So a few folk might remember this thread from a while back: Good, inexpensive red stag - another fantastic offer for charity
Caorach was good enough to draw my attention to the auction and I was lucky enough to bid for and win the MacNab opportunity on the Amhuinnsuidhe Estate on the Isle of Harris (a salmon on the fly, a brace of grouse and a stag all in the same day). I'm just back and here's my write-up. Apologies in advance - it's a long one! But I've tried to insert a few photos to break it up and make it a bit more enjoyable to read. Grab a brew (or a glass of malt) and hopefully a few of you enjoy reading about the experience.
It seems like an age since the auction but eventually the time came and we headed north last week. The weather driving up through the highlands was filthy, and didn't really improve by the time we got to Ullapool. At least the rain eased off but it was blowing a hoolie! The 2 1/2hr ferry ride was a really rough one and lots of green faces and sick bags!
In the middle of the crossing the coastguard rescue helicopter came alongside for a bit of practice - amazing flying as they hovered alongside for a good 20 mins in force 7-8 winds!
We stayed in a self catering house towards the south of Harris and the estate were good enough to allow us to fish a bunch of their trout lochs for free. Some light tackle and some hard fighting little brownies made for a great evening or two.
My wife (7 1/2 months pregnant!) wetting a fly on one of the Borve Estate lochs.
One of the Borve Estate lochs, looking back down to the coast
Harris is truly beautiful - we didn't have the best of weather for photos, but the scenery is amazing:
The food wasn't too shabby either:
We even managed an hour or two off the rocks with a few feathers and had a enough mackerel for a rather good supper!
The week seemed to fly by and before I knew it, it was MacNab day. The forecast was truly awful and for once they were bang on. I arrived at the castle and it was incredibly welcoming. There was a party staying at the castle and they all knew about me coming "you must be the chap trying for the macnab?" and there was a degree of excitement about me going out, which all added to the pressure!
Not my picture, but the castle is stunning:
Incidentally, the name of the castle apparently means river of the fairies...
Innes the Estate Manager showed me around, where to dump all my stuff and introduced me to the ghillies - the estate has 5. The was a "picnic room" where I could help myself to lunch; a great spread of cold meats, cheese, rolls, chocolate bars, drinks etc.
While I was sorting lunch, my ghillie tackled up my rod in the fishing room, before we loaded up the pickup with gear and headed off. We were going to be out all day so I had a mountain of kit! Rifle, shotgun, rod, boots, wellies, waders, binos, several jackets, fishing and shooting waistcoats, a couple of caps plus a few bits of dry clothing - all of which I'm glad I took!
The river system as it enters the sea right next to the castle:
We started off after the salmon as apparently that's the hardest. We fished a couple of small pools on the river outside the castle. The water was deep, dark and brooding and it just looked "fishy"!
Sure enough, 3rd cast and bang! I was into a fish. Was it?? Was it?? Nope, only a little sea trout or finnock. Still a nice fighting fish of about 3/4 of a lb.
We fished a couple more pools on the way up the river before heading up to the range for me to put a couple of rounds into the target. Sorry about the colours on this one - iPhone couldn't cope with the contrast between the bright sky (about the only patch of blue sky we saw all day) and the dark foreground:
The range was a bit of a challenge as it was very exposed and there was a 30+ mph crosswind blowing. I pulled my first shot (but knew I had) then put two within 1/2", about an inch left (wind) and an inch high (which is where my rifle is zeroed). The ghillie was happy and off we went for a bit more fishing.
The range - no shelter and the wind is howling right to left:
I fished one of the lochs up by the range, but still no luck with the fish, so the plan was to head to Loch Voshimid, but park up and walk in the last mile or so with the dog and shotgun in the hope of getting the grouse. The scenery in this area is really, really stunning with the huge Stron Scorst towering over the valley. Sadly the weather was deteriorating rapidly, with low cloud and heavy rain so not many decent pictures.
Stron Scorst is the lumpy bit of mountain in the middle of the picture and the Voshimid system is up the valley immediately to its left:
The dog flushed a few grouse and I had a couple of half chances, but nothing straightforward. A few more I had to let go as they stayed low in the wind and no safe shot with the dog in the foreground. We got to the north shore of the loch and I'd fired 2 shots but no grouse in the bag.
I changed into waders and fished the north shore of the loch for an hour or so. The weather was getting worse - the wind picking up and frequent heavy, squally showers were piling in. Casting with a light rod and a couple of decent sized flies (as is the way up there) was hard going, but I had another couple of little sea trout and saw a fair few salmon moving so knew there was a good chance I was putting a fly over a salmon.
But no luck, so after an hour we decided to crack on and try and get the grouse and the stag. I swapped back to the shotgun we set off the mile or so back to the vehicle. We'd not gone 50yds when the dog was obviously onto something and sure enough, a grouse got up and a quick shot - one in the bag. Another 100yds, another grouse; this one a testing curler at a good range. It was hard hit and curled on the wind and dropped over the next hillock. The dog quickly picked it, and we were a third of the way through the challenge but time was marching on - about 1:30pm by now.
To be continued as I can only attach 15 pics per post...
Caorach was good enough to draw my attention to the auction and I was lucky enough to bid for and win the MacNab opportunity on the Amhuinnsuidhe Estate on the Isle of Harris (a salmon on the fly, a brace of grouse and a stag all in the same day). I'm just back and here's my write-up. Apologies in advance - it's a long one! But I've tried to insert a few photos to break it up and make it a bit more enjoyable to read. Grab a brew (or a glass of malt) and hopefully a few of you enjoy reading about the experience.
It seems like an age since the auction but eventually the time came and we headed north last week. The weather driving up through the highlands was filthy, and didn't really improve by the time we got to Ullapool. At least the rain eased off but it was blowing a hoolie! The 2 1/2hr ferry ride was a really rough one and lots of green faces and sick bags!
In the middle of the crossing the coastguard rescue helicopter came alongside for a bit of practice - amazing flying as they hovered alongside for a good 20 mins in force 7-8 winds!
We stayed in a self catering house towards the south of Harris and the estate were good enough to allow us to fish a bunch of their trout lochs for free. Some light tackle and some hard fighting little brownies made for a great evening or two.
My wife (7 1/2 months pregnant!) wetting a fly on one of the Borve Estate lochs.
One of the Borve Estate lochs, looking back down to the coast
Harris is truly beautiful - we didn't have the best of weather for photos, but the scenery is amazing:
The food wasn't too shabby either:
We even managed an hour or two off the rocks with a few feathers and had a enough mackerel for a rather good supper!
The week seemed to fly by and before I knew it, it was MacNab day. The forecast was truly awful and for once they were bang on. I arrived at the castle and it was incredibly welcoming. There was a party staying at the castle and they all knew about me coming "you must be the chap trying for the macnab?" and there was a degree of excitement about me going out, which all added to the pressure!
Not my picture, but the castle is stunning:
Incidentally, the name of the castle apparently means river of the fairies...
Innes the Estate Manager showed me around, where to dump all my stuff and introduced me to the ghillies - the estate has 5. The was a "picnic room" where I could help myself to lunch; a great spread of cold meats, cheese, rolls, chocolate bars, drinks etc.
While I was sorting lunch, my ghillie tackled up my rod in the fishing room, before we loaded up the pickup with gear and headed off. We were going to be out all day so I had a mountain of kit! Rifle, shotgun, rod, boots, wellies, waders, binos, several jackets, fishing and shooting waistcoats, a couple of caps plus a few bits of dry clothing - all of which I'm glad I took!
The river system as it enters the sea right next to the castle:
We started off after the salmon as apparently that's the hardest. We fished a couple of small pools on the river outside the castle. The water was deep, dark and brooding and it just looked "fishy"!
Sure enough, 3rd cast and bang! I was into a fish. Was it?? Was it?? Nope, only a little sea trout or finnock. Still a nice fighting fish of about 3/4 of a lb.
We fished a couple more pools on the way up the river before heading up to the range for me to put a couple of rounds into the target. Sorry about the colours on this one - iPhone couldn't cope with the contrast between the bright sky (about the only patch of blue sky we saw all day) and the dark foreground:
The range was a bit of a challenge as it was very exposed and there was a 30+ mph crosswind blowing. I pulled my first shot (but knew I had) then put two within 1/2", about an inch left (wind) and an inch high (which is where my rifle is zeroed). The ghillie was happy and off we went for a bit more fishing.
The range - no shelter and the wind is howling right to left:
I fished one of the lochs up by the range, but still no luck with the fish, so the plan was to head to Loch Voshimid, but park up and walk in the last mile or so with the dog and shotgun in the hope of getting the grouse. The scenery in this area is really, really stunning with the huge Stron Scorst towering over the valley. Sadly the weather was deteriorating rapidly, with low cloud and heavy rain so not many decent pictures.
Stron Scorst is the lumpy bit of mountain in the middle of the picture and the Voshimid system is up the valley immediately to its left:
The dog flushed a few grouse and I had a couple of half chances, but nothing straightforward. A few more I had to let go as they stayed low in the wind and no safe shot with the dog in the foreground. We got to the north shore of the loch and I'd fired 2 shots but no grouse in the bag.
I changed into waders and fished the north shore of the loch for an hour or so. The weather was getting worse - the wind picking up and frequent heavy, squally showers were piling in. Casting with a light rod and a couple of decent sized flies (as is the way up there) was hard going, but I had another couple of little sea trout and saw a fair few salmon moving so knew there was a good chance I was putting a fly over a salmon.
But no luck, so after an hour we decided to crack on and try and get the grouse and the stag. I swapped back to the shotgun we set off the mile or so back to the vehicle. We'd not gone 50yds when the dog was obviously onto something and sure enough, a grouse got up and a quick shot - one in the bag. Another 100yds, another grouse; this one a testing curler at a good range. It was hard hit and curled on the wind and dropped over the next hillock. The dog quickly picked it, and we were a third of the way through the challenge but time was marching on - about 1:30pm by now.
To be continued as I can only attach 15 pics per post...
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