Ardifuir Estate (Argyll)

“Situated a mile west of the oldest, continuously inhabited castle in Scotland, Ardifuir occupies the westerly approach to Loch Crinan and the ancient kingdom of Dalriada…Whether you use Ardifuir as a base for her wide range of marine and terrestrial activities or simply choose to come and relax in an environment of peace and unspoilt beauty, then Ardifuir has something to offer you.” Sounds wonderful but (as our website so often reveals) yet again an estate in Scotland seems to see things more in terms of killing the local wildlife than celebrating that ‘unspoilt beauty’. Under ‘Estate Activities’ is a section on ‘Shooting‘ which brags that “Ardifuir offers a fantastic range of shooting options for all guests. We have a small, established pheasant shoot, supplemented by a wide variety of wild residents including geese, snipe [presumably Common Snipe, Amber-listed as a bird of conservation concern in the UK] and pigeon. Woodcock [Red-listed as a bird of conservation concern in the UK] are in good numbers by mid November and wild duck are flighted on fed ponds and the river throughout the season.” Not enough just to shoot birds? Apparently “many of our guests…choose to combine shooting and stalking over a few days for a more complete sporting experience.”