Best Practice Case Studies

Threave House & Estate, Castle Douglas
- Integrated management of house, estate and wetland wildfowl refuge

"Looking down at the wildlife on the marshes during the winter is a wonderful specatacle.  More and more people are choosing to walk down from the gardens to observe the wetlands".

Judy Baxter, National Trust for Scotland Ranger

Situated a mile west of Castle Douglas, Threave Estate is owned and managed by the National Trust for Scotland (NTS). The Estate comprises of Threave House, with over 60 acres of beautiful gardens, and an extensive wetland wildfowl refuge extending to nearly 1500 acres. The refuge is of national and international importance for its wintering wildfowl and breeding waders and is part of the Loch Ken and River Dee Marshes Special Protection Area (SPA) and RAMSAR site.

Threave House was opened to the public for the first time in 2002 and its elegant Georgian interiors are used for a wide range of events such as seminars, dinners and receptions. The panoramic views of the gardens from the house are a major draw for visitors. Threave is best known for its superb gardens, which attract some 60,000 visitors annually. The gardens are famed for their springtime daffodils and with each season provide a stunning backdrop to the house.

Integrated management
NTS works closely with Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), who oversee management of the wetlands, and with farmers to ensure the farmland is managed sensitively. Many of the farmers are now involved in the Rural Stewardship Scheme, which offers grants for environmentally sensitive farm practices such as controlled grazing on the wetland to ensure the optimal habitat for the birds.

Visitors to Threave can enjoy the wetlands, without disturbing the birds, from one of the five hides on site. Three hides are positioned to overlook the River Dee and two offer views over the marshes.

Visitor impacts are minimised across the estate by a footpath network that guides people through to the less sensitive areas. This works well to protect the wildlife and farmland from disturbance . Signage and interpretation are also an important element of visitor management at Threave. There are two full-time and one seasonal ranger at Threave and their work helps ensure both visitor enjoyment and conservation of the wildlife.

Improving the links
Threave has a Countryside Centre in the gardens, housed in what used to be the old stables. Here visitors can find out about the estate's varied habitats and their management. There are interactive displays for young and old, information boards and even the opportunity to view swallows on the nest via a CCTV link. Way-marked walks around the site include a 2.5 km estate trail, which allows tourists to see a little of everything Threave has to offer.

A key aim for the future is to improve the links between Threave house and gardens and the wetlands, which are currently divided by the A75. There are plans to improve the route between the two sites using signage within the gardens and the development of footpath networks. There is also a new Threave Guidebook in development that will provide visitors with information on all aspects of the estate. This book will be available at the house and from the Countryside Centre in the gardens.

Future funding
The Trust is currently part of a landmark partnership bid for Heritage Lottery Funding. The bid is being co-ordinated by Dumfries and Galloway Council and if successful will provide funding for an ambitious wetland management project at Threave. The project would involve the development of hides, improvements to the footpath network, updating the interpretation boards and creating new habitats such as shallow open water for wading birds.

NTS has also applied for support from the Scottish Forestry Grant Scheme to fund the conversion of small coniferous forest stands to native broad-leaved woodland.

Attracting visitors
The NTS ranger service work hard to promote the wildlife areas and encourage people to visit the wetlands. Judy Baxter, an NTS Ranger, comments: "looking down at the wildlife on the marshes during winter is a wonderful spectacle. More and more people are choosing to walk down from the gardens to observe the wetlands."

For further information, please contact:

Trevor Jones (Property Manager)
National Trust for Scotland
Threave
Castle Douglas
Dumfries and Galloway
DG7 1RX

Phone: 01556 502575
or 01556 503702 (ranger service)
E-mail: threave@nts.org.uk
Website: www.nts.org.uk

This case study features in the publication 'Greening Scottish Tourism: Linking the Built & Natural Heritage, 10 Best Practice Case Studies'.  You can download the full publication at the bottom of this page.

Case study added August 2005

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