A shieling[a] (Scottish Gaelic: Àirigh)[3] is a hut or collection of huts on a seasonal pasture high in the hills, once common in wild or sparsely populated places in Scotland. Usually rectangular with a doorway on the south side and few or no windows, they were often constructed of dry stone or turf. More loosely, the term may denote a seasonal mountain pasture for the grazing of cattle in summer. Seasonal pasturage implies transhumance between the shieling and a valley settlement in winter. Many Scottish songs have been written about life in shielings, often concerning courtship and love. The ruins of shielings are abundant landscape features across Scotland, particularly the Highlands.
- ^ "sheiling". Collins Dictionary. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
- ^ "Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary: Sheeling". Encyclo.co.uk. 1913. Archived from the original on 31 December 2011. Retrieved 26 March 2013.
- ^ Roger Hutchinson (2010), Father Allan: The Life and Legacy of a Hebridean Priest, Birlinn Limited. Page 112.
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