THE WELSH countryside has been shaped over the centuries by its rural community, a sense of common culture and a passion for sport. Shooting is fundamentally tied to this landscape. In his foreword to the Countryside Alliance’s Shooting in Wales – For Countryside & Community, rugby legend Sir Gareth Edwards CBE declares, ‘I truly believe that shooting in rural Wales is bound up with our nation’s sporting culture and traditions.’ The hills and valleys of this rugged utopia provide some of the most demanding game shooting in the UK. With an eye on sustainability, showing good birds in the right manner and challenging sport, we look at some of the best shoots that Wales has to offer.
BRIGANDS
A flagship of the Bettws Hall stable, Brigands is synonymous with particularly high pheasants. Breathtaking in scale, this bracken-clad shoot nestles in the stunning valleys of the Snowdonia National Park. Composed of traditional hill farms, Brigands is perched 1,500ft above sea level and ranges over 12,000 acres. Bouquets of pheasants are driven off the mountainsides across the waiting (often quivering) line of guns. There are a range of drives but be warned: they are not for the faint-hearted. Favourites such
