At Dunans we have looked for ways for people to become involved with the heritage project, and while locally this has not been a problem, we have been anxious to engage with a wider audience. We have thought about it a great deal: how to offer something which is fun, engaging, represents good value and gives Dunans a higher profile than perhaps it does now.

Lairdships have been sold via the internet for a while now, and in our view take themselves too seriously. Yes, we want our customers to feel they own a little piece of Scotland (even if it is only one foot square), and yes, we’d like them to use their Lairdly title, but more importantly, we’d like the people who buy this product to take an active interest in a project into which we have been putting heart and soul for the last four years. And this is why we have added value to our offerings: there’s a lairds’ website, with the opportunity to have a lairdofdunanscastle.com email, there are discussion forums and the Laird’s blog, you can have native broadleaf trees planted in your honour, and you can visit any time – we’ll welcome you with open arms. There are even fishing rights which you can take advantage of.

For more, please go to scottishlaird.com

These photos were taken in June. Dunans had two pairs of breeding tawny owls, both of which produced a pair of fledglings, and which were a huge attraction at this year’s Cowal Way Day.

We also have Lesser Spotted Woodpecker’s onsite hammering away at the big pines and occasionally swooping down to the house to say hi.

Since the beginning of April Dunans has been open to the public. During that time we’ve had upward of 50 walkers enjoying the circular path around castle and bridge. We’ve been helped by some lovely weather and plenty of holiday-makers taking advantage of the Easter Break. The May Day Bank Holiday is the next big weekend for Glendaruel (see the ColGlen.org.uk website for more details)
On another note, the Dunans Charitable Trust has gained approval from OSCR and is now considering how to move the project forward, particularly the renovation of the bridge.

Peoples’ Millions STV ‘Scotland Today’ films in glendaruelGlendaruel needs your vote – the children of Colintraive & Glendaruel need a play park and we need you to help them win with your vote. In the finals of Peoples Millions we are competing against Islay and we need you to vote.

WATCH “PEOPLES MILLIONS” STV SCOTLAND TODAY WED 15TH NOVEMBER 6pm.

Phone lines open from 9pm until midnight of the 15th only. Numbers will only be available either from the TV show or from the website Peoples’ Millions on the 15th only.

PLEASE HELP WE NEED YOUR VOTE

The 150 visitors we had in August seems to have been a consistent number for 2006. The initial splurge of people walking around the gardens in July settled into a consistent trickle until we officially closed at the end of September. However, we then had a series of guided walks around the grounds during Cowalfest in early October*.

For the 5 walks during the festival we had between 12 and 30 people. For Superstitious Fungi, led by the Walking Theatre Company and Real Food Consultancy we received publicity in the Dunoon Observer (nice shot Archie!) the next week. The totals for the two week period were just under a hundred. Very pleasing.

It has been a good year for the Dunans Heritage Project and we hope to build on our success for 2007, opening the grounds in April with more plantings to look at an a path down into the river to the foot of the big waterfall below the bridge. We’ll post pictures when and as this work happens. Needless to say, we’ll be using timber milled onsite and expertise from the glen to get the path in.

* As with normal admissions, we didn’t charge either the people or companies giving the walk of those attending it. We hope when the Charitable status comes through those that utilised the grounds this year make a contribution to the fund for the bridge (which will be launched soon).