Graythwaite Estate (Cumbria)

“The Graythwaite Estate has been owned by the Sandys family since the mid-16th Century. The 5000-acre private Estate is located within the South Cumbria Low Fells and is situated on the western shore of Lake Windermere within the Lake District National Park and World Heritage Site.” Wow, just look at this place. “Beauty in the heart of the Lake District” says the website, eulogising the “breathtaking panoramic views of Windermere” and doing weddings “From intimate to elaborate & from boho to decadence”. There is cycling, sailing, wildlife everywhere – in fact, visitors can trade “road rage for pheasant and peacock dodging; there’s no shortage of nature here.” Wait, was that a mention of ‘pheasant’? A non-native bird that wouldn’t be found within a thousand miles of the Lake District unless…Yep, unless, they are there to be shot. While it’s not given pride of place on the website used to entice tourists, the shooters’ site GunsOnPegs has the gory details (and now of course so do we): “The Graythwaite Shoot is a family run shoot in the heart of the English Lake District…The shoot covers just over 5,000 acres and it offers drives of varying diversity…and some particularly testing driven birds that are more akin to those of Devon and Cornwall. All shooting parties are hosted from either Graythwaite Hall or Silverholme Manor…George Sandys, 35, runs the shoot and hosts all the days. He is the middle son of Myles and Camilla Sandys, who have both been running shooting parties at Graythwaite for 40 years….” etc etc. Yet another estate selling something wholesome and family-oriented to the summer crowds, and something entirely less wholesome to the small army of people travelling around the UK to blow pheasants out of the sky…