WWW.NTS.ORG.UKtook the room to school to show the children, who wereconcerned that Agnes was on her own, with no adultpresent. I said her mummy had gone out to the toilet,which was not in the house itself, and they found thishard to understand. Ailsa LogueGuildford Viewing timeReaders going to the House of Dun to view the paintingsin the Hutchison collection should be made aware thatthis is only available for open viewing on the last Sundayof every month. At all other times, visitors have to join aguided tour of the entire house. The time allowed to seethis splendid collection permits little more than aperfunctory glance at one or two paintings.Professor AR GrieveBroughty FerryProperty manager John McKenna replies: We wereprivileged to be asked if we could accommodate themagnificent Hutchison collection of Scottish colourists.Of course we accepted, realising the challenges inpresenting the collection and displacing furniture toaccommodate it. We have had very complimentaryfeedback. We would love to be able to afford to pay staffso that we can have every day as a free flow, allowingvisitors all the time they need to enjoy the timepieces,some of the finest needlework in Scotland, the chinacollection, the Trust's largest collection of family linearportraiture, the stunning collection of Stirling furnitureand the Hutchison collection. For 2012, in the lowseason we will open on the last Sunday of the month forthose wanting to examine any part of the collection moreclosely. In the high season we will do this every Sunday.The autumn/winter edition's story about the Spencefamily on Canna contained some errors, andinadvertently used a picture not meant for publication.We apologise for this.

18SPRING 2012PEOPLEMAR LODGEESTATETHE VIEWS at Mar Lodge Estate are endless - and sois the to-do list for property manager David Frewand his diverse team. There is rarely time for abreather as they look after this immense tract of wildcountryside, taking into account the needs ofconservation, tourism, hospitality and sport. He took on the role in April 2011, having spentfour years as part of the tiny community on the Isleof Rum, where he worked as visitor services managerfor Scottish Natural Heritage, then as developmentofficer for the island's community trust.Aberdeenshire-born David says: "The Cairngormsare almost a spiritual home for me. I've spent a lotof time in the region and it's great to be here gettingthe best out of the staff members, with their variousskills and strengths."Mar Lodge is within the Cairngorms National Parkand all activity there is carried out in a spirit of co-operation with the park authority, Scottish NaturalHeritage and local people. A priority is regeneratingthe native Caledonian pine forest, which includestrees such as birch and rowan, and is home to awealth of birds, insects, mammals and plants. Estateworkers maintain fencing, thin trees and carry outtree surgery. Timber and firewood are produced forsale, and a biomass boiler is being considered. An ecologist monitors the health of flora andfauna, from the awe-inspiring golden eagle to theleast-known insect or moss species. Rangersmaintain 300km of footpaths, lead visitors on hillwalks and mount patrols at periods of high fire risk.Stalkers carry out deer management work andguide deer-stalking and grouse-shooting parties, asfar as possible using the estate's ponies, which haveless environmental impact than all-terrain vehicles.The hospitality team manages holiday lets usingfive apartments in the lodge and two houses on theestate. They also cater for many weddings, as wordspreads of the dramatic surroundings, the ballroomfestooned with stags' antlers, and the fact that 70people can stay in comfort on site. "It's a fantastic location for a wedding," saysDavid. "And it's a great place to work, too." l.Photography:Shannon Tofts .Interview:Don CurrieDiscoverMar Lodge EstateEstate Office, Mar Lodge, Braemar,Aberdeenshire AB35 5YJTel: 0844 493 2172 Estate All year MTWTFSSLodge open days, Easter Sunday and first Sundayof July and September, 10-4. Find out about holidaylets on www.nts.org.uk/holidays. Weddinginformation at www.tinyurl.com/ntsweddings