Shooting & Sporting Breaks

Craigadam has sporting access to 25,000 acres of shooting and stalking over farmland, moorland and woodland. Hosts Richard and Celia Pickup have together developed a remarkably successful shooting and fishing sporting holiday business.

Craigadam is a Scottish sporting estate. There is 25,000 acres of shooting and stalking over farmland, moorland and woodland. Richard and Celia have together developed a remarkably successful shooting and fishing holiday business around the estate. Accommodation is of a very high standard with all rooms en-suite. Celia Pickup turns the local game into traditional meals that give visitors a chance to appreciate both Scottish cuisine and their own achievements.

Pheasant & Partridge Days

Good traditional shooting requires spectacular terrain, high and fast birds, easy access to pegs and planning to suit all skill levels.  Your host Richard owns Craigadam Estate and is able to provide up to 5 days back-to-back shooting when required.

Richard hosts all the days personally, ensuring you’re in great hands from start to finish.

We specialise in 150-400 bird days.

A typical driven day normally runs as follows:

• 9.15am tea and coffee and allocation of pegs
• 3-4 drives with a stop for sloe gin and champagne
• A hearty lunch with wine and port
• 1-2 drives
• Afternoon tea with cakes and scones
• Guests stay at Craigadam House which is central to the shoot. It has a selection of luxury, en-suite rooms with a billiard room and bar. The winners of Taste of Scotland Award source their produce from their own butchery on the estate.
• Arrival at Craigadam for Afternoon tea
• A four course dinner produced by award winning chef Celia

Rough shooting

The main species available are red-legged partridge, pheasant, duck (mallard, teal and widgeon), woodcock, snipe, wood pigeon and rabbits.

Mixed bags and varied targets and terrain, make every day a unique challenge under the guidance of Craigadam Head Keeper Tristan Unthank and his team.

Help always on hand

Hospitality is key to the Pickups, offering help with permits, insurance, gun hire, cartridges and minders if needed. Craigadam is perfectly situated for non-shooting activities such as private fishing, cycling, golf, birdwatching, historical sites and there are beautiful open gardens in the area. Carlisle, Glasgow and Edinburgh are an easy distance for retail therapy.

Rough shooting is also available with a variety of pheasant, partridge, duck, snipe and woodcock to be had.

Roe Deer Stalking

Craigadam offers excellent opportunities for Roe Deer Stalking, for experienced and novice stalkers. Estate rifles can be hired. Some 100 Bucks are taken every year and a similar number of does. All stalkers are accompanied by experienced guides, and there is the capacity for up to 5 rifles to be out at any one time.

At Craigadam Estate we stalk Roe Deer all year, Buck’s between 1st of May to 20th of October and Doe’s between the 21st of October and the 31st of April. We have 15,000 acres to stalk, there are some perfect areas of clear fell which make for clean kills. Over the decades that Richard has managed the estate he has designed a landscape perfect for stalking, this landscape, a mixture of Sitka Spruce and open farmland is now mature and his stalks are very popular with guests from all around the world.

The Roebuck season is from the 1st April to the 20th of October, although the best months are May and June. In the summer Roebuck season the duration of the stalks is 4 to 5 hours in the morning and 2 to 3 hours in the evening. We average a Buck every stalk, but this depends on ability.

Winter Deer stalking of Does mean early starts in the dark.  Don’t worry, there are still 2 stalks each day, they are just a little closer together to maximise the available light.

Breakfast and Dinners are timed around the stalks, the opportunity to rest and sample Celia’s award winning cuisine between the Deer stalking offers the perfect balance of effort and relaxation.

Richard Pickup is recognised for training visitors to the high standards of marksmanship of the British Deer Society Certificates. The emphasis at Craigadam is on the traditional skills of Deer stalking and woodcraft, with the Deer killed with one clear shot.