We went to this charming little restaurant on our last night in Beaune. Booking is essential as it only small and very popular and we witnessed numerous people being turned away. The service was knowledgeable and friendly, there was an an excellent wine list and some serious cooking in a cosy unpretentious atmosphere.
I knew that we were in trouble when on arriving at the restaurant we were greeted with a blackboard proclaiming "le truffes et arrivee!" The truffle menu had to be ordered for at least two persons and Robert and I could not resist it. At a cost of £60.00 each it did not make for a cheap night but the food was very good and they were generous with the truffles which we had on 4 successive courses. Starting with foie gras and creamy potatoes then moving on to oueffes coquette which was perhaps my favourite use of the truffles. We then had a fish course of a local white fish which was excellent. Rose had the same fish as a main course but served with a red wine sauce which perhaps overpowered it a little. Sadly I am yet to be converted to fish and red wine as a combination.
We then moved onto our main course of Burgundian beef, very good but I think that truffles go best with dishes of delicate flavour that allow you to pick up all the nuances and smells of the truffle itself. As puddings were included in the price and even though I was full to bursting I ordered a rose pannacotta and was I pleased that I did. This was a simply awesome sweet of rose scented, creamy smooth pannacotta that was just so good that I made everybody try it! A real triumph that summed up this lovely little restaurant that I would heartily recommend to anybody going to Beaune.
RESTAURANT LE P'TIT PARADIS
25, rue du Paradis 21200 Beaune. Téléphone : 03 80 24 91 00
Restaurants in Cumbria
Thursday, 15 October 2009
Friday, 5 June 2009
Sea trout and Salmon Fishing at Newton on the River Lune
River Lune May 28th 2009
I had received a lovely invite to fish on the River Lune from Rob and Annie Rusby and although I have a lot of things going on at the moment, the temptation to go got the better of my conscience. I managed to get off straight after lunch and arrived at the fishing below Kirkby Lonsdale at 3.00pm. As the Rusby's were delivering wine and not arriving until 4.30pm I elected to fish the top most pool Coneygarth, as I had plenty of time to walk up there, and the two labs Tia and Bolly would get some exercise. A quick look at the river revealed a nice water of perhaps a foot above summer levels with a good tea coloured stain to it.
As I had been invited primarily to fish for salmon I put my salmon rod up and after some deliberation elected to put a fairly bushy size 8 cascade double on. However remembering successful times for sea trout later in the season in the past I decided to add a dropper and try to cover all eventualities. The wading is very easy in this pool and I do not think that the bottom is rocky or weedy so I felt it was worth the risk of fishing two flies. Having added a smaller thunder and lightening type double as a dropper I set of.
The afternoon had got even better, it was warm still but some cloud had come over and I walked upstream with some optimism. The pool has a fast running neck which runs into a widening main pool which continues on for some distance gradually getting slower. On this height of water the pool was still a good 200 yards long. I went in just below the neck and was relieved that by tapering my leader and using different sized flies they were turning over perfectly even though I was spey casting rather than overhead casting as I wanted to fish fairly square. After about a dozen casts I got a take as I was stripping near the end of the swim. It dashed of and I thought sea trout immediately and after a brief fight I beached a nice 2lb sea trout on the large cascade which I returned. As I continued down the pool I caught a further 2 sea trout all on the cascade of a similar size and was starting to regret not fishing with my sea trout gear as the fish were outfaced by the 15ft salmon rod.
I then went back to the top of the pool and as the water was clearing rapidly and had fallen back a little I started higher up the neck in the much faster water. I was rewarded with three more sea trout in quick succession and a feeling of pleasure and elation at seeing and catching so many sea trout. The last few years have been increasingly tough for catching sea trout over the whole country and it would be fantastic if there is a recovery in numbers. I returned all the sea trout but would have been tempted to have kept one but did not as I thought that the law prohibited taking all migratory fish until June 15th However on catching up with Robert and Annie they asked if I had kept one and I said “no its illegal” Robert informed me that it was legal to keep a sea trout and that the laws just apply to spring salmon. I disagreed and several friends in the hotel later agreed with me, but a quick google in the morning proved us all wrong and an apology to Robert was due.
Sadly the clearing of the water and a slight drop in temperature signalled the end of the sea trout though Robert did catch a 2lb plus brownie which the water there is stuffed with. We rounded of a special afternoon for me with a meal back home at The Tufton. I owed Robert a favour so I did the wines out of my own cellar. A 1997 Alsace Pinot Gris, Grand Cru as an aperitif and to go with various starters. A 1998 Château Corbin-Michotte to complement the local racks of lamb. Definitely the highlight of the evening the Corbin was judged blind by Robert and he placed it initially as an older wine of perhaps Figeac or Ausonne class in St Emillion. I was delighted as I have several cases of it and have much pleasure in store. With cheese and putting the world to rights we enjoyed an old favourite from Beaune, Phillipe Dufouleurs 1997, Cents Vignes. A perfect end to a wonderful day.
Sea Trout Fishing
Salmon Fishing
Vintage Wines in Cumbria
I had received a lovely invite to fish on the River Lune from Rob and Annie Rusby and although I have a lot of things going on at the moment, the temptation to go got the better of my conscience. I managed to get off straight after lunch and arrived at the fishing below Kirkby Lonsdale at 3.00pm. As the Rusby's were delivering wine and not arriving until 4.30pm I elected to fish the top most pool Coneygarth, as I had plenty of time to walk up there, and the two labs Tia and Bolly would get some exercise. A quick look at the river revealed a nice water of perhaps a foot above summer levels with a good tea coloured stain to it.
As I had been invited primarily to fish for salmon I put my salmon rod up and after some deliberation elected to put a fairly bushy size 8 cascade double on. However remembering successful times for sea trout later in the season in the past I decided to add a dropper and try to cover all eventualities. The wading is very easy in this pool and I do not think that the bottom is rocky or weedy so I felt it was worth the risk of fishing two flies. Having added a smaller thunder and lightening type double as a dropper I set of.
The afternoon had got even better, it was warm still but some cloud had come over and I walked upstream with some optimism. The pool has a fast running neck which runs into a widening main pool which continues on for some distance gradually getting slower. On this height of water the pool was still a good 200 yards long. I went in just below the neck and was relieved that by tapering my leader and using different sized flies they were turning over perfectly even though I was spey casting rather than overhead casting as I wanted to fish fairly square. After about a dozen casts I got a take as I was stripping near the end of the swim. It dashed of and I thought sea trout immediately and after a brief fight I beached a nice 2lb sea trout on the large cascade which I returned. As I continued down the pool I caught a further 2 sea trout all on the cascade of a similar size and was starting to regret not fishing with my sea trout gear as the fish were outfaced by the 15ft salmon rod.
I then went back to the top of the pool and as the water was clearing rapidly and had fallen back a little I started higher up the neck in the much faster water. I was rewarded with three more sea trout in quick succession and a feeling of pleasure and elation at seeing and catching so many sea trout. The last few years have been increasingly tough for catching sea trout over the whole country and it would be fantastic if there is a recovery in numbers. I returned all the sea trout but would have been tempted to have kept one but did not as I thought that the law prohibited taking all migratory fish until June 15th However on catching up with Robert and Annie they asked if I had kept one and I said “no its illegal” Robert informed me that it was legal to keep a sea trout and that the laws just apply to spring salmon. I disagreed and several friends in the hotel later agreed with me, but a quick google in the morning proved us all wrong and an apology to Robert was due.
Sadly the clearing of the water and a slight drop in temperature signalled the end of the sea trout though Robert did catch a 2lb plus brownie which the water there is stuffed with. We rounded of a special afternoon for me with a meal back home at The Tufton. I owed Robert a favour so I did the wines out of my own cellar. A 1997 Alsace Pinot Gris, Grand Cru as an aperitif and to go with various starters. A 1998 Château Corbin-Michotte to complement the local racks of lamb. Definitely the highlight of the evening the Corbin was judged blind by Robert and he placed it initially as an older wine of perhaps Figeac or Ausonne class in St Emillion. I was delighted as I have several cases of it and have much pleasure in store. With cheese and putting the world to rights we enjoyed an old favourite from Beaune, Phillipe Dufouleurs 1997, Cents Vignes. A perfect end to a wonderful day.
Sea Trout Fishing
Salmon Fishing
Vintage Wines in Cumbria
Thursday, 4 June 2009
The Nut Tree Inn Murcott near Bicester
Surfing round the internet for somewhere special to eat the Oxford side of the Cotswolds I was delighted to find the Nut Tree with its recently awarded Michelin Star. In our old farming days we used to visit the Nut Tree quite regularly, as it was about an half an hours drive from our farm near Tring and had a deserved reputation for excellent steaks. It was run by a very genial mine host who got on well with my father and I have happy memories of some enjoyable times there.
It was with a sense of anticipation and slight trepidation that I drove through Murcott to the pub as my last visit would have been all of 25 years ago and I often find that revisiting places after such a gap often gives a slight feeling of disappointment that things are not as you remember. However for once in my life it was better than I remembered. A lovely, picture postcard, thatched building, very nicely kept up with a friendly feel on entering. Two ducks were waddling gently out the door as we walked in and with a smile we elected to sit outside on the back terrace as it was a perfect afternoon.
A one choice luncheon menu was incredibly priced at £17 for a Michelin star production but as nearly always happens I suspect, we ended up choosing different dishes off the full menu to try and fully sample the food. For starters we shared some Seared Scallops with Lemon Curd, Caviare and Fennel that was simply fantastic. The superbly cooked diver caught scallops with the sweetness of the lemon curd and the crunchiness and flavour of the fennel, was a truly winning combination. Weirdly we felt that the caviare was not needed and we would rather have had another scallop! I have an army friend who's dictum is “time spent on reconnaissance is seldom wasted” and I had read the website and picked up on the passion and reputation for pork dishes so we had the Pork Terrine. Again this was extremely good with a true depth of flavour that went perfectly with the Alsace Pinot Blanc that we had chosen. The wine list was not huge but adequate and the mark up perhaps not unreasonable.
For main course we had Slow Roasted Belly of Pork that really hit the spot, a real favourite of mine. A Salmon Fishcake with a Gratin of Spinach and Tomato Butter Sauce that was bursting with flavours and every morsel was cleared up! For a sweet we shared a soufflé of lime and coconut with some mango sorbet that was just sublime. My bill came to £82 and compared to what you can spend to sample Michelin star food, extremely reasonable. The service was unhurried, efficient and friendly, always a winning combination. I will definitely return given the opportunity and do not intend to leave it another 25 years and we would both thoroughly recommend it to anyone going down the M40 or anybody lucky enough to live close by. It would perhaps also be a good idea to pay a visit before the prices go up!
Restaurants in Cumbria
It was with a sense of anticipation and slight trepidation that I drove through Murcott to the pub as my last visit would have been all of 25 years ago and I often find that revisiting places after such a gap often gives a slight feeling of disappointment that things are not as you remember. However for once in my life it was better than I remembered. A lovely, picture postcard, thatched building, very nicely kept up with a friendly feel on entering. Two ducks were waddling gently out the door as we walked in and with a smile we elected to sit outside on the back terrace as it was a perfect afternoon.
A one choice luncheon menu was incredibly priced at £17 for a Michelin star production but as nearly always happens I suspect, we ended up choosing different dishes off the full menu to try and fully sample the food. For starters we shared some Seared Scallops with Lemon Curd, Caviare and Fennel that was simply fantastic. The superbly cooked diver caught scallops with the sweetness of the lemon curd and the crunchiness and flavour of the fennel, was a truly winning combination. Weirdly we felt that the caviare was not needed and we would rather have had another scallop! I have an army friend who's dictum is “time spent on reconnaissance is seldom wasted” and I had read the website and picked up on the passion and reputation for pork dishes so we had the Pork Terrine. Again this was extremely good with a true depth of flavour that went perfectly with the Alsace Pinot Blanc that we had chosen. The wine list was not huge but adequate and the mark up perhaps not unreasonable.
For main course we had Slow Roasted Belly of Pork that really hit the spot, a real favourite of mine. A Salmon Fishcake with a Gratin of Spinach and Tomato Butter Sauce that was bursting with flavours and every morsel was cleared up! For a sweet we shared a soufflé of lime and coconut with some mango sorbet that was just sublime. My bill came to £82 and compared to what you can spend to sample Michelin star food, extremely reasonable. The service was unhurried, efficient and friendly, always a winning combination. I will definitely return given the opportunity and do not intend to leave it another 25 years and we would both thoroughly recommend it to anyone going down the M40 or anybody lucky enough to live close by. It would perhaps also be a good idea to pay a visit before the prices go up!
Restaurants in Cumbria
Wednesday, 4 February 2009
Spring Salmon Fishing a Fickle Affair
Each year on the completion of the shooting season my thoughts turn immediately to salmon fishing and I experience a desperate yearning to get the rods out and get started. So when Frank rung with an opportunity to kick the season off on the River Dee fishing West Durris and Lower Crathes I said “yes” immediately. It is a world famous beat that I had never fished before and was a chance to get started a week earlier than usual.
We commenced fishing with the two Roberts on Monday 16th February on a nice morning but with a rising water, which sadly by the end of the day was up to 6ft and still rising. I did get an appreciation of what a fantastic beat we were on, a veritable oasis of fly water for nearly all heights of water. Though unfortunately for us not at 6ft plus. We did fish on the Tuesday and caught a few kelts, but the highlight of the day was a casting demonstration from world champion Gordon Armstrong who was fishing with us. Equally remarkable was watching Franks 12 year old son Tom casting after just one day of tuition from Gordon. Not a big lad for his age but using a 14ft rod with a full sunk line he gave a perfect imitation of Gordon’s technique casting a good 25 yards plus with fantastic turnover of the fly. A lesson for us all in that timing and technique are a lot more effective than power!
On Wednesday though the water had dropped below 6ft and was falling and we felt we had more of a chance. I was put in second pool below the bridge and although the water was still very high it was possible to slow the fly down enough to stand a chance. As I got half way down and was covering the stream past a little promontory I had a good solid take just as I was slowly stripping line near the end of the swim. A good fight followed and I started to look for a beaching place, but to no avail. I then tried On Wednesday though the water had dropped below 6ft and was falling and we felt we had more of a chance. I was put in second pool below the bridge and although the water was still very high it was possible to slow the fly down enough to stand a chance. As I got half way down and was covering the stream past a little promontory I had a good solid take just as I was slowly stripping line near the end of the swim. A good fight followed and I started to look for a beaching place, but to no avail. I then tried ringing Robert on my mobile but no signal! The fish was still fighting well and perhaps had been on for 20 minutes when Mike French and Robert hove into view to change pools a welcome sight. The fish soon netted we estimated at 17lbs, what a start to the season. I then offered the pool to Mike who said "no finish it of" I went back to about a pace behind where I had hooked the fish and lengthened out my line and first cast hooked another fish of some 12lb. Both fish had been in the river for a few weeks and we speculated that they had possibly come back down stream on the flood.
This first trip was also notable for the extreme numbers of kelts that we caught many of which were fish quite recently spawned that had run the river late. A mention also for The Banchory Lodge Hotel where we were very comfortable, well looked after and the food was especially good.
Salmon Fishing Breaks
We commenced fishing with the two Roberts on Monday 16th February on a nice morning but with a rising water, which sadly by the end of the day was up to 6ft and still rising. I did get an appreciation of what a fantastic beat we were on, a veritable oasis of fly water for nearly all heights of water. Though unfortunately for us not at 6ft plus. We did fish on the Tuesday and caught a few kelts, but the highlight of the day was a casting demonstration from world champion Gordon Armstrong who was fishing with us. Equally remarkable was watching Franks 12 year old son Tom casting after just one day of tuition from Gordon. Not a big lad for his age but using a 14ft rod with a full sunk line he gave a perfect imitation of Gordon’s technique casting a good 25 yards plus with fantastic turnover of the fly. A lesson for us all in that timing and technique are a lot more effective than power!
On Wednesday though the water had dropped below 6ft and was falling and we felt we had more of a chance. I was put in second pool below the bridge and although the water was still very high it was possible to slow the fly down enough to stand a chance. As I got half way down and was covering the stream past a little promontory I had a good solid take just as I was slowly stripping line near the end of the swim. A good fight followed and I started to look for a beaching place, but to no avail. I then tried On Wednesday though the water had dropped below 6ft and was falling and we felt we had more of a chance. I was put in second pool below the bridge and although the water was still very high it was possible to slow the fly down enough to stand a chance. As I got half way down and was covering the stream past a little promontory I had a good solid take just as I was slowly stripping line near the end of the swim. A good fight followed and I started to look for a beaching place, but to no avail. I then tried ringing Robert on my mobile but no signal! The fish was still fighting well and perhaps had been on for 20 minutes when Mike French and Robert hove into view to change pools a welcome sight. The fish soon netted we estimated at 17lbs, what a start to the season. I then offered the pool to Mike who said "no finish it of" I went back to about a pace behind where I had hooked the fish and lengthened out my line and first cast hooked another fish of some 12lb. Both fish had been in the river for a few weeks and we speculated that they had possibly come back down stream on the flood.
This first trip was also notable for the extreme numbers of kelts that we caught many of which were fish quite recently spawned that had run the river late. A mention also for The Banchory Lodge Hotel where we were very comfortable, well looked after and the food was especially good.
Salmon Fishing Breaks
Political Rant
Just a couple of heartfelt gripes to get them of my chest! In the last budget the chancellor put duty on alcohol that has mainly hit the responsible middle classes and used the excuse of binge drinking and under age drinking to try and appear socially responsible. If he really had tried to do something about the problem of excessive drinking by young people with some of the extra money he garnered I think most of us could have stomached it as a package. But to hide the need for extra revenue which he does need behind a few pious utterances makes ones blood boil!
The excessive booze consumed by binge drinkers and youngsters largely comes from supermarkets who use alcohol as a loss leader to attract people to spend money on other products priced properly. Though it is nice to have a cheap bottle of wine or can of beer cheaply at home the effects are far reaching. Pubs have become very expensive and no longer especially in rural areas provide a centre point for the community. When we grew up our local had people from all generations in it and you mixed and picked up social skills and went there to meet people. The presence of older people who you knew perhaps helped prevent the worst excesses! This community has been lost. Youngsters get together in groups on their own and the culture is to get wrecked sometimes before you have even gone out!
I feel the chancellor should have adopted the following measures. Prevent supermarkets selling booze as a loss leader. He would receive more revenue from duty and VAT and actually make binging alot more expensive. It would allow pubs and independent retailers to compete on a level playing field and create jobs. Secondly have a campaign a bit like the aids one years ago explaining the dangers of alcohol to young still maturing bodies. The reason that you cannot buy alcohol until you are 18 is not because you cannot vote! It is actually because the liver is capable of regenerating itself if you give it a chance when you are adult but does not when you are young. Alcohol cannot be processed properly and it will permanently damage the liver for your entire probably fore shortened life. Having this explained to me when I was a young teenager would have changed my habits especially accompanied by a few gory pictures of damaged livers. It would educate both teenagers and parents and though it would not stop everybody it could only help.
Sadly our government is shallow and only concerned with staying in power, never with doing the correct thing. All problems are shelved of onto future generations instead of risking anything that maybe difficult for the electorate to chew on. We are financially bankrupt after years of good times with nothing put by led by a weak people just obsessed with their own situation.
End of rant, at least I feel a little better! Must stress that these are purely personal views and anybody is welcome to disagree!
Tufton Arms Hotel
The excessive booze consumed by binge drinkers and youngsters largely comes from supermarkets who use alcohol as a loss leader to attract people to spend money on other products priced properly. Though it is nice to have a cheap bottle of wine or can of beer cheaply at home the effects are far reaching. Pubs have become very expensive and no longer especially in rural areas provide a centre point for the community. When we grew up our local had people from all generations in it and you mixed and picked up social skills and went there to meet people. The presence of older people who you knew perhaps helped prevent the worst excesses! This community has been lost. Youngsters get together in groups on their own and the culture is to get wrecked sometimes before you have even gone out!
I feel the chancellor should have adopted the following measures. Prevent supermarkets selling booze as a loss leader. He would receive more revenue from duty and VAT and actually make binging alot more expensive. It would allow pubs and independent retailers to compete on a level playing field and create jobs. Secondly have a campaign a bit like the aids one years ago explaining the dangers of alcohol to young still maturing bodies. The reason that you cannot buy alcohol until you are 18 is not because you cannot vote! It is actually because the liver is capable of regenerating itself if you give it a chance when you are adult but does not when you are young. Alcohol cannot be processed properly and it will permanently damage the liver for your entire probably fore shortened life. Having this explained to me when I was a young teenager would have changed my habits especially accompanied by a few gory pictures of damaged livers. It would educate both teenagers and parents and though it would not stop everybody it could only help.
Sadly our government is shallow and only concerned with staying in power, never with doing the correct thing. All problems are shelved of onto future generations instead of risking anything that maybe difficult for the electorate to chew on. We are financially bankrupt after years of good times with nothing put by led by a weak people just obsessed with their own situation.
End of rant, at least I feel a little better! Must stress that these are purely personal views and anybody is welcome to disagree!
Tufton Arms Hotel
Saturday, 17 January 2009
Buying old vintage ports at auction
I have been buying old vintage port from 1917 onwards for my hotels and fishing expeditions for some 12 years now all from auctions or from ebay at the rate of 4 to 6 cases per year and I have never had a bad bottle of port. What set me of on this train of thought is I ran into an old friend yesterday who I had not seen for ages who I sold a bottle of the Sandemans 1917 port to some 12 years ago now and he wanted to know if I had anymore so good was it. When he mentioned the port I immediately thought the worst and it was a relief to hear how good it was! These 4 bottles of port came from a house clearance and were discovered beneath some slates in an old potting shed where they had presumably been since world war 1. The wax seals were broken but all 4 bottles were brilliant.
When buying wine and port at auctions it has always been a worry that the goods you are buying have been stored badly or have simply gone past their best and you will get something home that is rubbish. Unless you are buying from big auction houses selling complete cellars or large lots with a bottle that has been opened there is a risk. However I would urge you with old vintage ports to just get stuck in and get them bought where ever you find them.
Though these experiences are not conclusive I would urge you to view the risks of buying old port as worth taking. Do some research on the years and port houses you are considering buying to get the style that you prefer and get to an auction or click on ebay and buy some. You will also derive pleasure from having really old bottles of port around in your cellar. Much of the enjoyment in life is cleaned from anticipation and what could be more keenly anticipated than a very fine old vintage port?
Nigel Milsom looks after the wine lists in his two hotels The Tufton Arms Hotel in Appleby, Cumbria and The Royal Hotel, Comrie, Perthshire.
When buying wine and port at auctions it has always been a worry that the goods you are buying have been stored badly or have simply gone past their best and you will get something home that is rubbish. Unless you are buying from big auction houses selling complete cellars or large lots with a bottle that has been opened there is a risk. However I would urge you with old vintage ports to just get stuck in and get them bought where ever you find them.
Though these experiences are not conclusive I would urge you to view the risks of buying old port as worth taking. Do some research on the years and port houses you are considering buying to get the style that you prefer and get to an auction or click on ebay and buy some. You will also derive pleasure from having really old bottles of port around in your cellar. Much of the enjoyment in life is cleaned from anticipation and what could be more keenly anticipated than a very fine old vintage port?
Nigel Milsom looks after the wine lists in his two hotels The Tufton Arms Hotel in Appleby, Cumbria and The Royal Hotel, Comrie, Perthshire.
Saturday, 20 December 2008
Grouse Shooting in The Snow on The High Fell
Over the years I have heard many stories of shooting grouse in the snow and indeed I can remember a beaters day in a blizzard 3 years ago which we abandoned half way through due to extreme cold. However my walk and stand day on Dufton Fell on November 24th encountered real snow which had properly covered the moor.
The drive up to our moor is along one some 4 miles off road with the last mile and a half being very steep in places. I followed Frank our keeper who led the way on our polaris bike up the fell. When we got through the old mined areas the road became covered in snow and icy, however my old discovery managed to ascend and on arriving at the hut I leapt out and was shocked by the temperature difference compared to the bottom of the hill and the amount of freshly fallen snow everywhere. Immediately we could see a pack of 200 grouse on the side of a hill where some heather poked through. The excitement of this though was tempered by the fact that only one car had followed me. I had two teams of 11 shooting along with 8 helpers so was nearly 30 people short. Vehicles arrived in dribs and drabs and after well over half an hour we had everybody safely up though several cars were abandoned in the mine area.
I quickly got everybody organised into two teams and after a safety talk took the standing team to the first line of butts. After putting everybody into a butt and checking they knew exactly what was going to happen I went up onto the lefthand flank to help with the flagging. I had heard that grouse become unmanageable in the snow and will not drive so I was somewhat worried as to what might happen. It was very cold particularly as whilst flagging you are not generating any heat by moving around! It took ages for the walking team to come into sight and bring the drive through and it was obvious that it was very hard work walking through the snow drifts. The good news was that grouse went over the guns and quite a few were shot. It was as if the snow had disorientated the grouse and they had forgotten where the butts were.
The teams then swapped around and I took the walking team for their turn to stand as the weather started deteriorating with more snow falling amidst banks of mist. Frank must have been very close to not lining out but by closing in they did manage to bring the drive through again with several good packs going over the butts. It must be said though that by this time the day was definitely not for the faint hearted. We then stopped for lunch of hot soup and hot dogs made with Mrs Ewbanks Cumberland sausages. Which were just fantastic and really hit the spot.
I then gave the two teams the option of stopping if they wanted to. However slightly to my surprise everybody proved to be made of the right stuff and the consensus was to carry on. Our third drive was the long drive out to Meldon Hill called lang drive for obvious reasons. We had by now a stiff easterly wind which although freezing is ideal for the drive. I put the guns out along a natural gulley which hides them nicely and took my place on the flank. Frank sensibly only took the walking team half way out and as they arced around grouse started gathering on the slopes in front of us. The numbers of grouse collecting was staggering. In the snow you could see everything and I cannot imagine that there has ever been more grouse on this bit of the moor. I got depressed as a pack of 250 birds split of and went over the end 2 walking guns who actually shot 3 of them. Almost immediately afterwards a huge pack went over 8 of the 11 standing guns several of whom reloaded and got more shots of. This was followed by a tremendous drive with shooting for everyone. I estimate that we had perhaps a 1000 birds in the drive an extraordinary number for a moor as high as ours. We are obviously worried about next year and worm levels but our worm counts are low. The snow is still there three weeks later and it looks like being a proper winter so hopes springs eternal that we will get away with it and perhaps have a record season for the fell next year.
Unfortunately by now it was nearly dark and we did not have time for the last drive which was fully loaded with all the grouse we had seen. We still had to get safely of the fell, pick up the abandoned cars and get down the steep icy slopes which is far more difficult than going up them. To cut along story short we did all get safely off the fell much to my relief. The bag was 26 Brace and afterwards in the bar at the Tufton Arms we reflected on a special day which although it did not go to plan will remain in everybody’s memories long after most other days have been forgotten.
The drive up to our moor is along one some 4 miles off road with the last mile and a half being very steep in places. I followed Frank our keeper who led the way on our polaris bike up the fell. When we got through the old mined areas the road became covered in snow and icy, however my old discovery managed to ascend and on arriving at the hut I leapt out and was shocked by the temperature difference compared to the bottom of the hill and the amount of freshly fallen snow everywhere. Immediately we could see a pack of 200 grouse on the side of a hill where some heather poked through. The excitement of this though was tempered by the fact that only one car had followed me. I had two teams of 11 shooting along with 8 helpers so was nearly 30 people short. Vehicles arrived in dribs and drabs and after well over half an hour we had everybody safely up though several cars were abandoned in the mine area.
I quickly got everybody organised into two teams and after a safety talk took the standing team to the first line of butts. After putting everybody into a butt and checking they knew exactly what was going to happen I went up onto the lefthand flank to help with the flagging. I had heard that grouse become unmanageable in the snow and will not drive so I was somewhat worried as to what might happen. It was very cold particularly as whilst flagging you are not generating any heat by moving around! It took ages for the walking team to come into sight and bring the drive through and it was obvious that it was very hard work walking through the snow drifts. The good news was that grouse went over the guns and quite a few were shot. It was as if the snow had disorientated the grouse and they had forgotten where the butts were.
The teams then swapped around and I took the walking team for their turn to stand as the weather started deteriorating with more snow falling amidst banks of mist. Frank must have been very close to not lining out but by closing in they did manage to bring the drive through again with several good packs going over the butts. It must be said though that by this time the day was definitely not for the faint hearted. We then stopped for lunch of hot soup and hot dogs made with Mrs Ewbanks Cumberland sausages. Which were just fantastic and really hit the spot.
I then gave the two teams the option of stopping if they wanted to. However slightly to my surprise everybody proved to be made of the right stuff and the consensus was to carry on. Our third drive was the long drive out to Meldon Hill called lang drive for obvious reasons. We had by now a stiff easterly wind which although freezing is ideal for the drive. I put the guns out along a natural gulley which hides them nicely and took my place on the flank. Frank sensibly only took the walking team half way out and as they arced around grouse started gathering on the slopes in front of us. The numbers of grouse collecting was staggering. In the snow you could see everything and I cannot imagine that there has ever been more grouse on this bit of the moor. I got depressed as a pack of 250 birds split of and went over the end 2 walking guns who actually shot 3 of them. Almost immediately afterwards a huge pack went over 8 of the 11 standing guns several of whom reloaded and got more shots of. This was followed by a tremendous drive with shooting for everyone. I estimate that we had perhaps a 1000 birds in the drive an extraordinary number for a moor as high as ours. We are obviously worried about next year and worm levels but our worm counts are low. The snow is still there three weeks later and it looks like being a proper winter so hopes springs eternal that we will get away with it and perhaps have a record season for the fell next year.
Unfortunately by now it was nearly dark and we did not have time for the last drive which was fully loaded with all the grouse we had seen. We still had to get safely of the fell, pick up the abandoned cars and get down the steep icy slopes which is far more difficult than going up them. To cut along story short we did all get safely off the fell much to my relief. The bag was 26 Brace and afterwards in the bar at the Tufton Arms we reflected on a special day which although it did not go to plan will remain in everybody’s memories long after most other days have been forgotten.
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