Barwhillanty Blog – another year gone by!

A little embarrassingly, it seems this blog has become an annual update… another Happy New Year to you all! It appears with each child added to the fold, putting pen to paper becomes scarcer. Our four young children remain a huge focus for home life and for the wider picture of Barwhillanty Estate. We see ourselves as custodians of the countryside here in beautiful South West Scotland and hope to hand on a sustainable business and inspiring vision to the next generation. So getting them enthused and involved has already begun; from tree planting to lambing, from wild swimming to foraging.

As our shooting season draws to a close, we feel blessed to have had enough birds to warrant some wonderful rough and driven days. With avian flu having taken a terrible hold, it is even more important for us to uphold our values of conservation; creating habitat to support wildlife diversity and delivering on experience above numbers.

We are excited that soon we will be able to process our own game with plans for the creation of a Game Larder underway. Currently we are selling the finest of pheasant meat, but soon wild venison will be available for collection. Choose quality, sustainable produce that is local and traceable and place your order today!

Bringing me onto our garden vegetable boxes… last year saw the successful launch of our seasonal selection boxes of homegrown veggies. The plentiful produce was fresh, full of flavour and brimming with varieties to test your plant identification skills. We are delighted to be bringing the best of Barwhillanty back to you again this summer, so stay tuned and sign up to experience veggies like never before.

With our view to better understand the land in which we farm, we have been undertaking some soil sampling, which will be extending to our forestry. We are passionate about delivering our farming and forestry practices in a sustainable way, sensitive to the soils that support the beginning of our food chain. We are part of this interconnected network; from microbe to man, so it is our duty to farm responsibly.

In celebration of our soils and what they grow here in the garden at Barwhillanty Estate, we are holding our weekend of Radiance. To align with the Spring Fling Festival weekend at the end of May, we are opening our doors with offerings of yoga, aerial yoga, pizzas in the Walled Garden and a chance to buy some spectacular plants. So please remember to book ahead on our website to make the most our of your experience.

Last year saw the first of our Yoga and Wellbeing Retreats, bringing people together for a weekend of nature, nurture and nourishment. With yoga, aerial yoga, opportunities for wild swimming and home cooked, hearty, healthy meals – it was described as a ‘magical experience’, so book on for The Retreat this year, in September.

And if you can’t make The Retreat, there are weekly aerial yoga and yin yang yoga classes to try as well as our four stunning holiday cottages where we would love to welcome you to stay.

Come and experience some of the magic here for yourself!