Mark Merison of Strutt & Parker recently advertised the sporting rights of an estate to let and received 40 applications within days those of a second estate were sold shortly afterwards to one of the remaining applicants. On the other hand, fewer sporting estates than ever have come to market this year. Of those that have, two well-known estates in the south of England were sold privately in recent weeks, leaving the prestigious Bowcombe estate at Newport, Isle of Wight, the only serious contender currently for sale south of Watford. Historically ranked among the South’s top 10 shooting estates, the scenic 1,227-acre estate for sale through Strutt & Parker (01722 344010) at a guide price of ‘excess £5 million’ is renowned for its challenging high-flying birds it hosts some 26 shooting days a year, with 21 famous drives producing an average daily bag of 245 partridge and pheasant.įor any landowner thinking of getting in on the act, topography is the key to sporting success, says Mr Merison, adding, ‘you can’t deliver a shoot on a billiard table’ although canny East Anglian farmers who offer informal morning and evening duck-shoots at £500 a throw might argue with that opinion. The steep-sided wooded valleys of the West Country produce some of the best shooting in the country, and the sport has provided a lifeline for hard-pressed hill-farmers and landowners in recent years. Local agents Greenslade Taylor Hunt (01823 334466) recently agreed a sale on picturesque Withycombe Farm at Winsford near Minehead, Somerset, for around the £2.25m guide price. Seven or eight years ago, the owner of the 354-acre traditional sheep farm took advantage of the land’s topo-graphy to establish a thriving small shoot offering 25 or more 150-bird days a season, which proved to be a crucial factor in its eventual sale. The sale of lofty Bremridge Farm in glorious countryside on the eastern edge of Exmoor through Humberts (01823 331234) at a guide price of £1.85m offers another chance to develop an exciting small shoot, with several major syndicated shoots nearby. With two houses, beautifully landscaped gardens, 185 acres of ring-fenced pasture and woodland, plus a landing strip and helipad, Bremridge is the ideal setting for a modern mini-shooting party.īut it’s not all about ‘the big guns’, Kyle Blue of Cumbrian agents Penrith Farmers’ & Kidds (01768 862135) insists, citing the entertainment derived from a 13-acre shoot as described by Archie Coats in his classic Amateur Keeper, where much of the day is given over to eating and drinking.
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