Region guide

The Best Shooting Lodges in the South West

The South West has a sporting tradition all of its own. Steep wooded combes in Devon and Dorset throw high birds that test the best shots in the country, and the patchwork of estates across Somerset, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire — including the Cotswolds — offers driven pheasant and partridge of real quality. Add Cornwall's woodcock as the year ends, the rivers for sea trout and salmon, and the soft western light, and the appeal becomes obvious. The country is small-scale, intimate, and deeply hospitable.

A South West hotel earns its keep by being close to the shoot, comfortable with dogs in the boot room, and serving the kind of supper that follows a hard day in the combes. Local game on the menu is a fair sign; a pint of something local at the bar a near-certainty.