Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2022 i The Field

THE decisions have already been made that will eventually result in beavers returning to most of the UK’s rivers. Whether you think this is a triumph or a disaster doesn’t matter – they are on their way. Trial releases, escapes from enclosures and illegal dumping sites, running well into double figures, stretch from Perthshire to Cornwall, and a lot more are being planned. As ever with extinct species, those who promote their release speak only of the benefits they will bring. In the case of the beaver, these stem from their status as a ‘keystone species’, an environmental engineer. They will build porous dams that will create wetlands, capture silt, remove toxic chemicals, stop floods, while other wildlife, including trout and salmon, will have their populations boosted. They will do…

The River Tweed Commission’s report for 2021 has revealed a steep drop in the number of salmon caught by rod on Tweed – a total of 5,862, down from 9,614 in 2020. Low water levels and Covid restrictions have been blamed for the fall. More positively, though, the report also noted that 93.5% of salmon caught in 2021 were returned to the water — the highest figure recorded and a reflection of the growing recognition in the angling community of the importance of longterm sustainability. The River Tweed Commission is continuing to work on measures to improve in-river salmon survival, including supporting riparian tree-planting efforts. With rivers getting warmer, there is an increased need to plant trees along riverbanks to provide shade and bring temperatures down, thereby reducing stress and…

LOW GREENSIDE WASDALE HEAD, SEASCALE A renovated five-bedroom house in the Wasdale valley in the Lake District National Park, with the Screes as its backdrop and the fells of Buckbarrow and Middle Fell on the doorstep. There are three acres of grazing land as well as a small barn conversion that is currently being used commercially as a holiday cottage. The garden has several seating areas and there is off-road parking for three cars. Agent: PFK Tel: 01900 826205 Offers in excess of £750,000 NANNY BROW CLAPPERSGATE, AMBLESIDE This Arts and Crafts house, built in 1903, is close to Lake Windemere and overlooks the Brathay valley with views down the Langdale valley. The property has been restored by the current owners while preserving period features, including oak floors and panelling,…

Whether you’re a keen Shot looking to keep your eye in, a novice wanting to develop confidence or someone simply wanting an exhilarating day out with friends, simulated days are the answer. The clue is in the name; clays are presented to simulate the varied flight or running of different quarry species (unlike in clay shooting, where the patterns are more consistent and repetitive). The quality of these days has soared as high as the stratospheric clays shown and some can emulate top-class driven shooting. With growing demand for challenging targets, spectacular locations and gourmet food to enjoy with friends at a fraction of the cost of a driven day, we have put together a guide to some of the best simulated days available. The only downside is that with…

Not since the whisky ran out in the Hebrides in Sir Compton Mackenzie’s novel Whisky Galore have pub landlords, those purveyors of good cheer, been more in need of our thanks and support. Everyonewill be familiarwith at least one pub called the Fox & Hounds. But two – one on Dartmoor, the other in deepest Hertfordshire – have further tales to tell. At the Fox & Hounds at Bridestowe, in the hunting country of the Spooners and West Dartmoor, a full hunting mural may be found in the lower bar. It was painted by a German prisoner of war called Willie Brandt (not the future German chancellor), who so disliked Hitler – who himself hated hunting – that he spent his days of freedom on this sporting artwork. After the…

THIS month’s test gun is a 32in Krieghoff K-80 Parcours over-and-under from Alan Rhone Ltd of Wrexham. This well-known firm also imports Schultz & Larsen rifles and a variety of other quality shooting products. Alan Rhone himself is a long-experienced gunsmith with a particular interest in stock design. He still offers a variety of services, including stock adjustments, barrel blacking and internal barrel honing, and has established a reputation for impeccable craftsmanship and a modern approach. The K-80 Parcours is a beast, but it is not quite as big or heavy as some Krieghoffs. It weighs in at just over 8lb and might be used in the field or for clay shooting. First impressions are that it is well finished but different. The long, square, action – a much evolved…

We are incredibly fortunate in the UK to be surrounded by some of the world’s finest shellfish. Sweet, succulent and nutritious, it can be cooked and served in an impressive variety of ways to make a luxurious feast. If you can’t get to your local fishmonger, like the majority of food and drink, British shellfish are now readily available online and can be delivered to your door. This month’s recipes include native lobsters, which are just coming into season, and brown crabs and Pacific rock oysters, which can be eaten all year round. Do look out for the meat of the female brown crab as it is said to be sweeter than that of the male. The way to identify the crab’s sex is to turn it over and look…

There has been a bit of a ruthless cull down at the Alfa Romeo stable over the past couple of years. The diminutive Mito has gone, the Giulietta has headed for the glue factory and the range-topping but barking mad 4C has had the captive bolt treatment. What’s left? Well, there’s the successful Stelvio SUV, but the only pure road-going machine (if we play along with the concept that SUVs are for off-roading) in the Alfa showroom is the Giulia. It’s getting a bit long in the tooth, but Alfa has recently done some tweaking to keep it fresh. One change implemented – dropping all diesel engines – might be considered a step backwards in choice for buyers, especially when there’s no hybrid/electric vehicle choice (you’ll have to wait for…

THE Guineas weekend is the firing gun for the Flat racing ‘Classics’, with the 1000 Guineas held for three-year-old fillies and the 2000 Guineas for their colt counterparts. The usual suspects return year upon year, armed to the teeth with equine talent, leaving little room for the small owners and trainers. However, that doesn’t stop all fans from pursuing their dream. Dr Tom Davies, traditionally a National Hunt enthusiast, started his racing odyssey with a horse called Dhehdaah in 2005, aiming him for the Fred Winter at Cheltenham. When he failed to make the weight by a couple of pounds, his trainer Pam Sly entered him into a Flat race at Yarmouth on Easter Monday. At that point, Sly was keen to bolster her yard and suggested that Davies go…

A cheery disposition – and an eye for a troublemaker – the best gillie is also a born teacher; they need to be, as anyone who’s been on the river will know. The past year saw the retirement of three of the finest gillies from three of Scotland’s greatest rivers: Ian Tennant on the Spey, George McInnes on the Tay and Robert Kotschujew on the Conon. Together these men have amassed an astonishing 99 years of experience on the river as working gillies, helping to net tens of thousands of the world’s finest salmon along the way. Day in, day out, for nigh on a century, they walked their beats, keeping the ground in top condition – clearing access to banks or cutting back overhanging trees – and maintaining their…

In the countryside, there is no such thing as a 48-hour week. Christmas lie-ins don’t exist and two weeks on a beach is a pipe dream. “Hunting is not a job, it’s a way of life,” emphasises Patrick Martin, huntsman of the Bicester with Whaddon Chase for 23 seasons. “I did 39 Christmases on the trot.” Being in hunt service is physically demanding and stressful, yet uniquely rewarding. “We are defined by the work. It’s such a thing to look after a pack of hounds.” A large part of what makes hunting a viable career path in the 21st century is the Hunt Staff Benefit Society (HSBS). Celebrating its 150th anniversary this year, the HSBS offers a vital safety net for people whose job will never make them rich and…

Anniversaries are fairly commonplace, but not 1,900-year ones. One such anniversary is to be widely marked this year for what came to be called ‘Hadrian’s Wall’. In AD43 the Romans, already masters of a vast empire that encircled the Mediterranean Sea and extended north to the English Channel, landed on the south coast of England. By AD79 they had built forts in Cumbria and Durham, created a network of roads and occupied much of what they called Britannia north to a line between the rivers Clyde and Forth, where they had erected a temporary frontier. But a combination of rebellions by native tribes of people that had caused the deaths of many Roman soldiers and pressure elsewhere on the borders of the Roman Empire, resulted in troops being withdrawn from…

A RECENT day’s fishing trip to Scotland – from Warwickshire – reminded me that there is more to antique-hunting than just auctions. So, Reveille: 3.30am. Arrive Coldstream: 9.30am. The wind, forecast to be an irritating 18mph to 20mph westerly, is so strong that it threatens to smash the car doors open. Blown into the fishing hut, Paul, the charming and immensely knowledgeable gillie, almost has to choke back tears of mirth as he greets us with the timeless: “You should have been here yesterday.” Dan, ever hopeful and very kind to invite me, mentions the 22lb springer caught a few days ago. “That was above here,” says Paul, sinking us into even deeper gloom, “you want fish being caught below here.” Deep into Tweed I stagger in my waders. Paul…

GLUG GLUG JUGS GLUGGLE JUGS Glug glug jugs, originally made by Thomas Forester & Sons in Staffordshire in the 1870s, and the famous gurgling fish jugs of the Dartmouth Pottery have gone from novelty to design classic. A stylish and glugging water jug, vase, utensil tidy; endless possibilities are available in a rainbow of colours. Price: £10 for 9cm high, £36 for 27cm high Tel: 07880 793615 glugglejugs.co.uk FLY-FISHING WALLPAPER LEWIS & WOOD This print was created from a series of 18th-century aquatints by renowned engraver George Morland. The bucolic scene is reminiscent of Kenneth Grahame. Was that the splash of whisky in a glass or Ratty sliding into the river? Printed width 52cm, vertical repeat 52cm half drop. Price: £95.86 per 10m roll Tel: 020 7751 4554 lewisandwood.co.uk X-FRAME…

All of us, when we take on a new puppy, hope that it is going to have a long and healthy life. My recent article on why dogs retire (Sporting Dog, February 2022) highlighted the fact that getting a working dog to retirement age is quite an achievement and requires more than a touch of luck. Of the 665 dogs in the survey, no fewer than 158 were put down before they reached retirement age. The principal cause of premature death was cancer. Like cancer in humans, it’s almost impossible to work out where it is most likely to strike, though certain breeds are more susceptible to the disease than others, possibly due to faulty genes. There is a particularly high incidence of cancer in certain lines of flatcoat retrievers,…

The Natural Resources Wales (NRW) board has voted to restrict the general licences (GL) in Wales. Despite its own review concluding that there is well-established scientific evidence of impact for the magpie and jay to be included on GL004, the NRW voted to require anyone wanting to control these species, as well as the jackdaw, to apply for a specific licence. This change will come into force on 1 July. Steve Griffiths, BASC Wales director, said: “It is an ill-judged approach. NRW is introducing needless red tape that makes it more difficult to control these known predatory species. It is a deeply damaging move for conservation in Wales.” Questions have been raised over NRW’s reasoning, particularly with regard to the removal of the magpie from the licence. Magpies have declined…

A new wildlife cover crop seed mix, which promises to be one of the best yet for biodiversity, has been developed by scientists at the GWCT. The Wildlife Plot mix is available through the Government-funded Sustainable Farming Incentive Test and Trial pilot scheme and is expected to be incorporated into the future Environmental Land Management Schemes (ELMS), enabling farmers to make space for nature alongside modern farming. Dr Francis Buner, GWCT senior conservation scientist, said: “I’m delighted that Defra has recognised the potential for this measure to significantly boost biodiversity. If they are established correctly, Wildlife Plots will be good for up to 10 years, avoiding the time and expense of cleaning the ground and drilling every one to two years.” Steve Moreby, from the GWCT’s farmland ecology unit, said:…

This is a Grade II listed hall with 13 bedrooms and set in 50 acres of land on the edge of the Derbyshire Peak District. The property also has six holiday cottages and an indoor swimming pool. A feature is the restored crinkle-crankle walled garden with a summer house, while the entrance to the hall has an oak staircase and the drawing room ceiling a 19th-century copy of Elizabethan plasterwork. In addition, there is a snooker room, a study, a tearoom and even a pub (private use only). The flexibility of the estate’s layout allows for more revenue streams, or for Hopton Hall to revert to a private family residence. The land is a mix of the hall grounds, parkland, paddocks and woodland, with sporting rights over an additional 325…

Black-headed gulls wheeling and swooping above the small rivers I fish during early summer are a sure sign the mayfly hatch is under way, an annual bonanza that tempts the wariest of brown trout up from their lies and opportunistic gulls down from nesting colonies on the nearby moors. For the large, juicy insects they have come to feast on, these balmy days are the culmination of two years spent as small, prehistoric-looking nymphs rootling around on the riverbed in search of food. Having swum to the surface and shed their skins to emerge as drab duns, newly hatched mayflies join a jaunty flotilla gliding downstream to the rhythm of the river’s flow. Many will disappear down the gullets of greedy trout before their wings have dried sufficiently to flutter…

A warm day, overcast, nothing in a rush but water and hatching insects; stillness dappled with bird chat and the swish of reeds. A rise plops; you lift your rod and the reel spins. Add to this picture an adoring presence, silently appreciating the scene, a companion thrilled by the fight, bursting to admire your fish when it comes to hand, and above all never expecting to have a go themselves. Who would not fancy this idyllic vision, even just a little? Unless it is sunny, the riverbank is dry and I have a good book, the delights of spectating my husband’s angling skills generally wane after an hour. It has therefore fallen to the dogs of our household to play fly-fishing sidekick, with inconsistent results. Daisy, our sweet Airedale,…

In May 1982, 40 years ago this month, my commanding officer unexpectedly asked me if I would like to go on an all-expenses-paid trip to the Falkland Islands, attached to the HQ element of 5th Infantry Brigade, aboard the luxury liner Queen Elizabeth 2. There were, however, two noisy hornets buzzing around this enticing-sounding honeypot (what young soldier doesn’t want to fight a war?). The most obvious being that at the end of said cruise we will be introduced, with rifles and live ammo, to about 11,000 Argentines, doubtless deeply aggrieved that their summer vacation plans have been interrupted by their ambitious and tyrannous generals ordering them to go and ‘liberate’ the Islands from their cruel oppressors. Second hornet: if the diplomats haven’t already negotiated them off the Islands, by…

GREAT AUK PINGUINUS IMPENNIS The Birds of America, 1827–38, by John James Audubon The great auk was once a populous species of bird that would breed in colonies dotted across the ocean and spend the remainder of its time on the water. The birds’ inability to fly made them easy prey for passing sailors who were eager for fresh meat and eggs. This practice led to the extinction of the species at the end of the 19th century. The Bird: The Great Age of Avian Illustration by Philip Kennedy, published by Laurence King Publishing, hardback (£40)…

THROUGHOUT the 19th century, there was an understandable preoccupation with personal protection both in Britain, especially prior to the formation of an organised police force in the 1840s, and around the expanding empire. The later part of the century was also an age of innovation, and the world of personal protection firearms was no exception, with many unique and ingenious designs being brought to market in the hope of interesting the travelling gentleman and indeed travelling gentlewomen. One of the more popular weapons was, of course, the revolver, but how could you defend yourself when you ran out of ammunition? Well, a design by Richard Gordon Smith (1858-1918) offered an answer. It was in effect a combination weapon – a revolver with a curved pick-like blade attached to the base…

“ARE you gentry or do you stack?” When the poet Wilfred Owen’s cousins moved into their new home in 1908, the maid had a crystal-clear notion of the link between dining-room standards and social class. Dip into an etiquette guide from the era and prepare to drown in a rigidly formalised rulebook whose strictures covered every conceivable minutia. In Manners & Customs of Polite Society, Maude C Cooke dedicates 32 pages alone to the thorny subject of how to send an invitation. Nothing is left to chance, from the correct acceptance of a marriage proposal (complete with handy template) to the finest nuances of good table manners. For all Cooke’s social certainty, there is a grudging sense that rules were rather more flexible at the top end of society. The…