Chatsworth Estate (Derbys)

The seat of the Duke of Devonshire, Chatsworth Estate in the Derbyshire Dales consists of “a majestic house, 105-acre garden, farmyard, playground and acres of natural parkland to explore”. ‘Explore’ how? On horseback or armed with a shotgun perhaps? Derby Hunt Sabs have an interesting Facebook post on hunts hosted at Chatsworth, and the difference between the ‘clean boot’ hunting of the Four Shires Bloodhounds (hounds follow a human scent) and the so-called ‘trail hunting’ of the Barlow Hunt (hounds purportedly follow a scent trail based on fox urine). The Estate also hosts the Chatsworth Country Fair which routinely invites the Barlow Hunt’s hounds to parade in the ‘Grand Ring’. The Duke has shooting in his genes too. His late mother used to go grouse shooting with the late Prime Minister Harold Macmillan and he owns Bolton Abbey, a 30,000-acre grouse shooting estate in the Yorkshire Dales, and the Hardwick Shoot in Nottinghamshire. The Chatsworth Estate’s website isn’t specific about shooting on the grounds, but under ‘Chatsworth Estate Game’ it talks about a Head Gamekeeper and “Providing the farm shop with Chatsworth Estate pheasant and venison”.