Innholdsfortegnelse for August 2024 i The Field

Ursula Buchan Ursula Buchan is an award-winning journalist and author of 18 books on gardening and social history. After reading history at Cambridge, she trained as a gardener at RHS Garden Wisley and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and has written columns for several national newspapers. Her latest, critically acclaimed book is a biography of her grandfather, entitled Beyond the Thirty-Nine Steps: A Life of John Buchan. Ursula lives in Northamptonshire with her husband and two working spaniels. She spends all the hours she can in her country garden and loves it almost as much as them. What does August hold? “Plenty of judging at flower shows but it’s a more tranquil time in the garden, enjoying the late-summer flowers such as dahlias, salvias and echinaceas.” Sir Johnny Scott An…

Moorland management in Scotland delivers important benefits to the environment, the economy and nature. This was the conclusion reached by delegates at the Moorland Conference, which recently took place near Dunkeld, Perthshire. The event was organised by Scottish Land & Estates (SLE) and featured contributions from Jim Fairlie MSP, Minister for Agriculture and Connectivity, and NatureScot, which is preparing to introduce a new licensing scheme for grouse shooting. Addressing the conference, Dee Ward, chairman of SLE, said: “Research shows beyond doubt that grouse moor management provides more jobs per acre than any other land use, and the latest Value of Shooting report (see Comment, page 9) has revealed that shooting providers and volunteers carry out £20m worth of conservation work in Scotland each year. The licensing of grouse shooting was…

BOWLAND is recognised as one of the finest moorland estates in the Scottish Borders. Boasting more than 8,000 acres of in-hand land with significant agricultural and natural capital opportunities, it is available as a whole or in lots. The main house, with 16 bedrooms, is a B-listed, castellated Tudor Gothic mansion. A range of cottages are also included in the sale. Windydoor Farms, which provides the link between Bowland House and the moorland, is a large pasture farm with three residential properties. Caddonhead Moor itself is over 4,200 acres and the grouse shooting includes 16 lines of butts, with the moor accessed from a hard track running up the Caddon Water valley. There are also 89 acres of pastureland and 48 acres of woodland. Bowland is 32 miles from Edinburgh.…

Dear Freddie, THE SULTRY days and airless nights of August are upon us, and for a few spectacular weeks the thousands of acres of managed heather moorland come into full bloom. Grouse keepers will be anxiously checking the weather forecast as the Glorious Twelfth approaches: August can have the hottest temperatures of the year and, equally, the heaviest rainfall. Anticipating the weather has been a principal concern of mankind since the dawn of time and will, no doubt, continue to be an obsession until the world ends. Nowadays, the wonders of modern science provide us with hourly forecasts on every news channel, supplied by polar-orbiting satellites, Doppler radars, weather ships and meteorological buoys. We are, in fact, swamped with information about the weather. Despite this, traditional weather lore remains a…

HIGH IN the North Pennines sits a gem of an upland shoot that encompasses all the elements of sensitive habitat management so critical to delivering small-scale, sustainable grouse shooting. It has existed in its current form since 1980 but its roots go back to 1951, when a group of sporting friends enjoyed a few days’ shooting here each season, paying an annual rent of £35. The shoot’s founder was Tony Thwaites, whose grandson Chris, an NHS nurse, is still a keen member of the syndicate that was formally established in 1980. At this time, the sporting rights over some 1,500 acres of mixed heather, white ground and low-ground pasture were acquired. Despite being one of the highest moors in England, rising from 1,800 feet to 2,400 feet, it still held…

THE APPOINTMENT of land agent George Evans as Master and huntsman to the Hampshire Hunt (HH) in 1909 was a watershed moment in the history of foxhunting. He was one of the first Masters to be selected not for his wealth, land or position but for the energy, passion and skill he would bring to the post. Crucially, he also possessed an unwavering commitment to devote all of his time to running the Hunt. Despite a lack of traditional credentials, in every other respect 36-year-old Evans was supremely qualified for the role. He had thought of little else but foxhunting ever since being blooded as a five-year-old, when he waded in among the Cambridgeshire pack to claim the brush after they had caught a fox. Eight years later the aspiring…

ON THE MORNING of 12 August there will be hundreds of guns nervously trudging across the grouse moors of Yorkshire, Northumberland and Scotland, hoping their aim has not become rusty over the summer. But there will be another group – at stoves rather than butts, and wearing whites instead of tweeds – who will be just as anxious. They are the small number of chefs who have promised regular diners that come 7.30pm they will, for a price, be able to sit down to enjoy roast grouse with all the trimmings. A bird that was flying across the moorlands of the North Pennines shortly after breakfast could be on your plate in Piccadilly by dinner. One is John Williams, 65, the executive chef of The Ritz in London, in charge…

“SIX WEEKS to ‘terriers’,” says my neighbour, leaning on the garden gate. The annual terrier racing in the Devon village of Yarcombe is a measuring stick for the year. “Six months to terriers,” someone will say. Then suddenly it’s “six weeks to terriers” and before we know it “six days to terriers”. In 1974 farmers John Salter, Frank Bond and Stan Symes hatched a plan for an evening of dog racing to raise funds for the maintenance of Yarcombe’s ancient and beautiful parish church. Symes built the traps out of the tea chests that had brought the new vicar’s goods and chattels to Yarcombe the previous year. Another farmer, Frank Barnes, a wizard with all things mechanical, constructed a pulley system out of bicycle parts for the back of a…

IT HAS been 220 years since the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) was founded in a room in Hatchards bookshop, Piccadilly by seven august gentlemen. These included John Wedgwood, the son of renowned English potter Josiah Wedgwood, and Sir Joseph Banks, the famous botanist, philanthropist and explorer. The aim, which remains, was to promote the science, art and practice of horticulture. Apart from a couple of hiccups, over the past two centuries the RHS has done a good job of education, including professional horticultural training, as well as carrying out important garden-orientated scientific research, opening (now) five regional gardens and putting on four large flower shows in England, of which the greatest is the annual Chelsea Flower Show. In the years since 1975 when I worked at Wisley, the most venerable…

AS READERS of The Field know, shooting is a key component of the rural economy and goes hand in hand with the conservation of the countryside. It also brings both mental and physical health benefits to participants and provides a healthy and sustainable food source. We are all passionate about our time in the field, whether it’s stalking roe in the morning mist, controlling pigeon on a field of oilseed rape, enjoying a day of driven game or trekking over the marsh in the quest for geese. It’s the frisson of anticipation, the scent of gun oil and old leather as we transfer the trusty 12-bore from cabinet to gun slip, the thrill of the successful shot and the delight of eating what we harvest. Moreover, it’s the friends we…

The Field guide to British birds Warter Priory, an estate in the East Riding of Yorkshire, recently held a two-day clay shoot and fundraising ball in support of the Countryside Alliance, raising in excess of £205,000. The estate organises this event every year for different charities. This year more than 100 teams turned up to shoot over the two days – the largest number to have ever taken part. Adrian Blackmore, the Countryside Alliance’s director of shooting, said: “This was the Alliance’s main fundraising event of the year, and it also provided a marvellous opportunity to talk to many people committed to shooting and other rural pursuits, adding even more value to this tremendous couple of days. The funds raised will be of enormous importance to us.” Find us on…

After more than six years of effort by the Angling Trust and the UK Bluefin Tuna Association (UKBFTA), the Government has approved legislation for a recreational catch-and-release bluefin tuna fishery in UK waters. The fishery is scheduled to open in early August, with the season running until the end of the year. It is expected that there will be up to 100 permits available, which will be distributed by the government. Jamie Cook, chief executive officer of the Angling Trust, commented: “This is a huge victory for the recreational angling sector and testament to the dedication of the Angling Trust team, Steve Murphy and the CHART (CatcH And Release Tagging) programme skippers in showing the Government the value of a world-class catch-and-release big-game fishery in the UK. These fish are…

GUNDOGS and their handlers from 12 countries gathered on a glorious May day at Hamstead Park in Berkshire to take part in the Skinner’s retriever World Cup. As the title holders, the England team were determined to retain their crown over two days of fierce competition, although it was companionable rivalry with old friends and acquaintances. The 48 dogs competing were predominantly fox-red and black labradors, with one solitary golden retriever in attendance, too. This year’s course was designed by Pete Castleman, who has judged field trials for more than a decade. “It’s a great moment for me to see top judges and top dogs working the countryside. You rarely see this level of skill anywhere else,” he said. The judges – John Halsted, Judy Rainey, Keith Bedford, Heather Bradley…

AS A BOY, watching your father put a gun in the car before heading off to work could set your imagination running in all sorts of directions. But for Jonathan Kennedy, growing up on the Duke of Buccleuch’s Drumlanrig estate in Dumfriesshire, it was the trigger for his dreams. Kennedy’s father was the factor on the estate and school holidays meant pigeon shooting, ferreting and sea-trout fishing before moving on to pheasants and driven grouse. Land management became his profession and grouse his specialist subject: few know more about this gamebird and even fewer are sharper shots on the moor. Both buying and selling agents, CKD was formed in 1992 – a time when a lot of new money was being made and a new breed of buyer of sporting…

SCHOOL bullies leave permanent scars. Back in 1838, a year after Queen Victoria had ascended to the throne, a certain bully at the Reverend Cole’s boarding school in Highbury made the life of a 12-year-old newcomer a misery. Children aren’t always kind to those who stick out, and this boy was perhaps an easy target: unusually short with weak eyes and a large head with a strange protrusion on the right-hand side of his forehead. Among other abuses, the thug would only allow his victim to turn in after the latter had made up a bedtime story. In doing so, the bully played his part in adding to the rich canon of Victorian culture. ‘It was this brute who first awakened in me, his poor little victim, a power of…

THIS MONTH we examine a new model in the Maxum range from Caesar Guerini: the Maxum Game Hybrid, imported by Anglo Italian Arms. The gun is a 32in 20-bore weighing in at a hefty 7lb 14oz with barrels that are superior steel proofed, 3in chambered and multichoked (five arrive with the gun). Side ribs and sighting rib (an 8-6mm taper) are solid, and the stock is of Sporter style with a broadish comb and a palm-swell pistol grip. The fore-end is of rounded pattern and relatively slim. First impressions are dominated by the bold, almost baroque, deep scroll laser engraving and attractively figured Turkish walnut; the oil finish and laser chequering are well done too. On the handling front, this is no lightweight, nor meant to be, combining a set…

FINDING a weekend date that 14 friends can all make is tricky enough; finding a house that meets everyone’s requirements is even harder. Salvation arrived in the form of Cothelstone Manor: a magnificent Grade II Elizabethan house beautifully situated on the southern slopes of the Quantock Hills in Somerset. It forms part of a traditional working estate that has been in the Warmington family since 1792. We were welcomed at the door by the delightful young owner, Hermione Warmington, who, with the help of school friend and interior designer Edward Bishop, has made Cothelstone Manor a complete stunner of a house in which to stay. A welcome gift of a magnum of English sparkling wine was swiftly cracked open before choosing rooms and unpacking. All the luxurious bedrooms are named…

Across 1 A farrier’s forging tool (5) 4 Suffolk nature reserve, with otters, bitterns and red deer (8) 8 Badger’s den (4) 9 Throws out line and bait (5) 10 What a male deer does in the autumn (4) 11 The training of birds of prey to hunt and return, sometimes called hawking (8) 13 Edible mushroom with purple-stained stem – partly unstable, withered (6) 14 Winter-visiting, predatory ‘butcher bird’ (6) 16 Digitalis plant, with spire of bell-shaped flowers (8) 18 Insect also called ‘daddy-long-legs’ (8) 20 Old term for an inn or pub (6) 21 Young cow that has not produced offspring (6) 23 US gunmaker since 1897, inventor of the over-and-under shotgun (8) 25 Another name for gorse – remove it from within (4) 26 Sleeveless jacket; a sporting wardrobe staple (5) 27 Natural fly traps (4) 28 One involved…

Modified general licence for SPA gamebird release Defra has issued an updated General Licence 45 (modified GL45) for the release of common pheasants and red-legged partridges on specified Special Protection Areas (SPAs) in England. The modified GL45 replaces the GL45 published earlier this year and reflects the subsequent reduction in avian influenza risk for wild birds from medium to low. When GL45 was originally issued, it applied to the release of both common pheasants and red-legged partridges on 29 of the 31 SPAs that were covered by an individual licence last year, as well as for The Wash SPA in the case of releasing red-legged partridges. The modified licence now covers gamebird releases on 85 SPAs and their 500-metre buffer zones, and the specific conditions that had applied to the…

NDC FOR THE first time in several years, we will be missing the Twelfth on the small family moor that features as this month’s shoot report. The opening day acts as a focal point for the year and stands as a beacon of anticipation, around which the annual cycle of sport and socialising is oriented. The impact of missing the Twelfth has been softened slightly by the fact that we will be in northern Italy, where sport of a different kind beckons. Relocating temporarily to Lombardy set my imagination running with images of piloting a Maserati through Alpine passes, stalking chamois on the high tops, skiing and washing down hearty boarbased pasta dishes with gallons of young Dolcetto. While all these things are available, what I hadn’t bargained for was a…

WE ARE living in a mental health crisis. The British Medical Association states the percentage of adults aged 16 to 74 with a common mental disorder accessing mental health treatment has risen from 23.1% in 2000 to 39.4% in 2014. And the coronavirus lockdowns only accelerated the trend, with mental health services in England receiving 4.6 million referrals during 2022 (up 22% from 2019). However, is it surprising given the aftermath of COVID-19, the cost-of-living crisis and international conflict? Not to mention the constant bombardment by 24-hour news and social media projecting artificial versions of everyday lives, lighting up our brains like Christmas trees and compounding our anxiety. Phone alerts distract us from daily tasks – with every storm now a hurricane, every sneeze a potential pandemic. Whether we are…

ASSYNT is a place that resonates with romance, fishing and adventure, as much now as it did when Vincent Carron Wellington published his fishing tales of derring-do in Assynt as The Adventures of a Sporting Angler in 1952. This tiny parish – population circa 1,000 – certainly punches above its weight when it comes to epic vistas and truly wild fishing. It boasts hundreds of lochs as well as a couple of incredibly scenic and eminently enjoyable (when there’s water) spate salmon rivers: the Inver and the Kirkaig. However, these are the known fishing venues and, while they quite rightly deserve every bit of praise that is liberally lavished on them, it is the ‘wee burns’ that hold the promise of true adventure. This is a relatively new aspect of…

“SOME DAYS there’s nae horizon, just water and clouds,” says skipper Richard Grains, who in May 2023 was named Under 10-Metre Fisherman of the Year at the Fishing News Awards in Aberdeen. He’s swaddled in yellow and orange oilskins with rubber boots that show a half-inch of tread. “I love being out here,” he clarifies. “Any day; any seas.” It’s not so hard to see why, with the invigorating wind, bracing salty air and unfolding sense of drama. We’ve just left the sheltered harbour of Collafirth at the north-west end of Shetland’s main island. The wipers of Grains’ 10-metre creeler barely clear the sea spray, above which fulmars wheel. Just 400 miles south of the Arctic Circle and as far north as St Petersburg, these shores are lapped by surprisingly…

Sporting artist • Under the hammer • Royal Armouries • Sporting dog • The boot room • Gun review • Country queries • Gardening • Farm shop • Cookery • Wine • Travel • Books • Field testers • From the archives A CHILDHOOD in Texas and later Connecticut and California, where his father was working in the oil industry, meant Ben Waddams’ early experiences of wildlife were rather exciting. “When I was three there were alligators and lizards in the garden,” he remembers. “Then Connecticut had these enormous lakes and lots of wild country. Later I would visit my parents in California, and from the hills to the coast there was a totally different array of characters such as rattlesnakes and sea otters.” Based now in Shropshire, he has…

OVER MANY decades readers of The Field have expressed their passion for sporting dogs in the correspondence pages of this splendid journal. In the heady days of Edwardian Britain, before the Kaiser’s war shattered the peace in Europe, the hot topic for debate was whether the upstart labrador was a better gundog than the still-dominant flatcoat. In a long letter, published in 1909, EG Wheeler argued that although ‘labradors are the undoubted favourites of the hour… the breed has serious inherent faults’. The chief of these, suggested Wheeler (who was evidently an ardent supporter of the flatcoat), ‘seems to be want of a nose… few labradors seem to have an idea of how to use their nose to advantage’. This missive provoked considerable controversy, with numerous letters debating the merits…

THERE are few things more tantalising to a man who cannot leave town than to see friends starting with rods and gun cases for the Highlands. If he has hitherto been indifferent to the charms of holiday-making, the longing to tread heather as in past years then rises once more within him. Supposing him to be a naturalist, fond of observing animal life and glad to match his prowess against the acute senses of deer, grouse and salmon, fancy forthwith raises the most fascinating pictures of freedom to be enjoyed at a Scotch shooting box. No other country offers such facilities for recreation as does Scotland. The jaded constitution is there away from and yet close to home. All the conditions of modern life at high pressure are conspicuously absent.…