Dovecot, Inveraray Castle Estate

I was at Carloonan Farm on the Inveraray Estate today as part of a meeting arranged by my colleague Emma Harper MSP as she develops her proposed Members’ Bill on Livestock Attack & Trauma.

The farmer, Brian Walker, who was our host, had suffered two dreadful attacks earlier in the year which drew much publicity given the horrific nature of the injuries to his sheep , inflicted by dogs.

The law on what is still , inadequately, called “sheep worrying” is badly outdated as all those present - Police, SPCA, NFU, Council - admitted. So work on a new bill is being undertaken by Emma and I am very supportive.

As I arrived at the farm I saw this - a dove cot , quite an uncommon sight in Argyll, which Brian’s wife told me was built in 1743 and designed by William Douglas. It contains some 410 nesting boxes but even so only cost , at that time, £53 to erect.

It is always fascinating to find new things in Argyll, so it seeemd a good blip for the day, despite the lowering weather. An hour later I was sitting in the car in the Avenue Car Park in Inveraray itself, waiting for a break in the torrential downpour (which was accompanied by high wind , thunder and lightening ) so that I could dash to the George Hotel where the Argyll & Bute NFU was meeting with MSPs.

And it was still raining four hours later as I finished a surgery in the little Nicol Hall, the story of which is my extra photo, taken from a framed information sheet in the hall itself.