Sports’ holy trinity

Four estates lit the Macnab touch paper during the first week of the grouse season: Amhuinnsuidhe, Blair Atholl, Gannochy and Glen Tanar. All played host to the combination of luck, skill and grit that John Buchan expounded in his 1925 story of John Macnab. The keen start boded well and 2019 became the most successful year to date for the Macnab Challenge, kindly sponsored by Blaser, with 22 Classic Macnabs, a MacAfrican and a Royal Africa, too.

Allan Hemmings, owner of the prolific Gannochy estate in Angus (11 Macnabs this year), was first off the mark this season. “While my guests were finishing their breakfast, I decided to take my dog and fishing rod for a walk to the river. Twenty minutes later I had landed a 5lb silver salmon,” he said. “Walking back to the lodge I wondered how difficult a walking Macnab would be. When I arrived at the lodge, my son said: ‘I thought you were going fishing, Dad.’ He was surprised when I showed him my salmon. It was only 10 o’clock so plenty of time to get a walking Mac-nab, I thought. I’m not going to bore