“The Gem of the Scottish Borders”, Floors Castle is “the centrepiece of the beautiful Roxburghe Estate since it was constructed for my ancestor, the 1st Duke of Roxburghe, over 300 years ago.” With its Victorian Walled Gardens with glasshouses, herbaceous borders and a formal Millennium Garden, as well as waymarked woodland and riverside walks, and a cycle trail suitable for the whole family “Floors has so much to discover”. That may well be, but what this estate is ‘famed’ for are the Duke of Roxburghe’s grouse moors in the Lammermuir Hills, an area that is notorious for its gamekeepers and the horrendous massacre of Mountain Hares in 2014. Not that the Floors website mentions that, saying instead that “The Roxburghe moors of Byrecleugh and Rawburn are situated in the heart of the majestic Lammermuir Hills and have been in the Duke of Roxburghe’s family since the 16th century. Covering over 10,000 acres [around 16 square miles], both moors are amongst the most productive and consistent in Scotland and offer a range of topography that produces fast, sporting birds to test even the best of shots.” Despite the obvious wealth on display here, Floors Farming received over £230k of subsidies in 2023…
