Angmering Park West Sussex

Appearances can be deceptive – and no more so than in the case of the Angmering Park Shoot in West Sussex, which is set over 6,000 acres of land in the South Downs. Having driven from Arundel, where the castle sits sentinel high above the surrounding flat and rather docile land, it’s hard to see how Angmering Park has built a reputation for high birds. The approach to the shoot lodge does little to belie this view.

Warmly greeted by Nigel Clutton, who took charge of the shoot 31 years ago, I ask the obvious, if somewhat impertinent, question: “Tall birds, from here?” His reply is simple: “You’ll see.”

Against the warmth of the log fire in the lodge, Clutton introduces me to the shooting party for the day: Richard Andrew, Sheila and Rod Flavell, Gavin Knight, David Moorhouse, Michael Prideaux, Martin Reed, Paul and Michael Roy. And then, over coffee, gives me a quick history of his involvement with Angmering Park

“My late