The French expat who's living the dream for us all on Fair Isle

For many people living in towns and cities, the idea of a life truly connected to the land is something of a dream, an imagined and idealised paradise. But they also know, or think they do, that the reality might be rather different.

In 2015, Marie Bruhat was a French textiles student when she visited Fair Isle, famed for the colourful and intricate designs of its knitted jumpers. Two years later, she returned to stay.

Marie Bruhat moved permanently from France to Fair Isle in 2017 after falling in love with the island two years before | Daniel Craanen

“In 2015, I really fell in love with the island. I went back to France... and all I could think of was living on Fair Isle,” she said. Knitwear was a huge part of the appeal.

“I really was starving for that connection to something real and not just create something out of air and be in that fast fashion thing,” Bruhat said. “I thought it was very special to be grounded and connected to nature.”

She now has a croft with some sheep, works as a firefighter and has just set up the Fair Isle Academy, an online school for knitters. Sounds like she’s living the dream.