The third drive, Swiss, is as panoramic as anywhere you would find. Birds are flushed from tall woodland and fly high and majestically over the River Tamar, offering spectacular shooting

A superlative sporting day on a highly regarded mixed shoot presents testing drives, top-notch hospitality and festive fun

- Rory Knight Bruce

WHEN SPORTING eyes turn to the South West, it is often the high-bird shoots of Exmoor they have in their sights. But there are, on the borders of Devon and Cornwall and just beyond, a number of highly regarded mixed shoots that offer a day to test the most experienced and demanding of guns.

One such is Endsleigh (others nearby include Pentillie and Morval), which is run over 2,000 acres of the Hardicott estate near Tavistock. For convenience and hospitality, at the centre of the Endsleigh shoot is the four-star, award-winning Hotel Endsleigh where guns can stay with their dogs in great comfort. Nearby is the iconic Arundell Arms; just a 10-minute rural drive away.

All taking part in the shooting day meet for coffee and the briefing at 8.45am on the parterre of the hotel with fine views over the gardens and, in the valley below, the River Tamar. On its banks a signature drive, Swiss, would be on the card later. With six drives in prospect, guns are also certain in the knowledge they will, at day's end, sit down in Endsleigh's courtyard private dining room to enjoy the culinary and oenophile delights for which the hotel is renowned.