THE ESTATE

By Tommy Traylen Jnr

In June 2025, I discovered what, twenty years earlier, Mark Gibson OBE had stumbled upon — the 3,000-acre Craigengillan Estate: a forgotten fold of British history, hidden between East Ayrshire’s rugged hilltops and screened behind years of neglect. The neighbouring village of Dalmellington, once a thriving coal-mining community, was left searching for new purpose after the mines closed a generation ago. Its life and that of Craigengillan are deeply and inseparably intertwined.

Today, after two decades of tireless restoration and care, Craigengillan has been transformed into an award-winning estate. Its vast landscape of native woodland, pasture, wetlands, heaths, and lochs is once again alive. Here, centuries-old stewardship meets modern innovation — an organic sheep farm, renowned riding stables, charming holiday cottages, and sustainable forestry all form part of a living, breathing ecosystem that respects its past while embracing the future.

As I look to the next chapter, my vision for Craigengillan is to honour this legacy while propelling the estate into a new era of innovation and sustainability. I am committed to bringing cutting-edge technology and forward-looking investment to strengthen the estate’s environmental resilience, create meaningful opportunities for the local community, and establish Craigengillan as a beacon of rural innovation.

With a deep respect for the estate’s history and natural beauty, my goal is to fuse tradition with progress — to preserve what makes Craigengillan special while using technology to enhance conservation, education, and connection. Together with those who share this passion, I hope to build upon the foundations laid before me, ensuring that Craigengillan continues to inspire, educate, and thrive for generations to come — a living legacy of nature, history, and human ingenuity.