Abbots Ripton Estate (Cambs)

Yet another member of the National Garden Scheme (as well as Historic Houses – “Private Tours: Take a tour of the ground floor of the house led by a family member whenever possible…Tea and cake with Lord and Lady De Ramsey is also included. £30 per person.”), Abbots Ripton is apparently “one of the best kept secrets of East Anglia”, one of the largest private estates in England, and home to the 4th Baron De Ramsey and his wife. The estate’s website stresses how much conservation work is being done with a list of interesting birds (any show of knowledge somewhat undone by including – ridiculously – a large illustration of a Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher, a species which breeds in tropical Asia). Also undoing the conservation blather is the Estate’s entry on shooting website GunsOnPegs, which says that “The Abbots Ripton Estate Shoot …offers fast and exciting, mixed Pheasant and Partridge shooting using well established and ideally placed game cover cropping. Early season days are predominantly French Partridge and later in the season the ancient woodland offers picturesque yet challenging pheasant drives.” No mention of any of that on the ‘official’ website which claims “that nature is allowed to flourish” though. Presumably no one wants to give a heads-up to any pro-wildlife folk who might be willing to help bolster the finances of the De Ramseys with a ‘private tour’, but that’s what bloodbusiness.info is for…