Morning routine at the estate's beating heart, hay nets, warm breath and the day's first hack up the glen.
The stableyard wakes before the house. By seven the hay nets are up, the yard is swept, and the first horses are stamping on the cobbles under the arch, impatient for the glen.
Morning hacks leave as the mist is still deciding whether to stay. Riders climb through the parkland with the Doon somewhere below, and by the time the sun clears the hill the whole estate is laid out beneath them.
Book the early ride. The lie-in loses, every time.
