Bilbster Mains Farm

Click to get a bigger image of Bilbster Mains Bilbster Mains is a working farm straddling the delightful Wick River in a fertile little valley just to the east of that famous wild brown trout water Loch Watten.  It is an area of green fields and open spaces yet it is within a fifteen minute drive of either the town of Thurso or the town of Wick.  The estate covers some 1300 acres and guests are welcome to walk in most of the area.  The atmosphere is exceptionally tranquil and offers the visitor a relaxing and secluded holiday of a very high standard yet with the freedom to drive quickly and easily to any of the major salmon rivers or trout lochs within Caithness.

The family farm  concentrates on rearing Aberdeen Angus beef and prime lambs on an extensive grass based diet which is sold through the premium Mey Selections brand. The majority of the land is grazed grass with a smattering of arable fields which are used to grow barley and forage crops for the livestock. Bilbster Mains has managed the environment carefully for wildlife with trees, hedges, species rich grasses all being planted alongside managed areas of wetland, water-margins and heather hill. The farm also boasts a large number of registered national monuments from an impressive standing stone, to brochs and other sites of archeological interest. The Miller family was delighted when their efforts at conservation were rewarded in 2005 when they were placed runner-up in the national biodiversity awards, run by the NFUS and RSPB.

Caithness, the most northerly county on the British mainland, is a land of contrasts with vast areas of grouse, moor, deer and forest in its southern reaches and green fertile agricultural land throughout its northern half. In its heart the much publicised Flow Country lies, where some of the rarest plant and animal life in Britain can be found.  The southern border is ringed by the impressive peaks of Morven and the Scarabens. All along the coastline the scenery is dramatic with towering cliffs and secluded coves, and excellent roads follow the coast and weave across this small county, linking Bilbster Mains with any area in under an hour.

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