Deepdale & Holm Hill Syndicate

SYNDICATE PROFILE

We lease two estates totalling 3700 acres. We have the Deepdale Shoot which is part of Lartington Estate just outside Barnard Castle (County Durham) and the Holm Hill Shoot which is located 10 minutes south of Carlisle in north Cumbria

All our shooting is on a stand one/beat one basis with 9 guns standing, we do not shoot or carry a gun in the beating line. On the shoot day we are split into two teams, 9 in each team and through the day we rotate shooting and then beating. Guns make a daily contribution of £20 (minimum) which is both a “keepers tip” and wages for an additional 4-6 beaters/pickers-up with dogs to bulk up the line and to keep the day running smoothly. Our members need to be fit as you will take your turn at beating and you need to do it properly! We are looking for folks who can appreciate a day in glorious countryside with good friends and enjoy more than just pulling the trigger. We have no interest in folks who want to turn up with a calculator to work out how many birds they should be shooting in order to get “good value”, we are looking for people who contribute socially and to help ensure others have a great day

Shoot days are Friday and Saturday's. We shoot on 23 days over the season so there are plenty of options for folks to be able to select days that suit them.

Novice guns are welcome and novice guns will be allocated a mentor to help them to settle into and learn about Game Shooting. Safety and understanding of the ethics and traditions of Game Shooting are crucial to us so if you are a novice gun please make us aware so we can help and mentor you.

Deepdale is located 5 minutes outside Barnard Castle at Lartington Village and is a convenient 20 minute drive to the A1 at Scotch Corner and 45 minutes from the M6 in the west. Deepdale is a 700 acre traditional shoot which was planted up and managed as a Sporting estate. Deepdale has a magnificent wood construction bespoke lunch hut that is the hub for many social days. Deepdale has varied terrain with drives from Game Crops, small woods, large woods, the High Lake, the Snipe Bog, Low Lake, Raygill Woods and, as the name suggests, the very deep Deepdale which is a narrow wooded valley running for over a mile from the edge of Lartington Moor down to Barnard Castle. Deepdale has 10 drives in use and we shoot 4-6 drives per day.. Deepdale gets a good fall of Woodcock and on our last day one gun had two brace on his peg at the High Lake. In 2022 we are releasing 1000 birds at Deepdale and look to attain a recovery rate over 33%. We shoot on 9 days at Deepdale

Holm Hill Shoot extends to just under 3000 acres and is located in North Cumbria overlooked by the Northern Fells at Caldbeck. The shoot is South of Carlisle near Dalston and only 10 minutes from the M6. Holm Hill has a good mixture of topography with well spaced mature hardwood and softwood woodland as well as some cover crops. Many drives are off rolling hills or steep river side banks which present challenging and rewarding shooting. There are notable drives from the mature woodland at Fir Bank which show varied and testing birds over and along the River Caldew, the renowned Raughton Wood from the hilltop and over to Clay Bank, Red Ghyll falling down the valley to Gaitsgill and that’s to name just a handful. The shoot has around 28 drives meaning syndicate members will experience a variety of drives and challenges throughout the season. The shoot has a riverside Bothy where we meet and return for lunch and day end refreshments. In 2022 we will release 2250 Pheasants at Holm Hill and shooting 14 days with full members selecting 10 days from 14. We look to shoot a bag averaging 50 birds a day and a return in excess of 36%.. Depending on the drives and the time of year we shoot from 4 up to 6 drives per day. Members have the option of shooting Holm Hill, Deepdale or a combination of both so there are many options and a great deal of variety.