La dolce vita
Sporting Gun|April 2020
Charles Dark tells Philip Reynolds about his Italian influences – and his ambition to make a small corner of Wales a ‘must’ for sportsmen
Charles Dark
La dolce vita

You could be forgiven for thinking that leaving behind la dolce vita in Italy for the drizzle-cloaked hills of mid Wales was, well, a strange decision. To do it twice, perhaps falls into the category of needing your head testing.

Those tempted to agree with that assessment have not reckoned with the pull of the green, green grass of home. The word​ hiraeth in Welsh expresses an indefinable feeling of missing something; a longing for something from the past.

Charles Dark, owner of the Wynnstay Inn in Machynlleth, may have been brought up in the Surrey hills from seven but he is from a Welsh family, and Wales made a lasting impression. His longing was such that he decided to make his life there with his wife Sheila. He had a plan. That plan revolved around his love of good food and wine, allied to a passion for the sporting life. Besides, Wales is beautiful, too, if not quite so climatically favoured.

Charles discovered shooting towards the end of his school years in the late 1960s. His friends used to visit his home in Surrey with their muzzleloaders, no doubt high up on many schoolboys’ wish lists. His first serious experience of shooting was on a relative’s farm in Dolgellau, where he spent holidays.

As with his friends in the Surrey hills, this was old school shooting, with hammerguns. Charles describes it as a touch of “le longue carabine”, Hawkeye-style in The Last of the Mohicans.

He progressed to a side-by-side, which he still shoots – a BSA. A “gentleman’s gun”, as he calls it. “It has always been side-by-sides. They just feel comfortable. They are lighter than other guns and do the job.”

Italian job

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة April 2020 من Sporting Gun.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة April 2020 من Sporting Gun.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

المزيد من القصص من SPORTING GUN مشاهدة الكل
Thermal spectrum
Sporting Gun

Thermal spectrum

Paul Austin explores both ends of the thermal market with latest high-end release from Zeiss alongside a surprising entry-level offering from Xinfrared

time-read
6 mins  |
August 2023
Roe, rucks and new ground
Sporting Gun

Roe, rucks and new ground

Jon Snowdon and his team have much to keep them busy and a new tool to help them

time-read
4 mins  |
August 2023
Tales from a lifetime of foxing
Sporting Gun

Tales from a lifetime of foxing

Join Mike Powell as he explores the evolving world of fox shooting, drawing from a career that spans seven decades

time-read
3 mins  |
August 2023
Fox rot about Charlie
Sporting Gun

Fox rot about Charlie

Patrick Hook responds to claims that fox numbers are dangerously on the wane

time-read
3 mins  |
August 2023
The sniff of success
Sporting Gun

The sniff of success

Join Ryan Kay as he navigates the fascinating dynamic between a handler and their canine companion

time-read
3 mins  |
August 2023
Adventures of Nick & Ted
Sporting Gun

Adventures of Nick & Ted

A new chapter in the histories of Sporting Gun and Sporting Shooter has Nick Ridley reflecting on the dogs he has trained over the years he has been associated with the magazines

time-read
3 mins  |
August 2023
The problem: Inflammation in the nervous system
Sporting Gun

The problem: Inflammation in the nervous system

Vet's advice

time-read
3 mins  |
August 2023
Gundogs Q&A
Sporting Gun

Gundogs Q&A

No problem goes unsolved as Sporting Gun puts your questions to the gundog experts

time-read
4 mins  |
August 2023
Stop-start!
Sporting Gun

Stop-start!

Fran Ardley continues her training tips on disciplining your dog to the stop whistle and the exercises you need to do

time-read
3 mins  |
August 2023
Gundogs at the Game Fair
Sporting Gun

Gundogs at the Game Fair

Organising the Game Fair's prestigious gundog competitions: behind-the-scenes with Francesca Prentice

time-read
2 mins  |
August 2023