A Day at a Hunting Estate

It was time for the last road trip of my adventure in Scotland. The plan was to arrive late in the afternoon in the Scottish capital of Edinburgh, but first we’d spend the major portion of the day at a traditional Scottish hunting estate. From Dundee, we traveled south, passing sprawling fields where soft fruits (various kinds of berries) grew under the shelter of what Stephen called “poly tunnels.” Not long after we crossed the River Tay, we reached the Teasses Estate in the heart of the former kingdom of Fife. The 1100-acre property includes woodlands, gardens, pasture land, and a lake. As soon as we stepped off our bus, we were welcomed by the strains of bagpipe music.

The estate’s longtime gamekeeper, Kenny, ushered us into a building he referred to as a “bothy.” He explained that a bothy is a shelter commonly found in the Scottish countryside that is open to anyone in need of a place to get warm or to rest. A bothy would typically be furnished with a stove and a cot. It could be small and humble, or like this particular bothy, quite spacious and well-appointed. The walls were covered with dead game birds, the skulls of small deer, and shelf after shelf of colorful whisky boxes – not exactly my kind of décor.

 

While we sipped tea from delicate porcelain cups, Kenny filled us in on the history of Teasses. First of all, the name of the estate is a Gaelic word that means “damp place.” Evidence of human habitation from 4000 years ago has been found on the site. There are also remains of a castle that was built here 1000 years ago. Since the 13^th century, Teasses has existed as a hunting estate.

When the current owner, Fraser Morrison, purchased the property in 1998, he immediately began updating it, by putting in roads and hedges. He added an artificial lake stocked with trout and renovated the house to serve as a venue for special events. With Kenny’s expert knowledge from his years of experience as a gamekeeper, the topography of the land was transformed into a suitable habitat for game birds. There are now 12,000 pheasants on the ground. Trees on the estate include native Scotch pines and larch trees, which are good for the indigenous red squirrels. 

 

Nowadays, Teasses welcomes guests for a variety of activities, such as stalking (hunting) of roe deer. Kenny explained that the deer population has to be culled annually by one-third to keep the herd at a sustainable level. Other activities include game shooting (pheasant, duck, and partridge), simulated and clay shooting (clay pigeons), fly fishing (catch and release), and garden and farm tours. 

 

Next, Stevie, a master piper, gave a presentation on bagpipes, the national instrument of Scotland. Bagpipes originated in ancient Egypt and were brought to Scotland and the rest of Europe by the Romans. Before being banned in 1746, in the aftermath of the Battle of Culloden, bagpipes were classified as instruments of war, used to rouse the troops. Each clan had its own pipers. In peacetime, pipers served as the town criers. 

 

I had never realized that there were so many different components in the Great Highland bagpipes. The bag was traditionally made out of a sheepskin turned inside out but today a manmade material such as Goretex is usually used for the bag, which must be sealed airtight. There’s a wooden chanter, which is a double-reed pipe with holes that you can cover to play the different notes of the melody. When I tried producing a pleasing sound from a chanter, I realized how difficult it must be to play the bagpipes.

In addition, there are three separate single-reed pipes, called drones, that provide the constant harmonizing note. The piper has to tune the drones to the desired note. 

 

Stevie, who started learning to play bagpipes at the age of eight, told us that it takes four to five years to learn how to play the instrument. He grew up in a coal mining area where miners often sponsored pipe bands. Over the years, he has won several awards in competitions and often performs at the annual tattoo in Edinburgh. After warning us that it was going to be loud (100 decibels!), Stevie demonstrated several different types of music, such as pibroch (an art music genre characterized by theme and variations), marches, and dances. 

 

We also learned about the traditional full military dress worn by pipers. If you look at the photo above, you'll see that Stevie was wearing a kilt of Royal Stewart tartan. This 19^th century (Victorian) style kilt required about 8 yards of woolen fabric. He called our attention to the doublet jacket, the plaid that covered his left shoulder, horse hair sporran (“purse”), decorative rosettes, two belts, fancy buckles, knee-high hose, brogues (shoes), and white spats. As a pipe major, he also wore a special sash. On his head he could wear a glengarry style cap with a clan pin (good for busking, he noted) or the very impressive tall bonnet made of ostrich feathers. The latter type of headgear is quite expensive. Stevie’s cost 650 British pounds, or about $880).  

Before our group went outside to walk down to the lake, we all donned the type of jacket and cap used by stalkers or shooters.

Referring to his own outfit, Kenny explained that each hunting estate has its own tweed, which reflects the colors of the landscape. This helps to provide camouflage. His gamekeeper attire included a tweed shooting gilet (a vest for warmth) with pockets for cartridges. He called our attention to its hand warmer pockets. He also wore tweed plus fours, aka knickerbockers, that extend a few inches below the knees. You don’t want long pants dragging on the ground.

At the lake, Kenny showed us some of the colorful flies used. I know nothing about fishing, but I enjoyed being out in the beautiful natural setting.

 

After lunch back at the bothy, we resumed our journey to Edinburgh. You’ll get to see Edinburgh in my next post.