Eccentrics, artists and Luddites find community on a remote Scottish peninsula

Located on a small peninsula in northern Scotland, Scoraig is an off-the-grid settlement accessible only by boat or a five-mile walk. Its remote location and cold, wet climate makes for a harsh lifestyle for its fewer than 100 residents – but it’s one that they fully embrace. The UK director Alex Nevill’s short documentary Fishcakes and Cocaine (2013), which profiles four Scoraig residents, offers a compelling account of life on the tranquil peninsula. Although disparate in their interests and personalities, each resident seems to share a few key things in common – a general scepticism of modernity, an interest in creative work, and a love of the lush Scottish scenery that greets them there each day. And, despite the small population, Nevill’s portrait captures a sense of tight community that, for Scoraig residents, offers a welcome alternative to the more alienating aspects of urban life.