The resurrection of Graythwaite

The first person I meet on arrival at Graythwaite Hall is 89-year-old George Martin, who’s brandishing a large bundle of pheasant ties he had made the previous evening. “I’m the fittest beater in Cumbria,” quips the sprightly Martin, who is in charge of the game cart. Perhaps it’s something in the air but there is a palpable fizz of energy pulsing about the courtyard as other younger shoot staff scurry around preparing for the day ahead. Inside the 17th-century house a team of guns from Belgium is finishing breakfast having flown in to Blackpool by private jet the previous evening. Thy are more than just paying guests, however; some have been coming to stay and shoot with the Sandys family at Graythwaite ever since their team leader, Eric Verbeeck, was introduced to Myles Sandys 30 years ago. At that meeting the Belgian was so impressed by the owner’s insouciance that he was determined to take a day, and has enjoyed shooting in this picturesque corner