right on our doorstep. Clearly, we’re meant to finish that trip one day. In the meantime, we love living here in Caithness. The huge, ever-changing skies. The light. The sunsets and sunrises. Even the wind and rain. It feels like exactly where we’re meant to be.
So — happy travels, wherever they take you. We hope they lead you here, and we’re really looking forward to meeting you.
Karina (the tall one who does most of the admin)
& Jo (the short one who does most of everything else) 😊
xx
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The Croft House & Land
The Crofter’s Snug began life as a typical crofting house with a small stone byre, built over 100 years ago and set within just over four acres of land. The original part of the house dates back to around 1900 and is a classic example of croft architecture — tiny, practical, and perfectly formed.
A little crofting context
Despite the name, a croft isn’t a house — it’s a unit of agricultural land. Crofting is a land tenure system unique to the Scottish Highlands and Islands, traditionally supporting small-scale food production.
Crofts were usually part of large estates, with landlords overseeing many crofts at once. Today, there are still over 17,000 crofts across Scotland. A crofter is the person who works the land, historically as a tenant farmer, though many are now owner-occupiers. Tenure came with responsibilities — to live on or near the croft, work the land, and pay rent — but also provided security and a strong sense of place.
It’s entirely possible that the occupant of the nearby Castle of Mey was once the landlord here many moons ago. We’re still digging into the history and will happily update this as we learn more.
If crofting life interests you as much as it does us, you might enjoy Mary Ann’s Cottage — a beautifully preserved croft house and a living reminder of everyday life in Caithness not so long ago. It’s well worth a visit if you’re curious about the stories behind the landscape.
