Today brings to an end my first full year of keeping this blog. I have enjoyed doing it. I have learnt a bit as well and the blog has become a bit more focused. Entres which are off the subject of Croick no longer appear here, but in a companion blog, Just Add Pictures. We developed the website as well over the year and plan to continue doing so. If anyone has specific suggestions about information you would like to see here, please let me knw.

As I have started to blog regularly myself I have learnt to appreciate more the efforts of others. The most interesting blog that I look at regularly is Working for Grouse which tells the story go of one man’s efforts to bring back Black Grouse in Galloway. It is interesting and amusing reading and I never cease to be impressed by the regularity of his entries. It really is a diary!

2011 has been a good year for us at Croick, and there is a lot to do next year. Firstly, we shall be keeping a very close eye on the future of the Single Farm Payment regime. SFP is an important source of income for the estate, and it all gets ploughed back into salaries and local businesses. If SFP is very substantially reduced, that will be ‘interesting’ to deal with.

Secondly, we shall be finalising in the next few months a Management Plan for the estate which is going to set our plans for habitat improvement and heather regeneration for the next five years. Of course the speed with which we can progress with this will depend on cost and what grants might be available so that is going to take some work over the next few months.

And finally, we want to continue to build up the holiday lets at the Old Manse. Each year thus far has been better than the one before w=so we are heading in the right direction. But we are keen to have more people stay with us, and to convince people to come out of the short summer season. So we shall be continuing to ‘market’ in a low key way the year-round attraction of Croick as someone to come and be active, or be relaxed.

Have a great 2012 when it arrives.