Last Opportunity to get 15% OFF Tartan items 🎁 More on the Forestry!🌲

Posted by Charles Dixon-Spain on Feb 28, 2026

Dear Lairds & Ladies,

Another dreich week on the hill with the fencers going great guns! They have complete 60% of the fence line and are now getting ready for the difficult bit! Maps, pics, vids and debatable disquisitions follow, including a short video panorama of the cultivated hill.

As well as a reminder that you can still get 15% off tartan items when you buy 3 or more items - but the scarves are now sold out!! Never fear, we will have more in mid-summer, but for now its all ties, caps, cufflinks and keyfobs until Valentine's night.

We hope to see you all soon!

Warmest regards as ever,

Charles & Sadie

Fencing Progress & New Map!

The update for this week, is mostly about how much fencing has been accomplished and a conundrum that the comobination of relentlessly wet weather this last few weeks, and the stumps and brash of the harvest two years ago has presented us with.

As the pink line shows below we are 60% of the way there, with only the "difficult" last stretch to deal with.

Above, the map also shows the (presently) agreed line for the last 40%, plus the gateways. There is an however, however! More below!

Above, the vehicular gate on the far north march, giving access for the electricity network provider to maintain the 11kv overhead line. This is the gate through which the last of the Dunans Heft will pass this weekend for the final time (our neighbour PK's 20 or so ewes who have called our hill home for generations and generations - bless them!)

And below, ground prepped for the planting, which is now scheduled for a week today - that is 19th February!

The fencing conundrum we are presently wrestling with!

The photo below shows the three options available to us.
1. left (beyond the stump just visible mid-left) was the line we agreed with the Forestry Commission.
2. middle (fence post laid in ground) the line recommended by our forestry consultants after consideration of ground and other conditions
3. right (just above the muddy path) the line now chosen by the fencers.

Variation from (1) requires forestry agreement (which will probably be forthcoming) and includes a swathe of the harvested coup allowing for more regeneration and therefore saving some of the cost of replanting the hesvested land (projected to happen in 2027)
(2) offers a straightline alone the old boundary of the commercial coup and while we lose perhaps a hectare of enclosed regeneration, we also protect an old footpath. However, this line is so close to the stumps of the felled sitka that it may take twice the time, and increase costs.
(3) offers a relatively unimpeded straightline, but does not include the old path, and actually starts to encroach in our woodland creation planting area - thereby reducing the amount of trees planted and therefore carbon offset.

We are having a fencing conference on site on Saturday. Wish me luck!

The location of the fence in question can be seen below in the fencing map between G4 (orange circle) and PG4 (red circle). The photo above was taken near the orange circle facing the new march fence (in yellow).

Here is a link to the PDF of the map above so you can get into the granular detail!

New Videos to Watch!

Why We Are Creating a Woodland

Progress on the Hill

Showing the Sheer Scale

For more information on why Carbon Offset projects like the New Woodland at Dunans are essential, please read this recent paper on the future we're heading for without action! 99% of all scientists agree that Climate Change or Global Warming is real and its happening now! Even if you disagree, at least by planting trees we are restoring the castle ;-)

CUFFLINKS!
... and Teddies, Ties, Keyfobs & Caps!

And the OFFER is? 15% Off when you purchase 3 or more of these lovely tartan items!!

The code is "15TARTAN", just put them in your cart and type in the code ....

This offer runs to 14th Feb!

Get 15% OFF Now!

The Laird's Library

How to Restore a Castle and Celebrating Burns Night are both available as signed copies from ScottishLaird!

DUNANS DECADE

The definitive visual record of the last ten years at Dunans available in a signed format here

The Conservation Plan for Dunans: Souvenir Edition

The original plan published in 2014 with plans, costings and archive available via ScottishLaird here.

STAY AT DUNANS

Quiet, secluded and without tv or wifi (though there is a radio) this is the perfect place to get away from everything - and also to see what we have been up to at Dunans! To book, and secure your complementary picnic supper, please click on the button below: