Round & About

Rusko Estate

This beautiful Estate is approximately 6 miles long and 3 miles wide and is set in the heart of the River Fleet glen. The whole area is full of fascinating wildlife, Scottish Natural Heritage and the Scottish Wildlife Trust have reserves adjacent to Rusko and the mountain wilderness of the Galloway Forest Park and the Merrick stretches away to the north. The whole Estate is very hilly, going from 100 feet above sea level at Rusko House to 1000 feet at the top of Kenlum hill.

The River Fleet, a very attractive spate river, makes the boundary on the east side with a track running beside it all the way from Nether Rusko to the Pool of Ness. Loch Ornockenoch lies in the centre of the southern part with a lovely old drove road linking it to Upper Rusko – both make wonderful walks. Rusko House (where the tennis court, Garden Cottage and wildlife garden are situated) is a large 18th century mansion house set in an informal garden of magnificent rhododendrons and lovely mature trees.

Rusko Farms

There are 3 farms on the Estate, one of which is tenanted. The land is mostly moorland with some better grazing beside the river. We farm 1,175 sheep and 90 cattle with some silage, hay, rape and other feed crops. The meat produced is prime Scottish beef and lamb produced as naturally as possible and the land is farmed within the Environmentally Sensitive Area scheme.

On the hills we have the indigenous Blackface sheep and on the lower land we grow Greyface x Texel lambs. The cattle are Aberdeen Angus x on the lower land and Galloway x Shorthorn (Blue-grey) on the hill and they are all crossed with our Charolais and Simmental bulls. Lambing starts in early March and calving takes place in Spring and Autumn. Our tenant has a famous herd of pure-bred Galloway cattle.