SNOW and sleet and driven storm were now full in our faces… I could have laughed aloud, for the pace and the fun and the novelty, till I saw something bigger and uglier that I had ever seen before. And a man riding at it, too! The ditch seemed boundless, the bank was as the Great Wall of China, yet there was Mr Gore and his chestnut flinging upward and into it, and pinned to its side like a fly to a window-pane, till the mare drew herself foot after foot to the summit.”
This was how the great 19th-century hunting correspondent Edward Pennell- Elmhirst, who wrote for The Field under his pen name of Brooksby, described a blistering day with the Ward Union Hunt in Ireland. With its vivid language, adrenaline-inducing drama and acute sense of humour, Brooksby’s writing transports us in an instant to the snow-swept fields of 19thcentury Ireland, where we too can imagine ourselves facing the gargantuan banks.
Nearly a century later, another hunting correspondent, Michael Clayton, transports us into the midst of a day with the Quorn with the same panache: “Those who made the hack back to Walton Thorns for the last draw were indeed rewarded. The air was still; the evening sun a golden ball and the trees and hedges were black against the pale green of the turf. At 4.20 pm hounds spoke enthusiastically… Joint-Master Mr James Teacher, our field master on this day, led us over the superb grass and hedges of Mr Evans’ farm… On one downward swoop over a drop fence, I swear that I had time to check my watch carefully before landing.”
Esta historia es de la edición September 2020 de The Field.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición September 2020 de The Field.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
Rory Stewart - The former Cabinet minister and hit podcast host talks to Alec Marsh about the parlous state of British politics, land management and his deep love of the countryside
The gently spoken 51-year-old former Conservative Cabinet minister is a countryman at heart. That's clear: he even changes into a tweed waistcoat for the interview, which takes place at his London home and begins with a question about his precise career status. Having resigned from the Commons and the Conservative Party in 2019, the former diplomat and soldier has reinvented himself, first with an unconventional but promising run as an independent for the London mayoralty (abandoned because of COVID19 in 2020) and then as a media figure, co-hosting one of the country's most popular podcasts, The Rest Is Politics, alongside Alastair Campbell, the former Labour spin doctor.
Fodder
Local fare with the feel-good factor.
Celebrating the game changers
Once served only in the traditional manner, the fruits of our forays now find their way into all manner of diverse and delicious dishes, say Neil and Serena Cross
The first civil engineer
John Smeaton left an indelible mark on the field of engineering and, three centuries after his birth, his legacy remains as strong as ever
School spirits
From grey ladies and ghostly gardeners to more malign entities, public schools are a rich repository of unnatural phenomena
'A long way from Piccadilly or Pall Mall'
Marking 150 years since the birth of Sir Winston Churchill, Dr Conor Farrington explores this eminent statesman’s often-overlooked 1907 tour of British East Africa: a journey rich with enchanting natural beauty and sporting adventure
Top of the pups
Canines in all their guises were celebrated at The Field Top Dog Awards lunch at Defender Burghley Horse Trials whether eager on the peg, patient at home or perpetually making mischief
Angling for success
It’s never too early to shape up for next season’s salmon and trout, and these top fishing schools are here to help
Talking scents
The canine nose is an astonishingly complex piece of biotechnology that man has harnessed for sustenance and sport for thousands of years
Wall-to-wall excitement
Criss-crossed by formidable drystone walls, the High Peak Harriers’ scenic country provides a day out with an exhilarating difference