It may be the new shoot on the books but this estate in the Welsh Marches offers diverse drives, well-presented birds and exceptional scenery
It is shooting in Wales – but not as we know it. The birds may be high, fast and furious, the terrain majestic if steep, wreathed in the autumnal foliage of ancient woodland, but it is the sheer luxury, comfort and organisation of the stay and day that assaults the senses and leaves the world outside behind.
Welcome to the Bettws Hall Lodge in the small Welsh border village of Bettws Cede wain, where the River Nant Bechan runs past whitewashed houses and the Bull & Heifer pub, complete with open fires, offers an excellent and informal restaurant and a demon dominoes team. This is the childhood home of Gwyn Evans, who founded Bettws Hall in 1988, and the two lodges form a courtyard around a Georgian house on his former family farm. His aim has been, quite simply, to take on or establish shoots to “combine the finest driven pheasant and partridge shooting in the UK with sporting destinations of the highest standards”.
It is all a far cry from the first syndicate I joined, as a teenager, in Northamptonshire in the 1970s, albeit on a ducal estate, where we spent the weekends in a rented council house and the long, rather magnificent shoot lunches were in a wooden shed. My fellow guns included a White Russian prince and a racehorse trainer with a wooden leg.
At Bettws Hall, the attention is to detail from the moment the guns arrive. There is a gunroom (in which are displayed top-end Holland & Holland 12-bores and Boxall & Edmiston over-and-unders), kennels for visiting dogs and lodges manager Anne Humphreys is on hand to settle the most weary traveller. A recent seasonal addition to the team has been 18-year-old, Shrewsbury-educated Hamish Foden to help with luggage and questions. “The emphasis here is to do everything before the guest requests it,” he told me.
This story is from the November 2017 edition of The Field.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the November 2017 edition of The Field.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
A sweet-pea Summer
Sweet peas are enjoying an Instagram moment’ but to appreciate fully these charming flowers one must hasten back to the real world, says Ursula Buchan
Top sporting stays
Effortlessly smart and with superb shooting and fishing on the doorstep, these British hotels are the perfect base for fieldsports enthusiasts, says Madeleine Silver
Tradition with a twist
Showcasing the finest British produce from honey, beer and butter to game and venison, this month’s trio of dishes truly encapsulate the taste of Britain, says Philippa Davis
Daylesford
Organic farming at its finest
The best of British breeds
When it comes to developing and establishing the world’s most popular gundog breeds, Britain has a lot to be proud of, says David Tomlinson
Ping and you're winning
An email alert for burgonets coming to auction draws Roger Field’s attention to a promising lot. Meanwhile, a sale from novelist John le Carré’s estate temporarily raises an eyebrow
Saving the queen of flowers
Trailing clouds of glory into your garden, historic roses are as vital a part of British heritage as a Gainsborough painting and must be preserved
Long live the sporting pub
Not just a place to drink, the right kind of country pub is a beacon for fieldsports enthusiasts. The Star Inn in Harome is one such spot
The sole survivors
An increasingly casual attitude to what we wear has given rise to the so-called dress sneaker’ but proper gentlemen's shoes will never go out of fashion
A win in the willow
The cricket bat industry is steeped in tradition yet must move with the times to meet demand, opening a lucrative door for landowners in the process