The search for the Landscape Photographer of the Year 2015 begins. Have a go at capturing Britain's breathtaking landscape behind the lens and win an exclusive prize.
The last of the evening light on Durdle Door, Jurassic Coast, Dorset, England. Taken by Jake Pike.
The search for the Landscape Photographer of the Year 2015 begins. With the outdoor eventing season now in full swing, everyone has a camera to hand. The Field encourages outdoor photography and has a few tips on how to restore and reprint old photographs.
The Landscape Photographer of the Year is one of the world’s most unique and exciting photography awards showcasing the best and most extraordinary British landscapes. Britain’s remarkable landscape and volatile weather provides generous material to fire the imagination, the wonderful photography comprises of rugged coastlines, stark moorlands, peaks, lush woodlands and angular cityscapes.
LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR
A stunning early morning view of Derwentwater in the Lake District. Taken by Ross Hoddinott.
The Landscape photographer of the year competition includes both an adult and junior title for the award. These entries are split into four categories:
Classic View: Photography in its purist form. This includes landscapes that capture the beauty and variety of the UK in just one image
Living the View: Images of people interacting with the outdoors. This can include people either working or playing in the landscape.
Your View: A new way of looking at the environment. Express with one single image what the UK landscape means to you.
Urban View: Towns and cities. The landscapes that we interact with today are of an urban nature so it is important to capture the essence of man interacting with nature.
Capturing the trees and sunset in Norfolk. Taken by Andrew Midgley.
Each Landscape Photographer entrant can submit up to 25 photographs across four categories. There will be a prize fund worth £20,000, including £10,000 for the overall winner, plus additional prizes within each category. Photographers living outside the UK are also encouraged to enter and there is a special prize offered by the competition’s sponsors for the best image from an overseas entrant, The Countryside is GREAT award.
Entries for the 2015 Landscape Photographer of the Year competition are now open, via www.take-a-view.co.uk. This year’s award is run in association with VisitBritain and Countryside is GREAT.
A flask at the hip keeps every sporting man happy. For the traditionalist a glass and leather flask is required.
Buy yourself a glass and leather hipflask with a wonderful leather.
One of the best hip flasks is a combination glass and leather hip flask. Glass is not only more stylish, but kinder on the taste buds, also, clutching a leather vessel makes swiggin somewhat easier. But be warned, they do break more easily.
In order to keep the glass and leather hip flask in tip top condition, view our top tips on how to clean your hip flask. If you are tired of your current hip flask and keen to upgrade it, have a look at our list of the best hip flasks for inspiration.
QUERY: I have been trying to find a hip-flask with a combined glass but so far have not had any success. I saw one in an advertisement in The Field for the Hip-Flask Championships but haven’t been able to track one down. SL, by email
WHERE TO FIND A GLASS AND LEATHER HIP FLASK
ANSWER:
The Field recommends where you can buy yourself a glass and leather hip flask.
A Hunting Vintage in Great Torrington, Devon specialises in old hunting attire and where possible uses local suppliers for replacement items or repairs. Check out its website www.huntingvintage.co.uk for a kidney-shaped hip flask with a black leather cover and pewter drinking cup for £55. Stock changes regularly so it would be worthwhile to call 0843 289 9173 to check availability. Alternatively, try Manfred Schotten Antiques in Burford, Oxfordshire. If you are unable to visit the shop look online at www.sportantiques.co.uk where you will find two silver-plated gentleman’s hip-flasks by James Dixon, the tops covered in leather and with
a plated drinking cup on the base. Prices are £120 and £145. Tel 01993 822302; email admin@schotten.com.
Once you have purchased your brand new glass and leather hip flask and you’re ready for Wimbledon, take inspiration from the latest edition of The Field, and step outside…
July is here with scorching weather and much to do. Keep up to date with our dates for the diary.
Leaving the Game Fair with a friend on Sunday evening
The Field’s July dates for the diary encompass art and sport, starting with Masterpiece and finishing with the Game Fair. We hope to see you at Harewood House this year. But first there are the delights of Wimbledon, the Yorkshire Show and the Welsh show to get through, as well as the hound judging at Peterborough. For those keen on judging hounds, or anyone who wants to know a bit more see our features on hound judging and modern foxhound breeding.
JULY DATES FOR THE DIARY
11 July
Horse New works by 11 artists, Sculpture by the Lakes, Pallington, Dorset; www.sculpturebythelakes.co.uk.
25 June -1 July
Masterpiece London 150-plus galleries show artworks spanning 3,000 years, Royal Hospital, Chelsea, London SW3; www.masterpiecefair.com.
1-2 July
Royal Norfolk Show Dereham Road, Costessey, Norwich; www.royalnorfolkshow.co.uk.
1-5 July
Henley Royal Regatta Henley-upon-Thames, Oxfordshire, tel 01491 572153; www.hrr.co.uk.
3-5 July
GWCT Scottish Game Fair, Scone Palace, Perth, tel 01738 554826; www.scottishfair.com.
4-5 July
Marlborough Open Studios 60 artists open their studios and galleries from 11am to 5pm all weekends in July; www.marlboroughopenstudios.co.uk.
8-19 July
Winslow Hall Opera Winslow Hall, Winslow, Buckinghamshire. La Traviata in the gardens, tel 07544 726501; www.winslowhallopera.co.uk.
11 July
Big Swim in aid of Marine Conservation Society, in the sea at Eastbourne (1km and 3km courses), registration 9am, swim 11am; www.mcsuk.org/swim. 14-16 July
Great Yorkshire Show Harrogate, North Yorkshire (hound show on 15th), tel 01423 541000; greatyorkshireshow.co.uk.
22 July
Festival of Hunting East of England Showground, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire. For tickets, call 01733 363513 or visit www.festivalofhunting.org.uk.
25 July -2 August
West Green House Opera West Green, Hartley Wintney, Hook, Hampshire. The Marriage of Figaro and Ariadne auf Naxos, tel 01252 848676; www.westgreenhouseopera.co.uk.
28 July -1 August
Glorious Goodwood Goodwood racecourse, Chichester, West Sussex. For tickets, call 01243 216610 or visit www.goodwood.com.
30 July -2 August
Port Eliot Festival St Germans, Cornwall. Annual celebration of words, music, food, fashion and flowers; www.porteliotfestival.com.
31 July – 2 August
CLA Game Fair Harewood House, Leeds, Yorkshire. For tickets visit www.gamefair.co.uk; £35, Fri; £30 Sat/Sun; £5 reduction if bought in advance.
The dust on the chandelier is inch thick and the curtains are looking tired. With caution you can restore your chintz curtains without losing the chintz glaze.
How to keep your chintz curtains looking fresh all year.
Knowing how to clean chintz curtains carefully is key to keeping them looking their best. When the view to the garden outside is marred by a set of dull curtains it is time to seek help from The Field’s Country Queries and spruce up the room. Follow our useful advice on how to clean your chintz curtains and they’ll spend more time drawn than open.
If a change of curtain prompts a spring clean, consider doing these too. Do you have old linen that needs restoring? Perhaps it is time to head to the cellar and retireve that box of-alas empty-sealed wine bottles broken corkscrews. Have a read of these tips:
Old linen tablecloths call for specialist restorers. How to restore old linen tablecloths and old fabrics.
QUERY: Is it possible to clean chintz curtains without losing the chintz glaze? Is this something I can do myself or should it be done professionally?
SF, Bedfordshire
HOW BEST TO CLEAN CHINTZ CURTAINS
ANSWER:
Field readers recommend how best to clean chintz curtains.
It is possible to clean chintz curtains without losing the glaze but, regardless of the solvent used, repeated cleaning will cause chintz fabric to dull. If the curtains are subject to sun damage then the dulling effect may be more apparent, particularly on the inside edges that meet when the curtains are drawn. Dry cleaning will be successful if the curtains are completely dry, ie, no water content in the fabric at the time of cleaning. Swiss Laundry, based in Cambridge, provides highly specialist laundry and dry-cleaning services and its staff advise against attempting to clean glazed chintz curtains at home. Call Swiss Laundry on: 01223 247513 for the likely cost; the price varies with the drop.
Now that your drawing room is looking tidy, crack open a bottle of chardonnay and unwind with a copy of the latest edition of The Field.
Think your shotgun needs some choke? Nigel Teague is the man to go and see.
A shotgun multichoke
Nigel Teague is renowned for his chokes. But in the shooting world chokes can be a thorny problem. How much it too much? How much is too little? For a guide to shotgun choke we would recommend Mike Yardley’s authoritative guide to shotgun choke – everything you need to know. This useful guide will clear up misconceptions, advise on best practice and helpfully steer you through the choke-related minefields.
NIGEL TEAGUE: TOP 10 GUNSMITHS
Nigel Teague has sold his business to Westley Richards but remains a consultant for that firm while gunfitting and regulating from his old premises as well. Nigel Teague began with an engineering apprenticeship at Rolls-Royce in 1960. He went on to set-up the firm’s quality auditing system before going it alone at Ladyswood and launching Teague Precision Chokes to produce the exquisitely machined, thin-wall tube that made his reputation in the shooting world. Later, he introduced a range of after-market chokes for mass-produced guns. “Thin-wall chokes provide the opportunity to modify fixed-choke guns with no difference in barrel balance,” he says. He warns, though, “People can get too worried about chokes. I would say the first few thou makes the biggest difference and the good shot needs more than the average performer; I use 5⁄8 and 3⁄4 for most of my game-shooting. But don’t get distracted.” Tel 01454 260226; email.
Take Nigel Teague’s advice, and pair it with the editor’s shooting tips too. If you are after grouse this season read the Editor’s 12 Top Tips for grouse shooting. You will not be left looking like a novice on the moor. Or try 11 pheasant shooting tips from The Field to perk up your average and ensure some repeat invitations next year. The right choke can make a difference. But do make sure your sport doesn’t fall foul of the curse of the ever-changing choke. Pick your preferred arrangement and stick to it.
The lead gunsmith at GE Fulton and Son, Robert Taylor is our best-known riflesmith.
Do you take your rifle stalking? When you need it fixed or fine tuned Robert Taylor, riflesmith, is the man to see.
Robert Taylor is a riflesmith and rifle-maker. So if you want to brush up your kit for big-game and make sure you don’t encounter any man-eaters without a working rifle, pay Taylor a visit. The man-eaters of Kuamon may be history, but hunting for Cape buffalo in Tanzania or going on a Cape buffalo safari in Zambia are still found at the top of people’s bucket lists. Or if you stalking rifle needs a spruce or fine tuning Taylor, again, is your man. Perhaps a historic Lee Enfield rifle has a spot in your collection. Don’t worry, Robert Taylor can take care of that too. And if you are visiting Bisley with your rifle why not take your shotgun too, to another local gunsmith on our top 10 list, Gordon Swatton.
ROBERT TAYLOR: TOP 10 GUNSMITHS
Robert Taylor owns and is lead gunsmith at GE Fulton and Son, the Bisley gunshop for which he has worked for almost 50 years. He started at GE Fulton and Son in 1967. Taylor is one of our best-known riflesmiths and works on target and sporting weapons. He enthuses, “Waterloo to Afghanistan – our brief is incredibly varied. We see everything from historic weapons to specialist tools for domestic and international competition, not to mention many stalking and big-game rifles. The work we are best known for is related to accuracy, such as bedding, trigger and sight modification. Recently, we have also been machining stocks to accommodate detachable magazines. Re-barrelling and scope mounting are routine.” Any advice? “Yes: 90% of stalkers seem never to clean their rifles and the widespread use of moderators creates problems with condensation, often resulting in damage to the last few inches of barrel – necessitating barrel shortening or replacement.” Tel 01483 473204, email.
If you are one of those guilty stalkers take heed. Rifles as well as shotguns need maintenance.
John Wiseman joined the family business, and is one of the best general gunsmiths in the trade.
One of the best general gunsmiths, John Wiseman has been in the trade since 1966.
John Wiseman is a general gunsmith, with some specialisations. So when your gun needs to be serviced before the season starts, or calls for a tweak mid season Wiseman can do the job. But there are also more complex parts of the trade at which Wiseman excels, from gun development to engraving.
But shooting well might not render a return invitation if you turn up in the wrong kit. Our guide on what to wear when shooting should help. Vintage kit can be fetching too. Just read about what is best to buy in our feature on vintage hunting and shooting clothes. All the ingredients of a good day in the field organised. Now to make sure the gun doesn’t break…
JOHN WISEMAN: TOP 10 GUNSMITHS
John Wiseman entered the gun trade in 1966, joining the family business; it now spans five generations. FJ Wiseman & Co undertakes all gunsmithing tasks: gunmaking; engraving; and prototype development as well as the more mundane strip and clean and small-part replacement and fabrication. “For us it is all about our customers. They may come to us initially for a repair, stock-fitting or servicing but frequently we can help them shoot better with further modifications. We specialise in customising to improve performance but we will take on any job within reason. I particularly enjoy gunfitting. We also specialise in Browning over-and-unders, fitting sideplates and upgrading plainer guns to higher spec. And, we are happy to be the appointed service centre for Guerini,” John Wiseman says. Tel 01543 504088; email.
If your barrels need blacking, browning or blueing, Paul Stevens is your man, and he has an exceptional gunsmithing heritage, too. Barrels at the ready...
If your barrels are in need of attention, see Paul Stevens.
Paul Stevens is a barrel blacker and browner, keeping your barrels in tip top condition with traditional techniques. The art of the barrel blacker is probably one of the most intricate and difficult in the gunsmithing world. The black on a barrel comes from the process of the steel rustin. And when barrels are re-blacked or re-browned then the original blacking or broening needs to be taken off first. When you understand the delicate process you will be keen to put your gun only to good use.
Paul Stevens is the grandson of Norman Johnson of the famous barrel blacking and gunsmithing family. Johnsons (Barrel Browners) & Co, carries on as the long-established master of its trade but Stevens, based near Barnstaple, has also developed an outstanding reputation as a barrel finisher working for many famous names. Paul Stevens has completed some exceptional work for me recently, including both best blacking and browning jobs. He has created, after much experiment, his own formulae based on those handed down to him. “I get work from the trade and private clients. We offer a full preparation and blacking service, including the removal of dents and so on if required. We use traditional rust-black techniques, not caustic salts, which are not suitable for classic British guns with soft-soldered ribs,” says Paul Stevens. Tel 01271 830723.
Your barrels may be black, brown or blue and Stevens will do an exceptional job with them. For general gunsmiths, riflesmiths and stockers see our list of the top 10 gunsmiths. And be reassured you gun is in good hands.
With male and female models the Hi Lost My Clothes naked charity calendar has universal appeal.
Falconry in the flesh. Just mind you don't get nipped...
The Field’s naked charity calendar is something of an institution. The Hi Lost My Clothes naked charity calendar 2015 adds a buxom blonde with a bird to the mix. This latest sporting shot sits prettily alongside the action girl in the bluebells in the Hens N Guns naked charity calendar 2015. And if shooting girls are top of your list the Around the Farm naked charity calendar 2015 should fit the bill too.
The Around the Farm naked charity calendar 2015 is another of the top notch naked charity calendars raising money for More…
HI LOST MY CLOTHES NAKED CHARITY CALENDAR 2015
The latest Hi Lost My Clothes naked charity calendar is the third incarnation. It is navailable from Hi Lost My Clothes and costs £10 plus £2.50 p&p. The charity the calendar supports is Hounds for Heroes, a remarkable organisation that helps wounded soldiers by providing assistance dogs to those with life changing injuries.
The Hilostmyclothes Charity Calendar was first created in 2012 when a group of friends met in a field to strip off for a good cause. The calendar has raised thousands of pounds for Hounds for Heroes.
Each year we ask a different photographer, with expertise in field sports photography, to use their skills and vision to provide their interpretation of the calendar for us. The models, which vary each year, are all involved in field sports and give their time and bodies freely!
The money raised for Hounds for Heroes helps assist our 900,000 wounded men and women from both the UK Armed Forces and Emergency Services who have sustained life changing injuries. This is achieved by supporting the provision of assistance dogs to enhance the quality of life, both mentally and physically, of those who find themselves with a future they never expected.
The Hi Lost My Clothes naked charity calendar features bonny sporting images and is a great way to support a good cause. And if you feel like stripping in a field for charity…just get in touch with them.
Michael Yardley offers his personal list of the top 10 gunsmiths working in Britain today. We direct you towards competence and good-training.
Choose the right gunsmith to look after your gun.
The top 10 gunsmiths list is a difficult one to restrict. But we gave the task to Mike Yardley and he has compiled a personal list of the most excellent. Mike Yardley outline his reasoning for his choices below. CONTINUED BELOW…
John Wiseman is a general gunsmith, with some specialisations. So when your gun needs to be serviced before the season More…
TOP 10 GUNSMITHS: THE REASONING
Finding good, properly trained, craftsmen to work on sporting guns is becoming increasingly difficult. One purpose in writing this piece is to honour the best; another is to direct the reader towards competence (and it must be said that not all who offer themselves as gunsmiths today are entirely satisfactory). This is a personal list; I know the work of all upon it. It is not comprehensive list fo the top 10 gunsmiths, nor entirely objective (though opinions have been canvassed within the gun trade).
For example, Carl Langton one of my top 10 gunsmiths of Ladbrook & Langton and John Wiseman of FJ Wiseman are first-class general gunsmiths but there are many others who might have been included, among them Mark Crudgington, Alan Rhone, Erwin Peumans, Chris Symonds, Paul West of William & Son and members of long-established firms such as Elderkin, J Roberts and Richardson of Halesworth.
Where specialists are concerned, there are usually several at the top of their game. Paul Stevens on my list of top 10 gunsmiths is gifted at the arcane business of blacking and browning barrels but no one would deny the competence and vast experience of Ron and Matt Johnson (who black for Boss and Purdey) or, indeed, the firm of John and James W Gibbs, which offers barrel finishing among its various services. As with barrel blacking, so it is with barrel-making. Bill Blacker is highlighted but Peter Higgins and Mick Kelly are masters of the craft, too. I have included stocker Stephane Dupille because of his dynamism, relative youth and the quality of his work but Mark Course, Donald Custerson, Derek Mills and Jim Spalding, among others, are highly skilled veterans of the trade.
The emphasis here is on gunsmithing – implying repair and renovation. Some great modern gunmakers are omitted (such as Mark Sullivan, Lee Butler, David McKay Brown, Phil Butcher, John Craven, Pete Boxall, Richard Tandy, Callum Ferguson, Richard St Ledger, David Dryhurst, Garry Hibbert and Colin Orchard).
Although I have listed a member and an ex-member of the GMK workshop, I have not included members of the highly efficient servicing operations at ASI (AYA), Purdey, Holland & Holland and Browning UK.
Some guns come with the assurance of a long-established service department should anything go wrong. However, when something goes breaks on an older gun or we need modifications or maintenance, most of us depend on luck or word-of-mouth recommendation to connect to a suitably skilled person. Unfortunately, as each year passes their number diminishes. Those remaining deserve all the more respect. There may be omissions but those included have earned their reputation. Here they are in alphabetical order:
Stalking in the Outer Hebrides has been popular for many years. Documented on a simple Kodak camera, Anthony Milbank's great-great-grandmother took the photographs that inspired him to follow in her footsteps.
Nostalgic images taken in the early 1850's with a Kodak camera. Photography was a Victorian craze.
Stalking in the Outer Hebrides has been a wonderful tradition since the mid Victorian period. A day on the hill can be a truly memorable experience and a red stag silhouetted on the horizon is a magical scene to capture on camera. The Field’s article on Red deer stalking in the Highlands is a great read for some solid Scottish stalking information. See also The Field’s recommendation for the the best rifle kits for stalking.
STALKING IN THE OUTER HEBRIDES
My interest in stalking in the Outer Hebrides was aroused by photographs taken by my great-great-grandmother, Alexina Milbank, in the early 1850s with a Kodak camera. Photography was the latest craze to hit the Victorians and she hastened to take stylised images with her new purchase. My rascally great-great-grandfather, Frederick Milbank, had taken a lease in 1851 on Athline, a 9,000-acre estate on the edge of Loch Seaforth on the east coast of Lewis. She photographed him stalking in the Outer Hebrides with his ponies and gillies; her family in long, flowing skirts and petticoats at the water’s edge; deer with their antlers silhouetted against the sky; a widow outside her “black house” and many others.
Grandfather Fred would take Sir James Matheson’s new steamer service up from Glasgow to Stornoway, then proceed by horse and carriage the 25 miles across to the edge of Loch Seaforth to the lodge looking down towards the Minch on the bounds of Harris and Lewis. With him would often come his family, together with their head nurse, Celery, and headkeeper, Birtwhistle. Once there, they would stay throughout the months of August to November. At his leisure Grandfather Fred was able to walk-up grouse, snipe and woodcock as well as fish in the sea lochs and lochans until he was obliged to return reluctantly to his Parliamentary duties. He was Liberal MP for Richmondshire in North Yorkshire for more than 25 years.
In 1863 he began to widen his tenure when stalking in the Outer Hebrides, proceeding over the boundary into Harris by arrangement with his friendly neighbour. In 1865 he acquired the lease of 25,000 acres on the eastern edge of the vast Amhuinnsudhe deer forest and a newly built “state of the art” shooting lodge, Ardvourlie Castle. He bought a small yacht, the Heather Bell, that enabled him to sail to Seaforth Island or to the park on the other side of the loch, visit Scalpay sea lochs or even the Shiant Islands. He now had access to the deer forests and sheep grounds of Harris and Morsgail and to Lochs Langavat and Ruavidh, their myriad enticing, deep lochans and few spate rivers. Fred’s skills with a gun and fishing rod were legendary. I have his gamebook with me here, scrupulously filled in at the end of every day. Grouse, woodcock, a few snipe – just he and a friend walking for miles, covering the ground with pointers or setters. What heaven they must had been in. Remarks are few but illuminating: “Capital day’s sport”; “40 snipe – very good”: “102 grouse – only 105 shots”: “ 8 ptarmigan – splendid day”.
To improve the grouse stocks, Fred instigated a widespread programme of vermin control. He also constructed two stalking tracks in the deer forest, introduced rabbits to the property (he loved shooting rabbits) and built a couple of stalking bothies. His best year for grouse was 1855 when 1,281 birds were shot. On his best day, 7 September, 1859, he shot 207 grouse, walked-up to his own gun over Gordon setters on what was known as the Neutral Ground – an incredible feat given the shotguns of the period. His Ardvourlie Castle Fishing Book, 1864, gives an idea of how prolific the rivers, lochs and lochans were in those days. On 22 August, 1864 he and his brother caught three salmon and 70 sea-trout on Loch Washamit and, on Loch Langavat, 30 sea-trout to one rod. The salmon were fairly small and hard to catch. Brown trout in the lochans were easy. There was hardly a day during those months when he wasn’t out fishing, grouse-shooting or stalking. His love of the latter came when he moved into Ardvourlie.
A picture of the party ready to set out on another day. Photography was a wonderful Victorian craze.
He became exceedingly good at it and developed an uncanny relationship with his head gillie, Murdoch McCaulay, killing a record bag of 57 stags in 1869 and, in 1870, 18 stags in one day with 18 shots. On Larggrath he shot a 14-pointer – the largest stag shot there up to that time. His gamebook for the period ends in 1870 with the wistful line “last of the Lews” and how much it must have hurt him to have to leave his idea of paradise. His lease had run out and he was suffering increasingly from the effects of gout, which dogged him for the rest of his life.
FOLLOWING ON…
Almost exactly 140 years later I was invited stalking in th Outer Hebrides, on Harris, by a good friend, Andy Miller Mundy. His father bought the Amhuinnsuidhe estate in 1961 and he heard that it had been sold without his knowledge in 1968. In 1972 he and his wife, Bridget, took on the old post office on the nearby, almost depopulated Isle of Scarp, together with a goshawk and a Barbary falcon. From there he indulged his passion for painting, much influenced by the wildlife artist George Lodge. A small area of land, just to the north of his father’s estate had come up for sale, squeezed in between the dramatic cliffs of the Atlantic west coast and the vast areas of Lewis moorland inland. It could only be ap-proached by sea but offered a sheltered mooring, red deer for the taking, a small cottage and complete isolation. He became a lobster and prawn fisherman, which gave him endless time to observe the wildlife until his boat was wrecked in 1981 on the beach at St Kilda in a freak gale. He had augmented his income by taking tourists and daredevil rock climbers out there to climb the famous stacks rising 400ft straight out of the waves of the Atlantic.
In early December that year, Miller Mundy met me at Stornoway Airport in his old Toyota pick-up, towing a rubber dinghy with outboard. We drove south-west over the flat moorland of Lewis on a route similar to that taken by Fred in his horse and carriage many years before when he came stalking in the Outer Hebrides, albeit much improved. Taking advantage of a recently constructed estate road belonging to friends we then bumped and clattered for 10 miles farther south-west to the jetty on Loch Tamnabhaigh. We loaded provisions for a three-day stay into the dinghy and set off for a point called Aird Bheag upon which sat Miller Mundy’s stone-built cottage.
Having lit the fire we hung out the damp bedding to dry. It was getting dark but I could discern that we were on the site of an old township, with ruins of stone byres and low walls serving as field enclosures. Into the moorland above ran the outlines of lazy beds used for growing crops fertilised by seaweed laboriously carried up from the shore below. There was no rush in the morning as first light in those northern climes comes late. Breakfast and a trip with a spade out on to the moor for the call of nature and we were off up the hill armed with .275 Mannlicher, spyglasses and our piece. With Miller Mundy as sole stalker, our days were of a less ambitious nature than my great-great-grandfather’s. It was silent as we looked out over the moor but the sun was shining through the clouds, the visibility was good and it became a beautiful day – the sort you rarely find up there in early December.
Creeping over the ridges to spy a group of looming deer in the distance. This image show cases their wonderful way of life.
We spied a group of six hinds. Far out in among a dark mass of peat hags we could pick out a stag. Then another. As my eyes grew accustomed to the view, I began spotting other hinds – there were quite a few. Finally, we spotted a small group of hinds that Miller Mundy thought were just possible. Creeping up over a ridge, I had a quick shot as they panicked away over the scree out of sight – but to no avail. We stopped for lunch watching an eagle giving one of its young a hard lesson in flying techniques. She was attacking the young bird, forcing it to take dramatic avoiding action, dipping and diving, up and over, twisting and turning to escape. Feathers flew before the young bird made off and mother called a truce.
Walking on we ran into a covey of grouse scuttling among the heather. Quite different to my Yorkshire grouse, these birds were most reluctant to fly. They had seen the eagles practising and now I began to understand how great-great-grandfather had managed to shoot so many grouse walking-up. It just needed the setters to put them up and he was on to them.
The following day we took the boat out into the Atlantic to explore the coastline and spy for more deer from the sea. The cliffs sported deep green patches, grass fertilised by the rich droppings from eagles’ eyries over the years. These sometimes proved tempting for random sheep venturing down the cliff only to find it impossible to clamber back. One such ewe looked as though she was starving to death there so we spent a while putting her out of her misery by shooting her from the boat. It is not easy with the boat bobbing up and down in the waves, but eventually we had a lucky shot and the aged ewe topple off the cliff and landed with a crash in the sea far below.
Taking a walk over the rough ground with no costume compromise discernible to the modern eye.
Tying up the boat, we would venture for miles inland spying, talking and revelling in the dramatic wildness of it all. At night we would sit up and talk. Miller Mundy’s knowledge of the west coast gossip, politics (he had been elected to Inverness County Council where he spoke out for the crofters and fishermen he represented), of wildlife and geography was abundant and his stories marvellous. He would insist that visitors have their profile drawn on a white wall in his small living-room, silhouetted by a Tilley lamp. We eventually managed to bring home a couple of hinds, one of which we butchered and ate, revelling in a barbecued fillet of venison by the sea as we soaked up the extraordinary sunshine in our shirt sleeves.
At Stornoway Airport we tumbled from the Toyota in time for me to catch the flight home. Miller Mundy insisted that I take a haunch with me, which he cut in front of some Pringle-dressed tourists disembarking from their bus. I had returned to civilisation with a bump. But I would be stalking in the Outer Hebrides again.
The summer season has begun. Jonathan Ray's suggested summer tipples will blow your socks off this season. We give you the best summer wine of 2015.
La Gitana Hidalgo: The perfect mid-morning reviver, served straight from the fridge.
The best summer wine 2015 is ready to drink now. There is no season like the summer that wears its transience so sharply. The scent of a riverside lily blended with something grape-y can only be enjoyed for a small part of the year.
Do not turn the seasonal corner until you have tried a few of Jonathan Ray’s best summer wine selections. If you are in need of a few recipes when hosting your annual BBQ, try our Sangria recipe for summer parties. Jonathan Ray also advises lightly chilled red wines in the summer months as a more refreshing option.
Best Summer wine
My summer starts around the end of March/beginning of April, irrespective of what vile shenanigans the weather is up to: when the clocks go forward, when the blossom finally shows its face, when my can’t-really-afford-them-but-hang-it-all-I’m-going-anyway Glyndebourne tickets and my treasured MCC pass arrive and when I stop feeling so damn gloomy. This means that the best summer wine begins at the end of March too.
So much drink and so little time.
Manzanilla La Gitana Hidalgo (£10, Waitrose) The perfect mid-morning reviver, served straight from the fridge.
2014 Mabis Mavum Pinot Grigio/Pinot Nero (£10, Amps Fine Wines) Utterly charming and essential picnic fare.
I used to laugh when my sainted mother started to go on about suffering from SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) until I realised that now I’m firmly in my middle ages I’ve inherited the condition, too. I can’t stand the winter months without the best of summer wine. Not easy to bear when I’m already a martyr to CADDAD (Christmas Affected Doom, Depression and Despondency) inherited from my father. I was astonished to learn from my 14-year-old son that the Crisis of the Late Middle Ages refers to a series of events in the 14th and 15th centuries (you know, the Great Famine, Black Death, Wars of the Roses and so on) rather than the various dark thoughts or physical indignities that his aged parent now seems to suffer. You know, such as, ah well, never mind. The point is that it’s now June and summer’s firmly in place and I plan to make heaps of hay while the sun shines and enjoy the best summer wine. Nothing puts a summery spring in my step more than a finely crafted mojito. Well, apart from a finely crafted caipirinha, of course. And ok, yes, yes, a well-chilled glass of Pol or Bol,of course, of course.
But I digress. The point is that rum or cachaça-based cocktails lift you in a way that other spirits won’t, don’t or can’t. They make one relaxed, happy and chipper, instead of depressed, gloomy and introspective as other drinks can. No wonder the Brazilians and Cubans are so exuberant. In fact, instead of my favoured mojito, and in the interests of variety, I’ve started this summer with another rum-based drink: the dark and spicy, a refreshing spiced alternative to the celebrated dark and stormy. Build 50ml of exquisite Elements Eight Spiced Rum, 20ml fresh lemon juice and 10ml sugar syrup over crushed ice and churn. Top with ginger beer and garnish with some mint leaves, a cinnamon stick and a wedge of lemon, adding a bit more crushed ice if necessary. Then sit back and enjoy. The ginger will warm you if it’s a typically drizzly June day and the rum will ensure the sun beats in your heart if not outside.
And one can’t enjoy summer without buckets of fizz. The aforementioned Pol Roger or Bollinger are spot on for special occasions but sometimes champagne is just a bit de trop
and that’s where the likes of other French sparklers, prosecco or cava come in. Actually, forget the cava, I’ve never had a good bottle and why risk the inevitable headache in trying to find one?
They are perfect on their own or as the base for all manner of summery cocktails.
Prosecco Ca’Bolani NV (£12, Private Cellar) Absolutely first rate; the tastiest prosecco I’ve had in ages.
2013 The Exquisite Collection New Zealand Pinot Noir (£7, Aldi) Not
madly sophisticated but deeply quaffable nonetheless and a steal at the price.
2013 “M Signature” Austrian Gruner Veltliner (£7, Morrisons) A gloriously drinkable white – fresh, crisp and peachy.
With the best summer wine in mind, it is far better to go for something like the Vouvray Mousseux Brut Réserve, Domaine Aubert from the Loire (£14, Yapp Bros), which is a cracker. Made using the champagne method from 100% chenin blanc, it’s dry yet full of creamy fruit and hints of toasty brioche and really is so moreish. I stocked up with a couple of cases a week or so ago and already need more. My chums love it. As for prosecco, one can’t move for falling over stacks of it in supermarket, off-licence, pub, bar or restaurant. Trouble is, the more that prosecco floods our shores, the less good it seems to be. The best I’ve had of late are both from independents: the Prosecco Collalbrigo Brut (£12, fromvineyardsdirect) and the Prosecco Ca’Bolani NV (£12, Private Cellar), both of which are excellent. The former is light, easy-going and approachable and the latter is apple-fresh, crisp and racy. They are perfect on their own or as the base for all manner of summery cocktails. The Bellini, for example (best made with Funkin white peach purée and a dash of Aldi’s excellent Frédéric Mugnier Crème de Pêche); the Jo-Jo (fresh pulped strawberries or Funkin purée); the Buck’s fizz or mimosa (fresh orange juice) or the sbagliato (Campari and La Quintinye red vermouth – it’s basically a Negroni with prosecco instead of gin).
Good rosé should not be forgotten in the best summer wine list. I’ll be drinking plenty of rosé, natch, as well as light and easy whites. Alsace pinot blanc is a current favourite as is Austrian gruner veltliner and Spanish albariño. And with the best summer wine reds, I will switch between hearty, violet-scented Argentinean malbec for the dread barbecue and juicy, bitter-cherry New World pinot noir, either room temperature with red meat or chicken or lightly chilled on its own or with tuna or salmon. So much to drink and so little time. Let’s just hope it’s a long, hot summer.
Rabbit shooting with an airgun takes skill and patience, but is definitely worth the dawn start. Charles Rangeley-Wilson goes summer rabbit shooting.
RABBIT SHOOTING: AIRGUNNING FOR SUMMER RABBITS
We arrived shortly before seven o’clock, a touch early, I thought, for midsummer rabbit shooting. The rabbits mightn’t be out yet, or might be easily scared if they were. As it happened, I watched three scoot away across the tightly grazed meadow as I stopped the car. Out already and easily scared. Farther away the field was dotted around its margins with dull brown lumps against the green, lumps that might have been dry, sandy molehills if they hadn’t lolloped forward once in a while, or changed shape as I opened the car door, becoming taller, triangular. And then scooting as Patrick, my son, closed his.
This hillside meadow, rising up from the river valley, is surrounded by an ancient, gnarled hawthorn hedge, perfect for rabbit shooting. Its tangled stumps root into dusty banks of chalk and, between the stumps, tongues of chalk spill away from the base through nettles, settling like scree in the lush grass of the water-meadow below. The excavations of a gazillion rabbits.
Mark Watson, the keeper, shoots this land most nights and is at permanent war with “da wabbits”. In this dry soil, on a well-kept estate with few predators, they breed like… well… rabbits. It may be that Mark, like Bishop Brennan in that painfully funny episode of Father Ted, also has nightmares about rabbits. But Patrick and I are here to give Mark a night off. He lets me do this when we feel like rabbit stew at home and though I might be less effective with my airgun than Mark is with a .22 and a lamp, I’ve shot my fair share.
RABBITS ARE SKIPPING
The airgun is too much maligned as a hunting tool for rabbit shooting. It has overtones of “chav” about it – too many cats shot in Castlefield – and often the airgun is not taken seriously as a weapon for the job. It is seen as something of a toy. But airguns have changed a lot since the day when a tired BSA came up for the bidding in a local auction and my dad shook his head and said not yet. I made do with imaginary gunfire and a piece of copper pipe pinned to an old stock for another year. And then, finally, when I was 14 he bought me one of my own. Though the door of the garden shed is still pimpled with squished .22 pellets, I might have launched several pounds of lead through the barrel of that gun and not brought in a single rat or crow. I still have the gun locked away in a cupboard; nowadays the spring is so weak I would be relatively happy to shoot myself in the foot with it and reckon on the shoe keeping the pellet out. Not so my current pre-charged, compressed air, 10-shot carbine; this thing would drill a hole right through shoe and foot. I have measured out a 50yd, clean head-shot of a pigeon brought off with this gun. And once by way of curious comparison I tried the same shed door alongside those squished .22s and bored a .177 hole straight through the middle of them, the pellet pinging off a spade hung on the far side.
Patrick is 14 now and so it is about time for the same rite of passage. Term has just ended and I have bought a basic pre-charged gun for him to use rabbit shooting under my supervision. He can’t own it until he’s 18: not only have guns changed, so has the law. But we’re on private land and we have permission to go rabbit shooting, so we won’t be spending the night in gaol. We might be spending it hungry though if the rate at which these bunnies are skipping into the hedgerow continues unabated.
GO FOR THE HEAD
Up the track beyond the car, another hedge rides away across the down to the west. A rusted five-bar gate is propped between two fence posts and opens along the line of hedge, across rough grass and a few thistles. I push my head slowly round the corner at ground level and see three rabbits. THe rabbit shooting is on. I pull back and gesture Patrick forward. By the time he peeks, there are none to begin our rabbit shooting. We shrug, stand slowly and lean against the gate. Farther out, one rabbit remains, oblivious and nibbling. It is a long shot and Patrick takes a while to steady himself on the wobbly gate. Because the track is so much lower he needs to stand on tip-toe, which hardly helps. I’m about to call off the shot when a new bunny skips out of the hedge 15yd away, stands tall and sniffs the air, blindly searching for clues. We’re not in camouflage: you can buy “realtree” clothing to make yourself look as mental as a walking tree if you want to. But for rabbit shooting perhaps not.
My airgun-crazed pal Simon likes to do this and I remember driving with him through a village in Wiltshire on our way out rabbit shooting, me in a Barbour and gumboots, him as a shrubbery, when he turned to me and said with all earnestness, “It’s really important that we look completely normal.” But this rabbit can’t see us because we’re still, in dull green clothes, and we’re not against the skyline. Patrick notices the new victim, lowers his sights – three, two, one and phut! The rabbit leaps 2ft, and lands: DOA.
Technically, airguns all operate to the same 12lb/ft max-imum pressure, though springs and air seals weaken over time. But a pre-charged pneumatic (PCP) air rifle as a hunting tool holds one big advantage that has nothing to do with power: accuracy. And this has made all the difference. This has taken it beyond any conception of being dinky or not serious. There is no recoil from a PCP gun. By contrast, even the best spring-powered guns jump. I shot a Wierauch for a while that leapt like a snake-bitten goat every time I pulled the trigger. This jumpiness makes them imperfect target guns. And with a critter it tempts a shot at the middle of the mass, just so you hit it somewhere. I don’t like this at all: pigeon clattered with a thump, taking off to crash-land somewhere far beyond sight or reach, rabbit dying back in the burrow. With my pre-charged gun I can group 10 shots over 25yd pretty much as tight as if I were using a .22 rimfire, and with a rabbit I can go for a head-shot. This sounds more gruesome but is far more humane: any miss is a miss and any hit is lethal. Patrick has heard my head-shot lecture and this rabbit is dead enough to prove he listened.
SUPER-RABBITS
Patrick is about to jump over the gate to collect it when I notice that the far rabbit is still there, still oblivious, still nibbling. I have a sight with beads on the crosshairs and know my gun well enough to guess this rabbit is a one-bead drop: 30yd or so, maybe a bit more. My gun is zeroed to 25. Anything closer, I drop the crosshair down a bit, anything farther away, I lift it. And a one bead drop at about 35yd is the limit of the range. A range finder is on my shopping list.
I squeeze the trigger. The rabbit jumps, I see a kick of dust beyond and assume I’ve missed. But when Patrick climbs the hill to fetch his, he tells me I haven’t. “Pace it out,” I tell him, leaning against the gate thinking how a 14 year old to play fetch is a grand thing to bring rabbit shooting. “Thirty-two,” claims Patrick when he returns. “Not bad.” Far, far beyond was a village, all back gardens and trampolines and laundry in the sun. And there’s another grand thing about the sport of hunting with an airgun: though you can’t be careless, you can sleep easily knowing that stray shots will never do what a stray rifle shot once did, according to legend, in Dorset: depart the barrel in one valley to part the curtains of a vicarage in the next valley over. For close-quarter work, for vermin control in farmyards, near buildings and roads, airguns are peerless. Good sense with an airgun is pretty much common sense: the wind drops out of a pellet quite quickly after 50yd and any reasonable earth or wall backdrop, or just distance, ensures a safe shot. Ideal for rabbit shooting.
As is the way of things, we got little more rabbit shooting in our tramp around Mark’s acres. One buck rabbit was silly enough not to vacate a wide open meadow that all his pals had skipped away from the moment our scent rolled downwind towards them. We sat in the chalk quarry that is bunny metropolis, ate our sandwiches and watched trout rise in the chalkstream beyond, concluding there were worse places to sit not shooting rabbits. And though the sun dropped low and warmed the air above the hive of burrows, no rabbits came out as we crouched in ambush afterwards. Mark’s nightly efforts have Darwinated a race of super rabbits, alert to all threats. Either that or rabbit shooting with airguns is stalking in miniature, the ever-paranoid rabbit, assuming a headlamp is not making it stupid, being the noble stalking quarry of deposed kings or their former subjects.
And so we were back at the car before Patrick got his chance at another, back leaning on the same gate, while one more of this hedgerow’s strangely incautious rabbits sat on its haunches waiting for something. “Top of the ears,” I said before he fired. And then “Pace it out,” as he jumped the gate. It had been a good shot and I was curious. “Forty,” he said after a minute. And he was right. I’d counted.
Of course, sons are soon better than their fathers at rabbit shooting, though I think I can stretch this inevitable coup out a few years yet.
Just underneath the surface of the coy and upright Brit is a "pants off, trousers down, isn't life a scream" anarchist. Avoid the canoes and try a spot of wild swimming this summer.
The majority of us avoid total nakedness at all costs. But when the lights are dim and the river beckons us one must take a dip.
Wild swimming takes some pluck. But once you have found your deserted pool, disrobed and plunged in…well, it’s rather a lot of fun. If you’re not afraid of Nessie, paddle through the wild lakes, hilly heaths and tucked-away pools that make up the extraordinary wealth of wild swimming destinations in this country. A slew of guide books can point you in the right direction, but try to avoid the terribly popular spots. Nothing worse than too many unidentified objects floating in the water alongside. After all wild swimming is suppose to be just that. Free, fun with a rather jolly frisson.
Charlotte Reather took on the challenge of baring all. Here is her wild swimming experience.
WILD SWIMMING
Wild swimming is very British. Few other nationalities relish taking a dip in water below 10°C. Well, apart from the Russians, epitomised by Vladimir Putin’s display of masculinity when he swam in a Siberian lake, bare-chested, of course. Vladimir’s muscle-bound torso aside, four million Britons swim in wild waters every year – in rivers, lakes, waterfalls and the sea. Many wear a swimming costume when wild swimming, others a wetsuit, but some opt for the simplicity of their birthday suit.
The majority of us avoid total nakedness at all costs. And our acute fear of embarrassment and disconnected view of our bodies, drummed into us by centuries of puritanism, Victorianism and Victoria Beckhamism, is not going to go away over night – especially as some couples still undress in the dark (or with the lights dimmed at least) while others wear more to bed than they do during the day.
So it would seem inconceivable that many of us have at some point stripped off and gone for wild swimming or skinny-dipping in front of other people. Perish the thought. It is such a typically British paradox that just under the surface of the coy, fearful and upright Brit is a “pants off, trousers down, isn’t life a scream” anarchist. This side of us can become apparent at social events situated near water. Wild swimming might happen at picnics by the river, summer house parties by the lake or barbecues on the beach are often perfect opportunities for a cheeky dip in the nude. The eight year old within us desperately wants to throw off the bonds of clothing and run free, straight into the water and splash about like a loon with total abandon and without shame. As the cold water covers our bodies from wild swimming, we feel alive. We are free.
Robson Green, star of Robson Green’s Wild Swimming Adventure on ITV1, says: “Swimming starkers is completely normal and it’s totally exhilarating. Having the water in contact with your body switches you on.”
WILD ABANDON
The image we tend to conjure of skinny-dipping is the group adventure under the cover of darkness. Habitually, this jape commences with someone having “a good idea”, which is revved up by group hysteria, protestations from the girls, persuasion by the boys and finally acceptance, followed by bacchanalian abandon and hilarity. Skinny-dipping and wild swimming in mixed company, of course, has an element of sexual rebellion to it but I think at its core it is rather childlike and innocent. It certainly isn’t a direct prelude to sex – a good dose of cold water soon banishes any intentions or ability.
It can also be an intensely private experience. Wild swimming remains a fairly common activity in rural areas, where an unwanted audience is rather unlikely. Kate Rew, founder of the Outdoor Swimming Society, says: “I prefer wearing a bikini in company but when I’m in remote, wild places in England there’s no point. It’s just me and the sheep.”
“There’s actually nothing unusual or upper class and twittish about taking a dip in the raw – it’s completely natural,” says Green. “It wasn’t so long ago that people wouldn’t take a second glance at others swimming naked.” Swimming suits had not come into common use and were not obligatory as they would become in Victorian Britain.
“Skinny-dipping was also a necessity for the working classes,” says Green. “Hundreds of coal miners in the North- east and tin miners in Cornwall would come out of the pits and swim naked in the sea. Many of them also went down to the lidos to wash. The middle-class bathers in their costumes would stare at these working-class blokes, butt naked, washing their bits. A man was quoted in a Fifties edition of the Chronicle as saying: ‘I couldn’t swim in the Tynemouth Lido anymore when the men were as crude in character as well as in clothing.'”
In Charles Kingsley’s The Water Babies, the hero, Tom the chimney sweep, is lulled into the water (the River Dart) by the fairies after he is wrongly accused of theft. Kingsley creates an underwater world for Tom and his friends away from the cruel one he was born into.
The water and wild swimming is not only a means of escape for Tom but also of purification. “Cold water purifies the mind and is psychologically beneficial,” says Green. “It can lift us from depression and fill us with euphoria. But you don’t enjoy the full effects of cold water unless it’s all over your body.” And research appears to show that regular immersion in cold water is thought to have health benefits including improved immune function, a decrease in inflammation and pain, and an increase in blood flow.
Taking the plunge – “when I’m in remote, wild places in England there’s no point. It’s just me and the sheep.”
HIGH JINX INDUCING
However, as well as being a life giver, water can also take life away, and very fast. “Hypothermia happens very quickly. You turn blue and your brain turns to porridge – you lose your ability to think,” says Green, who suffered from hypothermia last year when he was wild swimming from the Northumbrian coast to Lindisfarne. Many of the symptoms are similar to being drunk, such as falling over, talking utter nonsense or shouting (usually associated with drinking blended whisky). It is very important not to put yourself or others in danger because of high spirits. “If you’re pissed when wild swimming, you’re likely to sink to the bottom and you’re not going come back up,” Green adds bluntly.
Kate Rew says, “It’s very important to know a bit about the water before you get in. Trust your instincts – if it doesn’t look right, don’t get in. You need to perform your own risk assessment first. Also, if you can, wear a brightly coloured swimming hat when wild swimming so people can see you in the water.” Green also believes that skinny-dipping is not as popular in the north of Britain as it is in the south, not only because of the ball-crunching cold but also because of folklore. “Instilled into the minds of children are monsters, frightening things,” he says. “The Loch Ness monster will eat you up or Jenny Greenteeth (in Cumbria) will pull children or the elderly into the water and drown them. As you travel farther north the fairy tales become more and more ridiculous.”
Of course these myths were perpetuated to keep unwary children out of the water. In this health and safety crazed era, perhaps Nanny and the police should create new stories of hoodies hiding in the river to convince us to not take a dip, although pollution, dead bodies and shopping trolleys are excellent urban deterrence already in use. If you are determined to take a dip in an overlooked location then brace yourself for an overreaction from the fun police.
PAIN OR PLEASURE?
In recent years, the tradition of Oxford students jumping off Magdalen Bridge into the Cherwell on May Day was banned. The bridge was closed and remains patrolled by security guards and police each May Day. And in 2007, accomplished swimmer Mark Davies sparked a major rescue operation on the River Severn. Three fire engines, 25 firefighters, and two rescue boats were involved, while about 200 people watched. He was arrested under Section 136 of the Mental Health Act but was later released after the doctor declared him sane.
Perhaps if you fancy wild swimming it is best to inform the author-ities before they forcibly rescue you. You may also want to warn them that your nakedness is not intended to scare or offend so therefore it is technically not an act of public in-decency (although if you’re the wrong side of 45 you need to be honest with yourself and ask whether you may push people into an expensive relationship with their therapist after seeing you in the nude).
So, once you’ve informed the authorities, got your luminous swimming cap and chosen a spot, what do you do next? Well, you can either join a wild swimming club and swim with other like-minded people – although let’s face it, there’s bound to be one or two bearded water ramblers. But on the upshot, there are loads of hard-bodied athletes and the Outdoor Swimming Society has a mobile wood-fired hot tub to warm you up and socialise in after swimming. Alternatively, you need to hold a soirée at which you convince others to get involved. Beware, instigating skinny-dipping is a subtle art which you have to follow carefully or else risk being branded a pervert.
Thanks to the Editor of The Field, my first wild swimming adventure (save when my father threw me into the North Sea aged six) was diving into a lake in mid-October in order to secure this commission. It wasn’t a romantic or pleasurable experience in the slightest. I was standing starkers on the edge of a pontoon, duck poo between my toes, waiting for the “right light” for what seemed like an eternity before finally diving into the water, which was like being hit over the head by an ice-pick, punched in the chest and suffocated by a pillow all at the same time.
I described the experience to Kate Rew, who replied: “Sounds like you’re more than ready to join the Outdoor Swimming Society, Charlotte.” After a tough boys’ prep school grounding and life on the frontline of The Field, I say: “Bring it on!”
Remember that before you go in the water naked, you have to be confident.
Invite some close friends over for dinner and socialising.
“Forget” to mention to one or two guys that wild swimming is on the cards.
When they act embarrassed and say they can’t go, just tell them that you don’t want to leave them out.
“Think” hard for a minute, rack your brains.
Suggest that they can just go without trunks. If they decline, tell them you will go wild swimming without as well so they’re not alone.
As the evening goes on, eventually some of your friends will decide to give it a try.
By the end, everyone will be wild swimming naked As advised by www.wikihow.com
THE BEST PLACES TO GO WILD SWIMMING
Kate Rew is the founder of the Outdoor Swimming Society (OSS) and the author of Wild Swim: River, Lake, Lido and Sea: the best places to swim outdoors in Britain (Guardian Books, £17).
1. Fishing Cove, Gwithian, Cornwall
2. Llyn Morwynion, Snowdonia, Gywnedd
3. Lady Falls, Brecon Beacons, Powys
4. Black Moss Pot, Stonethwaite, Cumbria
5. Newnham Riverbank Club, Cambridge
6. Berneray Beach, Outer Hebrides
7. The Thames, Oxfordshire
8. Wellsfoot Island, Dartmoor
9. Lumb Falls, near Hebden Bridge, Yorkshire
10. Covehithe Beach, Suffolk
For the sort of art thay will most definitely still be art tomorrow, James Gillick is the artist to go to. This year he celebrates his retrospective exhibition: 20 years. Don't miss it.
A part of the painting, Goodberry Partridge, by James Gillick.
James Gillick and his exceptional work is often spotted at the Game Fair and will be on display at Burghley this year. Janet Menzies discovers what makes this sporting artist tick, and why his art is truly art. For more Field approved sporting artists see paintings by Sir Alfred Munnings and sculpture by Elliot Channer.
JAMES GILLICK
With much contemporary art, whatever the genre, the inevitable question arises: will it still be art tomorrow? James Gillick’s extraordinarily crafted oeuvre of still life, figure, portrait and equestrian paintings answers a resounding “Yes”, and, indeed, for long after tomorrow.
This month’s retrospective exhibition shows us why and how his work has been built to last. James Gillick explains, “Brought up in a house full of artists – including uncles and cousins – you grow up looking at art in a special way. Gainsborough was my first love and when it came to my own painting, I was very conscious that I wanted to produce work that I could really stand beside and feel was worthwhile.”
There is so much more to a painting than what it looks like and taste in art is subjective and changeable, so it became important to James Gillick to produce art of the highest quality on all levels. “As an artist you are trying to measure whether what you like is actually any good – but with something like a car you at least know objectively whether it is well built. I decided to make my paintings as well as I could, which meant doing a great deal of research. The materials, for example. Oil paint is very volatile, so I started reading and studying back through time to find out about this,” he says.
James Gillick’s painting Goodberry Partridge shown as a whole canvas. This is art that will still be art tomorrow.
Gillick’s research led him back to the Spanish, Flemish and Dutch masters of the 17th century, especially Velázquez. “I think you will find many artists admire Velázquez; he is a painter’s painter. I also identify with him because he had such a happy married life. I have six children and here in Lincolnshire we try to live a really natural life. In season the larder often has game hanging in it and whatever you see in one of my still life paintings has been shot locally and will be prepared and eaten in our big kitchen.”
Though heavily influenced by the Spanish bodegón style, the limited palette and subdued colours in James Gillick’s still life also have similarities with the Dutch masters. But one thing you will not see is the traditional Dutch puritan reminder of vanitas. A mouldy fruit, a bone, even a skull, was meant to remind wealthy patrons that collecting art was a vanity that no true puritan should indulge. Gillick comments, “My clients shouldn’t apologise for being able to afford my paintings. They are skilful, talented people in their own fields who have worked hard and earned the right to buy. Those who like my work are very much like the typical Field reader in that they have great respect for the natural world and a genuine, uncomplicated view of the world. I love simple, humble objects that have their own beauty and it’s important to bring out those qualities in a strong and straightforward way.”
This is particularly obvious in Gillick’s equestrian work, where his horses move in a naturalistic way, with essentially no background other than the canvas preparation. For a lover of Stubbs’s Whistlejacket, the style is irresistible. Gillick agrees: “So many of my clients actually ask me for these very simple backgrounds and especially that green-grey terre vert colour we know from Whistlejacket. But Stubbs would never have let the painting be exhibited like that. It isn’t finished! He would have passed it on to a studio apprentice to have an appropriate pastoral setting painted on. That background that we all love so much today is, in fact, the primer for the canvas. But the beauty is that it allows you to concentrate just on the animal.
“I love painting horses and I don’t think they have really been painted well for a long time. The standard, side-on ‘conformation’ pose we are so used to isn’t really at all natural for the horse and you can often see it in their eyes. I want to capture their true personality.”
Whether it is a horse in the middle of a buck and a squeal or a brace of partridges waiting to be plucked, Gillick’s paintings do get to the heart of the matter and, best of all, you don’t have to feel guilty about buying one.
James Gillick will exhibit new work alongside his Retrospective Exhibition: 20 Years, at the Jonathan Cooper Park Walk Gallery, 20 Park Walk, London, SW10 until 4 July and at Burghley Horse Trials, Lincs, from 3 to 6 September.
Before we drove cars we rode animals - the Mitsubishi Shogun is like riding a big grizzly bear. With a diesel that can scare small children and make puppies cry, this model is a real tough, no-nonsense vehicle.
Robust, rugged but comfortable.
The Mitsubishi Shogun is rugged and ready to go. Charlie Flindt likes a throwback, especially one with a proper parking break. For more motoring fun read about the gentleman drivers who risked it all. And for those planning to buy a quad bike this summer, see our suitable suggestions from our best farm vehicles: the ATV or the UTV?
MITSUBISHI SHOGUN – REFRESHINGLY OLD-FASHIONED
There’s something wonderfully old-fashioned about the Mitsubishi Shogun. You get in (with great ease, thanks to the high roof and bum-level seats) and notice that there’s a slot for the key, which you then turn to make the engine start. To drive away in the Mitsubishi Shogun, you release the parking brake using a stubby lever with a knob on the end, next to your left thigh. Such common-sense simplicities are a rarity today.
While the modern trend for sophisticated off-roading gearboxes verges on patronising, the Mitsubishi Shogun gives you a simple range of ranges – and assumes you know what you’re doing. There’s no choice of suspension settings, no complicated engine-management modes all waiting to go horribly wrong in the middle of your foray into the Gobi Desert.
There is nothing patronising about this car. All the dials and controls are made for practical use.
It’s hugely refreshing. It’s true that the old-fashioned theme continues into the engine bay, with a diesel that can scare small children and make puppies cry within five miles of your overtaking kick-down (and has old-fashioned fuel-consumption figures that might reduce you to tears, too). But there are big windows and narrow pillars in the Mitsubishi Shogun, giving a commanding view. It’s quite fun to drive, although the steering is a bit jittery. It’s not small, so the suspension has been tightened up to cut down on body roll but this doesn’t give the softest of rides. Off road is a doddle: select a range, lock a centre diff if necessary and away you go. I came unstuck (stuck, that is) temporarily in a wet wood but my press car had the inevitable motorway slicks on.
Performance is reasonable, this model can reach 62mph in between 9.7 and 11.1sec.
Full marks should be given to the Mitsubishi Shogun for agreeing that a full-size spare is vital in both the Gobi Desert and Hampshire but there seems to be no room to store it apart from dangling it clumsily and voluminously on the back door. Any room under the boot floor is taken up with the third row of seats and modern suspensions and drivelines seem to eliminate any room behind what would once have been a solid rear axle. The end result is a heavyweight rear door, reversing cameras and a tow bar a foot-and-a-half longer than usual. But at least it’s a proper spare.
For all its old-fashioned ways, the Mitsubishi Shogun isn’t cheap. Running costs will be high but reliability should be as good as ever. The new five-year warranty that Mitsubishi is offering will be good for peace of mind and perhaps lift second-hand values in a few years’ time. However, with the Shogun’s record it’s not really a big selling point.
The attraction of the Shogun is simple: it’s simple. It’s an old-school off-roader with the basics done well. It has a no-nonsense image – there’s no prestige or snob value in owning one. You won’t see many in a Premier League training ground car park or badly parked on a prestigious London residential street. For many years, the Shogun has been a working vehicle first and foremost and has never earned the title of status symbol. This proud tradition will continue with the latest Shogun.
Any room under the boot floor is taken up with the third row of seats.
Mitsubishi Shogun LWB 3.2 DI-DC SG4
Engine 3,200cc diesel
Power 197bhp
Max speed 112mph
Performance 0 to 62: 11.1 seconds
Combined fuel economy 33.2mpg
Insurance group 34
Price £37,049
Website www.mitsubishi-cars.co.uk
Would suit a simple chap
Breeding the modern foxhound is a serious business. This guide to modern foxhound breeding is one to 'cut-out-and-keep'.
When a hound stands out ignorant people can criticise performance.
Foxhound breeding is an intricate process and those in the know possess an immense amount of knowledge. For those keen to hone their eye, our guide to hound judging can assist. The modern hound needs speed and stamina for todays’ hunting conditions. Martin Scott considers how this is done.
FOXHOUND BREEDING
Several types of hound are bred to hunt the fox in this country and around the world, though at the moment, sad to relate, they cannot serve their purpose here. Fashion has had a hand, to a degree, in the lines people have followed and this has not always been good for the hound itself.
Fortunately, certain breeders have stuck to the type that suits them, their country and their hunt. This must be encouraged, not derided, especially when such hounds are needed as an outcross, for example with the Old English foxhound. In England only a handful of purebred Old English foxhound packs remain, and a similar number in Ireland. Likewise, in the United States and Canada the demise of the American foxhound and the English foxhound to make way for the crossbred and the Penn-Marydel-type, caused by the spread of the coyote, may create problems in the future, as the use of the two original types is reduced.
THE PETERBOROUGH INFLUENCE
Some people today consider the Peterborough influence to be rather too great on foxhound breeding, and they may have a point, especially with so many packs using the same stallion hounds. Recently, one stallion was used 99 times. While this may reduce the gene pool, it is not detrimental to the packs that use such blood, as it should improve their stock. It is worth noting that some of these influential “Peterborough” packs have also been the leaders in finding and using fresh outcrosses.
One of the problems with outcrossing is that to give it a fair chance at least two litters should be attempted. The danger of neither litter working could leave a depleted and unbalanced pack in the third season, when they are most influential. An additional conundrum for breeders is the optimum time to go back to a successful outcross before it becomes too diluted, without changing one’s own pack’s type or losing quality.
Some of the best outcrosses have been due to “nicking in” as well as the brilliance of both the sire and the dam. Sometimes the first outcross can be brilliant and then those hounds’ offspring are not quite so outstanding. Apart from deciding when to go back for the next refresher of the outcross, some breeders have found a double outcross beneficial. An example of a double outcross is when a sire with a Welsh outcross may be put on to an outcross with American blood or hill hound mixed with American; both of these, incidentally, have proved to be successful.
An outcross introduced by a female line can take longer to conform to the kennel type, and thus unbalance the pack. The idea of a balanced pack is to have the hounds all arrive at the moment critique together rather than be spread out like a washing-line.
Around a hundred years ago English foxhounds were bred to a fashion known as the “Peterborough type” and I hope that we will not fall into such a trap again. This type became extremely heavy, with masses of bone and in some cases knuckling over at the knee as depicted in the picture of South Staffs Denmark 22. This fashion also developed the colour known as “Belvoir tan”.
The English foxhound was bred to fashion a hundred years ago. The ‘Peterborough type’, typified by the South Staffs Denmark 22 became extremely heavy, with masses of bone, in some cases knuckling over at the knee.
For many years I kept a painting of one of these thugs to remind me not to breed such heavy hounds. My great-uncle, CT Scott, had his favourite hounds painted. One, North Cotswold Pilgrim 05, was the Peterborough champion bitch in 1908 but looked more like a doghound than a quality bitch of the type we see at the North Cotswold and elsewhere today.
Fortunately, a number of packs disregarded fashion and maintained their good hunting hounds. Some of the MFHs and huntsmen at that time wanted hounds that could hunt and catch their foxes in good style, and the popular heavyweight brigade found this difficult. Not only did they struggle to turn with their fox but they lacked a certain amount of nose and voice, too.
A WELSH REVOLUTION
At the same time, on the edge of Wales, Sir Edward Curre had been breeding hounds that went back to the best of the English type and best of the old Welsh hound, and had blended himself a wonderful pack of white hounds famous for their cry. An American called Ikey Bell became the leader of a revolution to get away from the heavyweight hound and carried forward what Sir Edward Curre had started. However, these revolutionaries, including Sir Peter Farquhar, Sir Ian Amory and my father Bill Scott, were extremely unpopular with some of the old guard before the Second World War, and were accused of ruining the English foxhound.
The constant aim of the breeder should be to have a hound that will hunt the quarry farthest, fastest and longest, and therefore the balance of pace points and stamina points needs to be taken into account and a happy medium maintained.
Sometimes a great working stallion with a fantastic voice and nose might be slightly too heavy for the speed merchants but those who use such a dog will be rewarded. These two attributes, along with power, are often passed down through the blue mottle genes of Carmarthenshire Nimrod 24. Portman Grossman 52 and his grandson Old Berkshire Grammer 61 are examples.
Old Berkshire Grammer 61 shows the blue mottle genes have been passed down.
DIFFERENT QUALITIES FOR DIFFERENT COUNTRIES
Different hunting qualities are required in different hunt countries. Heavier types of hound would not succeed in the fells, while the fell hound might not cope quite so well in a heavy plough country. A large hound would find it hard to get through, over and across the stiffly banked and hedged Westcountry; the native Westcountry harrier can do it far quicker. Voice is vital in heavily wooded countries, while nose is essential on brash and highly cultivated land.
On taking over a pack it is best to try and maintain those lines that have hunted its country successfully. The introduction of new lines may not be regarded favourably. If the new blood has a broken coat or different colour it is easy, even for those without any knowledge of hounds, to notice a change and happily criticise the effort if a day’s sport is not up to their wishes. When I was out with a pack that had recently introduced an American outcross, one rather loud-mouthed and opinionated individual proclaimed how much he disliked the American blood. I asked him in an equally loud voice which American type he did not like; the Walker or Trigg strain or those from Virginia or Georgia with the July strain.
I then asked him, as the pack hunted with great drive and cry over a ride in front of us, which of the leading hounds he did not like, considering they were all American.
While some of the Welsh packs were eligible for entry in the Foxhound Kennel Stud Book (FKSB), a number of other desirable outcrosses were not. It was under the MFHA chairmanship of Sir Peter Farquhar that further outcrosses became possible. He opened the book to any hound whose sire and dam could be proved to have hunted the fox for six generations in 1955. Since then, a number of hounds with fell hound, French and American blood have been entered in the FKSB, as well as harriers. So it is worth looking at the usefulness and merits of these outcrosses.
KNOW YOUR HOUNDS
2010 Peterborough Champion, VWN Smiler 09.
Foxhound breeding: The Welsh hound is probably the most ancient breed, having come over from France with the Normans, if not before. It is known for its long, woolly or broken coat, superior nose and wonderful voice. The Welsh type tends to produce larger doghounds than bitches. This trait has been passed on through outcrosses, therefore stamina may become a concern. Welsh hounds need a degree of independence to hunt the Welsh hills and so have acquired excellent brains. Longevity is an-other characteristic found in the Welsh hound and also in the fell hound.
Foxhound breeding: Fell hounds descend from the northern hound rather than the heavier southern hound, and hunt the fells and land close to the Lake District. Here the steep ground demands that they be independent, as their huntsman is on foot and cannot be with them that much. Their “hare” feet allow them cope with the steep hills and mountainous screes that abound in that part of the world.
Foxhound breeding: Hill hounds are part fell and part modern English, and are mostly hunted by a mounted huntsman. One of the best-known hill packs is the College Valley/North Northumberland and recent outcrosses from this pack have not proved too independent when introduced to the modern English packs, and have brought with them voice, nose and drive as well as great keenness to hunt.
Foxhound breeding: The Old English are almost purebred and have avoided the infusion of Welsh or any other outcross. While they have been careful not to breed too close over the years, their gene pool has become smaller and smaller as they have been limited in where they can go. While a little “tainted” blooded has crept in, they have maintained their wonderful type and colour. However, at the puppy show of one of the remier Old English packs last summer, one of the winners was certainly tri-coloured and must be a throw-back to a distant ancestor, in the days when colour was not regarded as so important.
The Old English are well-known for their toughness, and their speed in the vale countries has always made it hard for the mounted field to keep up with them when scent allows it. They have provided an outcross for packs of the modern English type in recent decades. There are a number of Old English packs in Ireland, where the breed’s toughness allows hounds to draw those thick gorse coverts. Latterly Captain Wallace used Old English blood for its toughness.
The West Country Harrier had been hunting the fox as well as the hare successfully up until the recent Hunting Act and outcrosses from these wonderful hunting hounds have been appreciated by modern breeders on both sides of the Pond.
American blood is very diverse but certainly the recent outcrosses in England have been successful. Old Dominion Gorgeous 68 has brought great nose in dry conditions. Live Oak Drummer 89 and Midland Hardaway 89 have brought drive. French blood has brought nose and cry to the modern foxhound, mainly via the former Dumfriesshire kennel.
After the Second World War, ease of travel helped to make the “modern foxhound” type more uniform but outcrosses are extremely valuable to those breeding the modern foxhound today as they allow us to widen the gene pool a certain amount. Only time will tell which of these outcrosses have been the most successful. As ever, different types will suit different countries. One hopes that not everyone will follow fashion.
The Boutet gun is a particularly special example from the cache of 11 magnificent weapons given by Napoleon to Carlos IV of Spain in 1802, says Edward Impey.
'Fusil simple' made for Carlos IV by Boutet.
The Boutet gun was rather special, and one of 11 guns given by Napoleon to Carlos IV of Spain. Edward Impey, director general and master at the Royal Armouries Museum, Leeds explains its significance in another installment of our historical hunting weapons series.
BOUTET GUN
In 1802 The King of Spain, Carlos IV, received a wonderful gift from his ally Napoleon to cement the third Treaty of San Ildefonso. The deal returned Louisiana to France and gave Carlos Tuscany. But, crazy about shooting, it was the gift of 11 magnificent guns that he prized the most. This Boutet gun, acquired by the Royal Armouries in 1942, is one of them.
The maker was Nicolas-Noël Boutet (1761-1833), one of the greatest gunsmiths of all time. He was a consummate survivor who worked for successive royal, republican and imperial governments. In 1793 Boutet’s atelier, later the Manufacture Nationale d’armes à Versailles, was established in the outbuildings of the former royal palace.
Most of its output was for the military. But Boutet’s speciality was fabulous armes de luxe. His official brief was “to surpass everything else ever made and reach a level of perfection that foreign countries will despair of”. His success lay partly in his dual role as director and chief designer. It earned him the unique title of Directeur artiste, as engraved on the lockplate of this example.
Carlos’s gift consisted of:
two rifles (carabines) of different and complex forms
two pistolets de combat
a fusil double (double-barrelled fowling piece)
six fusils simples (single-barrelled smoothbores)
The importance attached to these instruments of diplomacy is shown by their staggering cost of 130,000 francs (about £5,000,000 today).
The Armouries’ Boutet gun is one of the fusils simples, of 16mm or 18-bore, 136cm long and weighing 5lb 12oz – a light, delicate and exquisite object. The decoration of the Boutet gun is largely in the obsessively classical Directoire style. Its subject matter chosen to match the status of the recipient and the object’s purpose.
The recipients’s portrait on the ramrod socket. Carlos IV picked out in style.
Details include a relief figure (silver on a gold background) of the goddess Diana, with hound, bow and quiver on the finial. Also a boar-hunt in Graeco-Roman style on the left lockplate and a Medusa head and trophy of the Liberal Arts on the trigger guard and a trophy of Roman arms on the butt plate. A golden fox on the lock plate attacks a golden hound. The contemporary mania for all things Egyptian left its mark in the three-dimensional ebony caryatid on the underside of the grip. The recipient is personally acknowledged by the escutcheon plate bearing a crowned “C” and his portrait, framed by attributes of royalty, at the ramrod socket.
Whether Carlos ever used this gun is unknown. But we can imagine him walking-up his quarry, accompanied by his bearers and loaders, revelling in the style and splendour of his fabulous present.
Mike Yardley tells you which guns to seek out at the CLA Game Fair this year. For the best guns at the Game Fair read on...
Gunmakers Row is always the centre of the show. Michael Yardley advises on buying and considers this year’s new models.
The best Game Fair guns will be lining the paths of Gunmakers Row at the CLA Game Fair 2015. Head up north to Harewood House in Yorkshire and join The Field and all your favourite gunmakers this year. Gunmakers Row has some new guns on offer from English Gunmakers, leading importers as well as renowned gunmakers from around the world. Just don’t forget your shotgun certificate.
Do not let the sun and sloe gin taint your buying decision, the suppliers and manufactorers will be there to advise you on these Game Fair guns. Make sure you don’t miss out on The Field and the CLA’s Game Chef of the Year competition and do visit us on stand L896 for our very best subscription offer and amazing free gift. We look forward to seeing you there…
And once you have your gun make sure you find the best gunsmith to maintain it.
The top 10 gunsmiths list is a difficult one to restrict. But we gave the task to Mike Yardley and More…
GAME FAIR GUNS
The CLA Game Fair and Gunmakers Row, in particular, has a special fascination for shooting people. One of the world’s great gun emporia, it offers a chance not only to see what’s new (some of which is highlighted here) but an opportunity to gather information about and handle different Game Fair gun models from the big and not-so-big, names. There are also many interesting Game Fair guns, old guns on offer and you can handle nearly all of them. I have lost count of how many obscure but significant old Game Fair guns I first saw at the Game Fair. Much priceless knowledge has been imbibed in long and wonderful discussion with gunmakers, savvy old dealers and fellow members of the Ballistic Brotherhood. To top all this, you have the opportunity to go on the ultimate shooting bargain hunt. There are thousands of “pre-loved” guns and “Game-Fair specials” priced to entice.
Gunmakers row at the CLA Game Fair last year at Blenheim Palace.
Before noting just what might be worthy of special attention gun-wise this year, perhaps a little advice on the best Game Fair guns is called for. So, in no particular order: think carefully about what it is you want (if specific) before you arrive at Harewood House and do some pre-show research if possible; arrive early – it’s a vast event; don’t be in a hurry; use the opportunity to compare different models methodically; ask to trial shoot (often permitted if you push for it); set financial limits (like at auctions, it is easy to get carried away on Gunmakers Row); be really careful of condition with anything second-hand (if capital sums are involved consider taking independent advice); and don’t forget your shotgun certificate. On the basis that time spent in reconnaissance is seldom wasted, you might want to look at the following new models at this year’s Fair:
GAME FAIR GUNS: AYA Centenary 20-bore Round-Action Sidelock
I tested the 12-bore conventional square-bar AYA Centenary for the May issue and was generally impressed with the aesthetic and shooting qualities of this special, limited-edition, commemorative model. I have also had the opportunity recently to handle and shoot the svelte, round-bar, 20-bore Centenary special which will be on display at the Game Fair. Aesthetically, it is significantly prettier than its bigger sibling (itself no Plain Jane). Apart from the elegantly rounded and attractively scroll-engraved and coin-finished action, it is otherwise a conventional and well-executed, Holland & Holland-type sidelock.
The AYA Centenary can be had in round and square action form.
The new AYA, like all Game Fair guns from this well-respected maker, boasts chopper-lump barrels, an action made from a forging that is engineered on well-proven lines and a hand-finished, traditionally oiled stock (attached to the action by means of a proper breech pin rather than the stock bolts seen in most over-and-unders). The Centenary sits between a No 1 and a No 2 and was designed to be both attractive and affordable with an RRP around £10,000, not huge by modern standards. AYA sidelocks – “the logical alternative” – are well proven and this one is particularly appealing because of its excellent proportions and embellishment, all the more so as it may be made to measure at little extra cost. If I were ordering, it would be a 30in 20-bore with a flat, file-cut rib, twin triggers and a Prince of Wales stock.
RRP: £10,170, round bar; £9,690, square bar. See them on the ASI stand.
GAME FAIR GUNS: Beretta 486 Parallelo 20-bore EL
The Beretta 486 Parallelo 20-bore EL.
Beretta scored quite a success with its Parallelo 486 side-by-side. That replaced the old model 471 which never really inspired although, like most Berettas, it was well made and reliable. The new 486 had a rounded and entirely redesigned action that incorporated classic V-springs rather than the helical variety seen in the rather pedestrian 471s (and most non-premium Beretta over-and-unders). The rear of the action bar was asymmetrically scalloped, giving the new gun a modernistic but stylish look. The pricing – less than £4,000 – made the new gun affordable, too. It had some interesting features: you could, for example, switch off the ejectors (as you could in the older, less-stylish 471). In 30in 12-bore form the Parallelo was the best-shooting Beretta side-by-side yet.
This year smaller-bore Parallelos have been appearing; first, the 20-bore and, at the time of writing, a 28-bore, too. The gun shown is the elegant 20-bore, side-plated EL, which, like the AYA, has especially attractive features. For the first time, Beretta is offering its 20-bore side-by-sides with 30in barrels, which will make them more attractive to the British market. My choice would be a 30in gun with a pistol grip and beavertail fore-end (Beretta also offers a conventional, straight-hand grip option). All its guns are equipped with an inertia-operated single trigger.
They are priced from £3,875 in 12-, 20- or 28-bore for standard models and from £6,675 with sideplates. You can see them on the GMK stand.
GAME FAIR GUNS: Benelli over-and-under 828u
Benelli put a great deal of effort into its new, rather radical over-and-under (launched internationally with considerable fanfare earlier in the year but only now becoming available in the UK). Its Dan Dare-styling will not appeal to everyone. As a design and engineering exercise, it is impressive nevertheless. Benelli is, of course, famous for its repeaters and especially its inertia-operated semi-automatic guns. Clearly, something of that experience has been put into the new 828, which has an aluminium and most unusually bolted action (where the front part of the breech face, fabricated from steel and about 1⁄4in thick, is hinged and locks into the back of the monobloc; the barrel, rather than the action, takes all the stress).
The Benelli 828u, only now available in the UK, has 40 stock adjustment options.
Other features of the new Benelli over-and-under include a stock that may be adjusted (with 40 options) for drop and cast by means of plastic shims. There is also provision to adjust length of pull without gunsmithing by changing the hi-tech pads. The “Impulse” ejector work is unconventional, too: the ejector trips are activated by the pressure of the cartridge when it is fired. Just as novel is the clever “Progressive Comfort” recoil-reduction system, which incorporates three sets of interlocking flexible buffers made from polymer. The slightly raised rib – equipped with a fibre-optic front bead – is made from carbon fibre to reduce barrel weight.
The RRP of the 828 is around £2,000. See it on the GMK stand.
GAME FAIR GUNS: Sauer 404
The Sauer 404 with integral mounting rail.
Sauer rifles already have a substantial following in this country with the 202 model being one of the more popular modern stalking rifles. The new 404 builds on strong foundations and offers some major changes – probably inspired by recent successful Blasers and Mausers – in a stylish, well-engineered package. There is an entirely new safety mechanism with a cocking-type safety on the back of the bolt. The rifle is not cocked until the safety is taken off. There is no need to fit scope bases (or drill the receiver) as there is an integral mounting rail to accommodate the equally new “Sauer Universal Mount”. The trigger, attached to the forward sling swivel and adjusted by an Allen key, allows for four different weights. The same key is used for changing barrels and removing the stock. Another development is that bolts no longer need to be changed in their entirety when altering calibres/barrels, only the bolt face. The gun has already received much positive attention and may be seen at Swillington Shooting Supplies.
RRP from £2,500.
GAME FAIR GUNS: Miroku MK60 High Pheasant 32in 20-bore
The Miroku MK60 is just one of the myriad guns to be found on Gunamkers row.
Many experienced game-shots thought the 32in 12-bore MK60 something rather special when it came out last year. We had seen similar guns before but not with long barrels and a narrow, game-style rib. The guns came hand engraved with good-quality wood and in pairs at just over £5,500 – quite a bargain. Browning also had particular success with the “UK Game” 725 20-bore, a 30in and 32in 20-bore that impressed not only with its reasonable price (around £2,000) but with its outstanding shooting qualities and well-conceived, semi-pistol-grip stock.
Now, 32in 20-bore MK60s have arrived and there is little doubt that they will be popular. The scale of the 20 is inherently appealing and, unlike some, the Miroku and Browning guns do not suffer from excessively heavy barrels and have excellent standard stock shapes. The MK60s use a slightly modified B25-style action. Head to the Browning Winchester Miroku stand to see this gun and its larger siblings.
GAME FAIR GUNS: HPX RSR 33in 28-bore
This is the latest model in the HPX range of very-long-barrelled Game Fair guns. Working closely with Perazzi, John Jefferies has developed a highly specialised series of over-and-unders with unusual barrel and stock specifications offering, he says, better target vision thanks to a different configuration of the top rib and with reversed slope and stocks that allow for a comfortable, higher head position over the breech.
HPX over-and-under with long barrels. Inset above: Sauer 404 with integral mounting rail.
I shot the new gun and was impressed with pointability and the form of the stock, especially the grip and higher comb. I am not convinced that the “reverse slope rib” (RSR) offers an advantage but Jefferies was the man who developed the long-barrelled “sporter” in the Eighties and the HPX range draws on his experience and expertise. The guns are also available with a conventional (and excellent), slightly ramped, tapered rib.
Prices for the Long Tom 28-bore start at £11,750; 12-bores begin at £8,995, including a personal fitting. Jefferies will also show an entirely new premium model developed in association with another maker.
How to pickle walnuts, and when to pickle walnuts. If you have a walnut tree then preserving them is a treat. They will last for years.
How to pickle wlanuts
How to pickle walnuts is a skill that is worth preserving. Walnuts are delicious and abundant, and a handful of shelled walnuts are a nutritious snack at any time of day. The shelled walnuts are the older nuts. The young green nuts are the ones that need to be picked for preserving. For other methods of preserving see how to make potted shrimp or how to make the most delicious raspberry gin.
When to pick walnuts
The immature green fruit required for pickling needs to be harvested in the summer before the shell has formed. Check for the readiness with a pin: stick it in the end where the flower was and if the shell has started to form it will be about a quarter of an inch in.
What to eat pickled walnuts with
Pickled walnuts work well with ploughmans. Or serve some with your cheese board at the end of supper. They go marvellously with British blue cheese.
Traditionally, blue cheese is a winter favourite but a new style of British blue that’s soft and creamy offers up More…
How to pickle walnuts
Ingredients for 2kg pickled walnuts
225g salt
1 litre malt vinegar
500g brown sugar
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp cloves
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp black peppercorns
1 tbsp fresh grated ginger
Prick the walnuts with a fork and cover with water and the salt.
Leave for a week, then drain and renew with a fresh brine solution for another week.
Drain the walnuts and lay out on trays in a dry, airy place. After a few days they will have turned black.
Combine the remaining ingredients in a saucepan. Bring them to the boil, add the walnuts and simmer for 15 minutes. Cool and spoon the nuts into large jars and cover with the liquid. They should last for years.
Harvest the matured nuts when the protective green hull containing the brown nut splits. These will be perfect in a bowl at Christmas time with a nutcracker to hand. Alternatively they meld exquisitely well with pheasant. Try these pheasant and walnut pasties and take them as a piece when you are out on the hill.
