The perfect playground

What makes the ideal sporting estate? Situation? Range of sport available? Luxury accommodation? Leading sporting land agents offer their opinions

- ANNA TYZACK

The Royal Family knows better than anyone that a sporting estate is essentially a catalyst for a good party. “There should be so much variety of fun and sport that your friends are always desperate for an invitation,” says Jonathan Kennedy of CKD Property Advisers (ckd.co.uk). Exactly what makes an estate desirable is subjective, however; even Her Majesty’s Sandringham Estate in Norfolk – which offers wild pheasants, grey partridges, rabbiting, ferreting and trout fishing – and Balmoral in Aberdeenshire – where there are 50,000 acres of grouse moors, stalking hills and salmon fishing – aren’t ‘perfect’ sporting estates. Such a thing simply doesn’t exist, maintains sporting estate expert George Goldsmith, who has some of the country’s finest estates on his books (georgegoldsmith.com). “It’s like trying to find the perfect home – if you cover off three things on your wish list, you’ve done pretty well. Any more than that and you’ve nailed it.”