The Outdoors
August 2015The Glorious Twelfth
Traditionally, the end of the British Summer Season was 12th August, by which time the upper classes had left London and travelled to the country, often Scotland, for the grouse-shooting season. Grouse-shooting became an upper-class obsession in the second half of the 19th century, championed by the Prince of Wales (later Edward VII). His enthusiasm for shooting was then equalled and even surpassed by that of his son, King George V.
Red grouse is a species unique to the Scottish Highlands and uplands of northern England. They only eat heather, have an unpredictable breeding pattern and are virtually impossible to rear and release. There are only 610 grouse moors in the world – 450 in Scotland, 160 in England.
Grouse-shooting is an expensive privilege, traditionally only accessed via family invitation. It is now available through the membership of a syndicate or, more commonly, commercial estates which open their doors to guests for days of driven grouse-shooting.
Driven grouse-shooting has a formal structure made up of ‘drives’ where the Guns (those who are shooting) line out at numbered ‘butts’ (small enclosures) and the beaters and their dogs flush out the grouse from the moorland. This provides the Guns with a sporting shot that, if successful, is then quickly retrieved by trained gun dogs. There are a number
of drives throughout the shooting day.
Dress Codes
Guns should wear shooting suits. Stout shoes are generally better than boots, but wellingtons and waterproofs may be worn in wet weather. While shooting stockings are conventionally garish, clothes must be muted in colour. Non-shooters should wear practical countrywear.
