Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2018 i The Field

NEW BASC CHIEF Brigadier Ian Bell joins BASC on 19 February as the new chief executive. His last role in the Army was as Commander of the British Forces Germany. Passionate about shooting, Bell, 52, first joined BASC as a young shot. “For the future well-being of shooting sports, it is essential BASC continues to deal with all the challenges ahead,” he said. WOODLAND AWARDS Inspiring woodland projects across the west of England are sought for the 2018 RFS Excellence in Forestry Awards. Open to woodlands from Cheshire to Cornwall, the awards have five categories: resilient multipurpose (Duke of Cornwall’s award); silviculture; small and farm woodland; community woodland; and education. Closing date for entries is 6 March. For more details, go to: www.rfs.org.uk BURMA EXHIBITION Images of more…

1 TWEED WAISTCOAT INSCAPE Limited-edition, elegant, Nehru-collared waistcoats made in Norfolk from British materials. Well cut, individual jerkins can also be made in velvet or moleskin. • Price £250 • Tel 07770 995031 • www.in-scape.com 2 HK44 BEURER Hot-water bottle shaped fleece pad with three heat settings to soothe sore muscles or pack for chilly weekend jaunts; automatic 90-minute switch off. • Price £30 • Tel 0344 800 8877 • www.debenhams.com 3 LADIES’ FAIR ISLE CREW NECK FARLOWS Made on the east coast of Scotland from 100% merino wool, the yarn twisted in Yorkshire. Three colours available. • Price £129 • Tel 01544 322311 • www.farlows.co.uk 4 CERES ADJUSTABLE OS BOOT LE CHAMEAU Robust boots for farming Fielders with rear adjustable gusset and anti-odour, anti-bacterial lining. One colour only. • Price £140 • Tel 0330 331 0707 • www.lechameau.com 5 FEATHERS TABLEWARE…

BLESSED are the snowmakers, for they shall inherit the slopes. The latest Savills ski report is headlined “Skiing in a warmer world”, highlighting how climate change is dramatically affecting the ski season and making it difficult to predict the best time to hit the slopes, with one million square miles of spring snow pack lost since 1970 in the northern hemisphere. Ageing populations in the major skiing markets are changing skiing demographics, too, apparently. I assume senior bones now prefer the comfort of deckchairs on cruise ships to the bumps and twists of the slopes. “The outlook for ski resorts is challenging. But unreliable ski seasons are being countered by an increase in snowmaking – a technology that is advancing rapidly,” says Paul Tostevin of Savills. There are still around…

A FEW months ago my housemate and I were watching a programme and a very good-looking gin maker from Dorset or somewhere was on the show. I like gin as much as I like good-looking boys so we hatched a plan whereby my housemate would wingman me on a visit to the distillery, I would woo said boy, marry him and have a handsome husband and gin on tap for life. Then I searched for him on Facebook and realised someone had beaten me to it. Around Valentine’s Day last year, I offered The Field an insight into my dating life in all its glorious Bridget Jones ineptitude. The above clutching-at-straws incident gives you an idea how successful this year has been. Yes, I remain the single cat lady of…

SCHLEPPJAGDVEREIN VON BAYERN at HERRENCHIEMSEE You will hunt through the historic grounds of Castle Herrenchiemsee, known as the “Bavarian Versailles”, situated on an island in Lake Chiemsee in southern Germany. The day starts with a ferry ride to the island in the small hours of the morning. Email anton.wiedemann@gothaer.de  or go to: www.schleppjagd.de VOGELSBERG-MEUTE at FULDA Following beagles on horseback over the hills of Hesse’s Rhön area, with the baroque Castle Eichenzell in the background. This pack also visits the Czech Republic in November. Email Micheal Weiler at mw@michael-weiler.de  or go to: www.vogelsberg-meute.de HAMBURGER SCHLEPPJAGDVEREIN at JESTEBURG This is known as “Cross Country Day with Hounds” for a reason: jumping crazy ditches and banks in Northern Germany. Email Ulrich Deus at UDeus@t-online.de  or go…

Love is, literally, part of being an archer. The word for a bowman is toxophilite, formed from the Greek for bow, toxon, and loving, philos. There may not have been much love involved when the archers of Crécy and Agincourt rained arrows “thicker than rain in wintertime” but as archery evolved to become a country-house pastime, Cupid overtook Henry V’s “happy few”. Up to the 16th century, archers were vital to Britain’s security, training from as young as seven until their whole bodies were perfectly formed for drawing a 6ft 6in bow of up to 185lb, more than three times the pull of today’s recreational bows. The stress damage to the skeletons of archers discovered on the Mary Rose clearly demonstrates the effect of years of pull, aim, release. Yet…

In 1515, a rhinoceros arrived in Lisbon, a diplomatic gift from the Sultan of Cambay, Muzaffar II, to King Manuel I of Portugal. The species had not been seen in Europe and caused a sensation. The news spread to Germany and Dürer, not having seen the rhinoceros, drew much of his inspiration from the account. Although largely unrealistic, Dürer’s rhinoceros has a very powerful presence. Edited extract from Animal: A Beastly Compendium by Rémi Mathis and Valérie Sueur-Hermel. Published by Bloomsbury Visual Arts. RRP: £30. Treasures from the prints and photographs department at the Bibliotheque Nationale de France…

 LIVE African wildlife has been transported to Europe for exhibition since the time of the Roman Empire. Pliny writes about the capture of elephants and second-century sporting writer Oppian gives descriptions of lions being trapped in North Africa, using a pit to catch and hold a lion until a “plaited well-compacted cage” was lowered, baited with meat, so that the now-hungry lion walked into it. “ ‘The conservation issue is so important… The size was a way of attracting public attention and giving a voice to the animals.’ ” Capturing the animal is one thing but the actual transportation of large African animals is still a massive problem for wildlife conservationists today. African wildlife sculptor and conservationist Bruce Little knows just what this is like. In February, his massive, much-larger-than-life-size…

1-4 Works on Paper Fair Royal Geographical Society, South Kensington, London SW7. Also a daily talks programme. Tel01798 215007; www.worksonpaperfair.com – 1-28 NGS Snowdrop Festival More than 100 gardens opening around the country. Tel01483 211535; www.ngs.org.uk/snowdrops – 4 Percy Point-to-Point Alnwick, Northumberland. First race 1pm. Contact ChristopherMoore, 07748986394 – 4-24 The Land I Stepped In, Tales from Persia Exhibition of new works by Charlie Calder-Potts at The Fosse Gallery, Stow on the Wold, Gloucs. Tel01451 831319; fossegallery.com – 7 The Sentry Conference Rowley Mile Racecourse, Newmarket. Theme: “British Farming: Delivering value whilst upholding values.” Tel01473 658058; www.sentry.co.uk – 10 Berwickshire Point-to-Point Friars Haugh, Kelso. First race 12 noon. Tel01361 883649; www.friarshaughraces.co.uk – 11 Vine & Craven Point-to-Point Barbury Racecourse,…

The Dorchester on Park Lane proved the perfect location for the 38th GWCT Macnab Ball, sponsored by hunter Boots. A glamorous and game crowd assembled for an evening presided over by London Ball chairman the Duchess of Rutland. Once exquisite canapés and Laurent-Perrier champagne had been scoffed and quaffed in suitable quantity, and magician Kieron The Mighty had baffled all, guests made their way to their tables and the Duchess of Rutland introduced a short film by the GWCT, highlighting its conservation efforts. Good supper in great company was interspersed by a convivial game of heads and tails, which saw elizabeth hurley and Pippa Matthews go head to head (or tail to tail), and frequent bidding on the silent auction lots. As W&J Graham’s port was passed to the left,…

TANDA TULA MEGEVE, FRANCE This French chalet is in Mont d’Arbois. The 400-square-metre property sits in a 4,000-square-metre plot. Made of stone and wood, it has six bedrooms and was built 12 years ago. There is a games room, sauna, garage and outdoor Jacuzzi. Agent: Savills Tel: 020 7016 3740 Guide price: €7.2 million 651 CONUNDRUM CREEK ROAD ASPEN, COLARADO, USA This timber house is eight miles from Aspen Airport and 225 miles from Denver International Airport. Set in just over two acres in the Conundrum Valley, it has five bedrooms, river frontage and two large ponds. A feature of the house is its dramatic log staircase. Agent: Palladium Properties Tel: 020 7467 5330 Guide price: US$8.9 million CORTINA D’AMPEZZO BELLUNO, ITALY Near the Cortina promenade, this ski cabin has…

SEAWALL HOUSE WESTBROOK BAY, MARGATE, KENT If you are feeling flush this is the opportunity to convert Margate’s old public loos on the seafront and take advantage of the beachfront location. Planning permission has been granted to demolish the block and build a contemporary, detached, two-storey, three-bedroom house. The plans are for open-plan living, which probably would not have worked during the building’s previous life. There is money in converted loos. Three years ago the asking price was £30,000 but they eventually sold for £215,000 – testament to the value placed on coastal frontage. Agent: Strutt & Parker Tel: 01227 473720 Guide price: £400,000…

BEING pricked by a thorn is one of the hazards of gardening or walking in the country but it usually involves nothing more than a sharp pain and a few spots of blood. If you are unlucky, it can be a lot more serious, including hospitalisation, an intensive course of antibiotics and even keyhole surgery to wash out a joint, with the associated risks of damage to surrounding nerves and blood vessels. The plant most likely to cause this sort of trauma in the UK is the blackthorn, which has long, strong, sharp thorns that can turn an expedition to collect its fruit (sloes) into a hazardous venture. The thorns aren’t poisonous but they can penetrate quite deeply into the skin and joints carrying with them bacteria or fungi that…

“I have to be careful I don’t catch it in the doors,” says Annabel Illingworth of travelling to shoot in Kensington Palace Gardens with the London Archers. Her bow was handmade by Master Bowyer Richard Head with “a gold and rose silk handle with leather edging and a mother-of-pearl arrow rest. It’s a work of art.” The longbow is “graceful, traditional and authentic” and more of a challenge than a modern recurve or compound bow festooned with sights and balancers. It is not only bows that are beautiful. The Musselburgh Silver Arrow, claimed to be the oldest sporting trophy in the world, was first won in 1603 and men of the Yorkshire Archers have shot for the Scorton Silver Arrow since 1673. Ladies’ prizes are exquisite, from enamelled targets to…

Cocoa percentage: how much of the bar is made of cocoa beans. A high percentage of cocoa solids is not in itself a sign of quality but indicates intensity. In the ingredients, cocoa or cocoa beans should be listed first, not sugar. Beware of additives other than milk, sugar, vanilla, natural flavourings, plus the emulsifier lecithin. Details about the origins of the cocoa beans and growers signify the maker’s aim to distill and respect the flavour of a particular bean and place.…

POST-SHOOT OUTDOOR FEAST QI have a giant frying pan, the sort that can only be used outside on a fire. At our little shoot at the end of the season we often have a get together, tidy up and discuss events. I am proposing to organise an outdoor feast and would like to use this pan. Any thoughts on a tasty and reasonably simple dish to cook in this? HL-V, by email A This simple lunch can be prepped at home and placed in Tupperware boxes or easily prepared on site. Firstly, place your large pan on the fire. When hot, add 6tbsp olive oil, throw in 4 roughly chopped onions, 400g sliced chorizo and 5 deseeded and roughly chopped red peppers; cook until the vegetables start to colour. Push…

WITH each passing year, I have to confess, by 1 February I am heartily sick of shooting. I am sure this sentiment is shared by a huge number of gamekeepers, a vast quantity of shooting widows and several million remaining pheasants. But I cannot complain. For the past couple of years I have had some extraordinary grouse shooting and been invited to some unbelievable double-gun days. In fact, this year I was shattered by the middle of December, in more ways than one. Between ourselves, I have been having some health issues. Nothing disastrous, or so I thought, but for the past two years I seem to have had constant problems with gummed-up ears, colds and then, by the middle of October, when winter starts to bite, a nagging chest…

MOST VIEWED The best of the season The end of the season is nigh and we’re already sharing the greatest moments, trickiest drives and highest birds. This super picture, taken by Hugh Nutt for our shoot report at Rowborough on the Isle of Wight, went down a storm on Instagram. Fielders loved the image of shoot organiser Tom Tyrwhitt-Drake on the daunting first drive, Gallisbury Thorns, accompanied by his faithful black labrador, Monty. “Looks amazing,” commented one envious Fielder. #THEFIELDMAGAZINE Bedtime reading Start ’em young is what we always say, whether it’s serving delicious game for supper, putting them in the beating line or teaching the importance of gun safety – bringing on the next generation is vital. And when they are still too little for a real shoot day,…

HIGH BIRDS DEBATE Your correspondent, Robert Gibbons [Shoot for the Sky, December issue], seems right on target to me. After 50 years of rifle and pistol shooting, combined with handloading my own ammunition, but only four years of game shooting, I have come to realise how ballistically inefficient the shotgun is. Shot seems to have the dynamic properties of a thrown bucket of water and so the idea of attempting to kill birds cleanly beyond 40 yards becomes nothing more than an expensive lottery. I am sure that the Edwardians got this right – the way 32g of shot travels through the air has not changed since 1910. Allan Kirk Lockerley, Hampshire Robert Gibbons gave a very personal opinion on high-bird shooting and one that I am sure will be…

OLDBERROW COURT OLDBERROW, HENLEY-IN-ARDEN This is a moated, Grade II-listed Tudor/ Elizabethan manor house with 26 acres. The property is available as a whole or in two lots. Lot one is the house, outbuildings and 15 acres of gardens; lot two includes two barns, equestrian facilities and pastureland. Agent: John Shepherd Vaughan Tel: 01789 292659 Guide price for the whole: £3.35 million COTON HALL BRIDGNORTH, SHROPSHIRE A Grade II-listed Georgian country house, Coton Hall comes with nearly 6½ acres of gardens, including a walled garden with a swimming pool. The main house has eight bedrooms and there are also two three-bedroom, self-contained apartments. Agent: Savills Tel: 01952 239500 Guide price: £2 million MARSETT HOUSE SOUTHWELL, NOTTINGHAMSHIRE Set in 4½ acres of gardens and grounds 11 miles from Nottingham, Marsett House…

 “GOODNESS, you haven’t become a Ballistics Bob, have you?” asked a shocked mate from the Westcountry, a man who’s seen thousands of pheasants despatched and missed. “You can’t believe the number of hours I’ve spent having the knickers bored off me by post-shoot post-mortems on shot size and loads.” “I used the standard game load of 30gm No 6, a recipe employed by generations of gameshots” His comments followed my research on what people were using this season, prompted by a throwaway remark from a friend that he uses 32gm of No 5s all season on everything. That seemed an awful lot of metal for August grouse but it seems he’s not alone and that load is the norm for many. Is this interesting? Well, not to the many chaps…

The Field is proud to have started The Mac-nab Challenge, a sporting endeavour based on John Buchan’s book, which pits skill and tenacity alongside dollops of luck and chance, on both hill and river, in search of salmon, stag and grouse. It never disappoints. Each year we see returning friends from both here and overseas, new entries into our fold, first-class camaraderie and a compelling compendium of stories from those who met with success. This year’s Field Macnab Challenge, kindly sponsored by Swarovski Optik, celebrates the achievement of 17 very sporting sorts. The first successful Challenge in 2017 was at Tulchan Glenisla on 28 August, home to Lucie and Florian Boedts-Kuehnle. Lucie is the founder of the Ladies Macnab Club, which she set up after reading about the Challenge in…

THE Balmoral Hotel in Edinburgh is a cracking hotel and no mistake. Set slap dab above Waverley Station, it boasts striking views across Scotland’s capital and is as fine a place to be on a cold winter’s evening as I can think of. The rooms are spectacularly comfortable and nothing is too much trouble for the staff, each of whom seems intent on ensuring that the guests have a simply spiffing time. The buffet breakfast is as good as any I’ve guzzled anywhere and I love the fact that ever since the hotel opened in 1902, the clock in the building’s celebrated Gothic tower has been set three minutes fast so that folk don’t miss their train at the station below. Is that quirkily considerate or what? Best of all,…

BEST-LOVED POEMS: A TREASURY OF VERSE In the bleak toughness of an early February evening (early February is possibly the worst time of year), one could do with a nip of something for the soul, the part the hipflask doesn’t reach. This is particularly so if you follow our family tradition and plump for a February of abstinence, for while it is the shortest month of the year it still requires a certain resilience to see it right through sober. The perfect pick-me-up comes in the form of Ana Sampson’s bright, buoying book of poetry. Once you start meandering through the pages her choice of the well-known and half-remembered classics will suit whatever mood has taken hold. Poems are arranged thematically and cover everything from love, travel, loss, birds and…