A day not to be mist

Freezing temperatures and poor visibility could not take the shine off the inaugural ladies' day at Cheney Longville in the heart of Shropshire

- Written by Rosie Nickerson

CHENEY LONGVILLE in the beautiful South Shropshire hills has been in the Minton Beddoes family since the 1700s. Its current owner, Stewart Minton Beddoes, inherited it as a boy and has been running the shoot since 1970. There are 14 days a season: a blend of syndicate and family days, of mainly pheasant with some partridge too. It has naturally undulating land- scape, offering some challenging birds. His daugh- ter Andrea, known as Drea, helps Stewart host the days. “Dad remains the main shoot captain but I step in to take over as and when required,” she says. “A full day out shooting at 85 can be quite exhaust- ing for him, so I generally run the shoot after lunch plus a few whole days during the season. It’s very much a team effort between Dad and me.”

Growing up in the 1980s, Stewart's four daughters were encouraged to beat, not shoot; however, Drea was keen to start. In her mid-twenties she enrolled with friend Fiona Byrd on the Green Feathers course at Holland & Holland Shooting Grounds in west London. “I've met many excellent lady shots over the years; I thought it would be great fun to bring them all together for our first-ever ladies’ day at Cheney Longville,” she explains. So, on a freezing January evening before the shoot, seven lady guns from as far afield as the Scottish Borders, the Isle of Wight, Co Durham, Wales, London and Somerset all assembled with their husbands or partners, dubbed ‘peg-men’. Over fizz, nibbles and a delicious dinner of roast pork, connections were made and reestablished, and it soon felt like we'd known each other for years. Everyone had been invited to stay either in the main house, the converted stables or a nearby cottage.