Back to the grouse! Braving the midge masses I met Fred at the armoury so that I could top-up my ammunition pouches and get the shotguns, once again marveling at the history that lies within the very heart of Invermark. Within the armoury there is a framed record of the numbers of every grouse, hind and stag season from Invermark since 1906 until the present time. There are surely very few places that have such record kept and it’s a privilege to be able to be a part (even a very small one!) of that historical record. Having experienced a little of grouse, stags and hinds and understanding the incredible amount of man hours, blood, sweat and tears that is inherently imbedded in that framed document within The Invermark armoury, once again brings it home to me as to how special this whole experience is and will be for both me and Theresa. 

Having all taken a small bet as to the number of grouse (typically referred to as a “brace” – one brace being two birds) it was interesting to see the optimists (idealists) and the pessimists (realists?) within the group. Andy said the shooters would only get 36 brace for the four drives, I said 78 brace while upper estimates were set at around 90 – 100 brace.  Eventually we set out for Mark and Hans’s beats. Arriving at the butts we found the weather up top ideal for the grouse drives with a cool breeze pushing behind the beaters. Needless to say, two drives later we were already on 33 brace and that’s when it happened – thick, luscious layers of mist started to flow over the distant hills towards us and within minutes had enveloped our group completely. Fred opted to wait for a half hour or so in the hope that it would lift sufficiently to enable the drive to continue but Lady Luck was clearly not on our side and the damp clouds settled in solidly causing Fred to wisely call off the next two drives. Bets were scrapped but the consolation was knowing that we were at least well on the way to bagging at least 60 to seventy brace but possibly even more.

And finally (almost to good to be true) I had the privilege of seeing a Range Rover having to be towed after the battery died. This sight alone was worth at least another 50 brace…