The movement of the muntjac buck can first be seen in the half-light. However, we have to wait for the pre-dawn grey to relinquish its grip, finally revealing the verdant green of the valley below, before we can catch sight of him once more. The buck at last emerges from…
This test spotlights the latest Sako Finnlight model 90 rifle, imported by GMK of Fareham. Both Sako – once, and rather remarkably, owned by the Finnish Red Cross – and GMK are now part of the expanding Beretta empire. We have tested a Sako 90 before but this gun, a…
Most seasoned anglers will no doubt have heard the phrase ‘observation, imitation, presentation’ or OIP. This three-step mantra neatly condenses the complexity of fly-fishing (and arguably many other forms of fishing) down to a stark summation of its parts. Fly anglers place a huge amount of emphasis on the ‘imitation’…
What started across the pond in the 1960s as a game for children to play in their backyards is vying with padel to become one of the UK’s fastest-growing sports. While pickleball’s largest market remains the USA – indeed, it was named the state sport for Washington in 2022 –…
Brilliant barbel The angler is looking for gravel-bottomed glides between four and six feet on the river. You can wade carefully and the gear is simplicity itself, with just between one and three SSG shot on your line. (SSG shot used to be called ‘swan shot’ and are about the…
The renowned wildlife artist, author, international competitor in skating, sailing and gliding, wildfowler and broadcaster Sir Peter Scott became the father of modern conservation, founding the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust in 1946. He was born in 1909, the only child of Captain Robert Falcon Scott, the celebrated polar explorer, and…
David Howden is regarded by many as the insurance world’s answer to Richard Branson. His dynamism has shaped Howden, the insurance company he helped found 30 years ago, into the empire it is today. However, it’s not the likes of Necker Island and taking to the skies that occupy him…
Padel involves a decompressed ball being hit over a low net on a rectangular court measuring 10 metres by 20 metres. It uses the same scoring as tennis and, while there are some singles courts, it’s mainly played as doubles. And although the Brits were a little sluggish to adopt…
This test looks at the latest model of Maxum over-and under from Caesar Guerini, imported by Anglo Italian Arms in Solihull. It is a 30in 20-bore with a single selective trigger and a solid, tapered sighting rib. The gun, proofed for high-performance steel (up to 1/2 choke) at 1,320 bar…
There is a serious danger that we may just have lost our last excuse for having so many dogs. Up until now there has really been no answer in Britain to the argument that we need our traditional labradors for sitting on the peg and retrieving; springer spaniels to do…
