High birds and high jinks at Lanhydrock

Covering 2,500 acres, Lanhydrock Shoot is located in south Cornwall on the dramatic Lanhydrock estate. While Lanhydrock House, gardens and parkland were gifted to the National Trust by the 7th Viscount Clifden and the Robartes family in 1953, the estate and its shoot are in the safe hands of the Viscount’s grandson, Andrew Williams, who took over in 1998. Williams has transformed the family estate into a commercial shoot of the highest order.

“Back in the 1970s my father enjoyed rough shooting typified by bags of 20 birds, great camaraderie and a hearty lunch,” says Williams. “Today, we regularly achieve 200- to 250-bird days but the soul of the shoot remains the same, centred on great companionship and a fine meal served in the shoot lodge. As in my father’s day, lunch remains the cornerstone of the day.”

“We’ve planted 40,000 trees and introduced wildlife corridors”

Part of the fun of the Lanhydrock Shoot is its peculiarities. Putting work aside for the day is central to that, so they have a no mobile phone rule, except at lunch. If you’re