A win for Arwen, geese and wigeon

Of every sort of adventure requiring a shotgun, nothing evokes a sense of history and place in quite the same way as wildfowling. This most ancient and noble shooting sport is rooted firmly in mankind’s hunter-gatherer past, when a longshore gunner bringing home a few ducks and geese often meant the difference between feeding a family or going hungry.

My destination was a bit of foreshore that lies adjacent to an ancient parcel of land, steeped in wildfowling lore as well as ancient history. The area has a remote feel to it, with narrow roads bordered by low stone walls leading the inquisitive traveller, birder or wildfowler away from the busy tourist routes to a place where time moves at its own leisurely pace. My earliest memories of this coast are from half a century ago when I came here birdwatching, often in winter. In those days, before I’d contemplated picking