Drumlanrig (Dumfries)

The home of successive Dukes of Buccleuch, at Drumlanrig Castle “you will find something for everyone. Admire the magnificent Pink Palace. Marvel at the sights of the stunning Victorian Gardens or take a guided Garden Tour. Shriek with delight in the woodland adventure playground.” Etc etc. There is so much going on from Mountain Biking to the Castle’s very own Pumpkin Patch. The family even go out of their way to promote the ‘Wildlife & Biodiversity‘ on the estate saying “The farmland and parkland plays host to breeding Lapwing, Green Woodpecker and Oystercatchers, and the holes in mature trees provide nest sites for Tawny and Barn Owls. Heron, Dipper, Little Grebe and Kingfisher all love our unpolluted rivers and lochs.” Wow, a Scottish estate that doesn’t invite people to come and kill its wildlife…Hang on though, the Buccleuchs are grouse-moor owning shooters through and through, and right under the family-friendly picture of a Red Squirrel the estate gets down to business. “Drumlanrig has become renowned as one of the premier partridge shoots in the world.” “Pheasant shooting at Drumlanrig continues to be a very traditional experience, providing you with sport of the highest quality.” And don’t forget this is Scotland so “All the moors are well-maintained by burning…this ensures a variety of different ages of heather for the grouse to live on.” A range of passerines are here because “of stringent vermin control measures.” Yet again, an estate owner finds different ways to sell different birds to different people. Some to be looked at by families, some to be blasted out of the air by so-called ‘sportsmen’…and while squirrels are now ‘good’ (if you don’t know how badly Reds were persecuted in Scotland read this), native predators are ‘vermin’ to be eradicated…