As you may have noticed, our building work is coming to an end now and, I hope you would agree, it’s all looking rather good. Once the scaffolding comes down in December it will look even better and it will further improve when the landscape planting is completed and the plants have had a chance to settle in.
New management couple
We have also just recruited Hannah and Darius, a fantastic couple with young children, to work on the Estate and live in the manager’s house. They will take up their positions as Lodge Manager and Estate Manager in mid January. Hannah has a degree in hospitality management and experience of managing similar high quality lodges, her role will be to run the lodge and develop its business capacity in appropriate ways. Darius has many years of experience managing estates for wildlife and tourism and is very dedicated to ecological conservation. Between them we hope the Estate will take on a new lease of life and be an even greater asset to the community and the wider environment.
Timber update
Timber movement on the loch has been delayed due to problems with the forest track and the availability of the Red Princess. Those problems look solved now so we should be back to moving timber by boat again over the weeks up to Christmas. Once the land is cleared of timber we will plant it up so that this area blends seamlessly into the planted areas all around it.
Walking on the Estate
We think that many people have been enjoying our wooden footbridge that crosses Carrick Burn up behind the Scottish Water facility. The bridge provides a link between tracks to the north and south of the burn and creates a circular walk that takes people from the car park near the castle, a little way up the hill to get great views of the loch and beyond, then down past the lodge to the shore road to complete the circle. The surface is generally good and we hope that local residents and visitors will enjoy this route at all times of year.
Comments