Introduction

The lettings this year have been almost back to normal with the easing of lockdown restrictions so we had a full year of availability and many repeat guests as well as welcoming some new faces to Chesthill.

We have some rare availability in the 2023 stag season and 2023/24 hind season, and a few weeks elsewhere.  See below for more information.  First come first served!

Fishing

Another dry summer with very low river from April until September when we gained almost too much rain. October then delivered some good conditions and the salmon were running like we know they can.  18 salmon were caught in the year, well below our average which is normally between 40 and 70.  However October was good, with 12 fish caught, with the heaviest being a 20lb cock, congratulations Eric Keyser, and well done for returning it safely.   Congratulations also to Eric Keyser, Iain Sharpe, Will Ramsay, Tim Wishart, and Richard Greenly who all scored twice or more and accounted for the majority of the year’s catch!

FishPal

For 2023 season fishing priority will continue to go to tenants who are staying.  However for the weeks that are unlet or we know the tenant isn’t taking the salmon or trout fishing, we will be placing it on FishPal.com.  There’s some on there already, and please check the website during the year for availability which will be updated regularly.

We will also be loading your catches onto FishPal, so please sign up for the catch alerts!  This data is then shared with the Tay District Salmon Fishery Board who find it most helpful with monitoring the health of the river.

Stalking

The rut came in late September and was a strong one with the stags in good condition until the last week of the stag season. Most notable was the hummell shot in the last week which has proved elusive over the last few seasons.

Congratulations to Isabella Ramsay and Ellie Louise Sinclair on their first stags.

The hind cull is now complete, and we increased our numbers versus last year due to a healthy population recovery. Congratulations to all those involved.

Environmental improvements

We are now halfway through our 5 year agri-environmental scheme designed to help the flora and fauna, particularly within the Ben Lawers SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest) which spans the high ground at Inverinain.  Here are some survey results taken between 2010 and 2016.

As part of our effort to improve the condition of as many of the above to Favourable, we have committed to keeping our deer and sheep numbers down, partly with the help of increased deer culling, and also over 5km of hill top fencing to keep our neighbours sheep out.  Thank you to Ben, Kevin and Ainster for continuing to maintain this fence which gets quite a beating each winter, and to Ainster, Kevin and tenants for hitting our deer cull targets.

Thanks go to Ainster who once again in March was busy burning old heather.  When it gets old and ‘woody’, heather is no use to deer, black game or grouse.  Burning it encourages new growth which is more palatable. This in turn reduces grazing pressure on other parts of the hill.

The combination of the above means that we have a hill on which the hill environment is improving.  Young heather (and other species) are appearing and fighting through the grass.  I can see visible signs of more heather than before on Boreland Ridge and in Glen Da Ghob.  Thanks to this and determined and accurate vermin control, we have seen some decent grouse covies as well as some black game which we would love to see increase.

For the herbivore impact assessment completed on 10^th May 2022, it was too early to see improvement however “Overall, it appears that there is considerable scope for recovery in the condition and extent of dwarf-shrub heath habitats which have historically been subject to moderately high levels of grazing. It is likely that the recent reduction in sheep numbers will allow for some recovery.”

Availability & Prices – 2023

Tenants have two months from their departure date to pay their deposit to reserve their week the following year; otherwise it is up for grabs.  Please enquire about:

• Chesthill House: there’s 2023 availability for fishing / holidaying from April to early July, and due to retirement of several groups, rare availability for stalking parties in September for between 2 and 10 stags, and November/December/January for one or two rifles per day.  The house sleeps 16 but the dining room is better suited to 12 adults (plus children).  Sunday to Sunday (short-stays bookable within three months).  Six miles river for six/seven salmon rods, trout loch, stalking (stags and hinds). Price range for 2023 is £4,000 to £6,700 for the house, including VAT, excluding sport.
• Gardener’s Cottage: sleeps four.  Sunday to Sunday (short-stays bookable within two months).  Trout and salmon fishing and other activities can be booked as an extra, depending on availability.  Price range £700 to £950, including VAT.
• Fishing only: as mentioned above, you can now book your fishing on FishPal.com from six weeks before arrival.  Prices from £15 per day for trout fishing and £40-£45 per day for salmon fishing (reduced if you book for 6 days or more).

Yours sincerely,

Charlie Ramsay

03 February 2023