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Cuesta de Borracha – End of Season Report Feb '09Cuesta de la Borrcha towards the end of the season is usually blessed by good weather and lunches outside in the early spring sunshine was characterised by wind, rain, snow and songs around the campfire – literally! This year at Cuesta de la Borrcha it was bitterly cold and all the mountain streams swelled to raging torrents which made the cross country driving even more interesting than usual. On one day two of the keeper’s land rovers were swamped completely and my Mitsubishi only just got through a particularly deep crossing place but did need a new filter which Bautista fitted with his usual efficiency (son not father!) Click here to see Jesus at 'La Casa' Click here to see 'River Crossing' Click here to see 'Deep Water' The wind and cold did make the partridges fly superbly however, and even the most technical shots were humbled “… Thank you very much for hosting our two days of magnificent sport at la Cuesta … It was voted as definitely our best trip to date and surely the finest partridges anywhere in the world! Do thank Chris and Ed for their part in making it a truly special trip..” At Cuesta de la Borracha on the last night of the season the Flamenco Dancers were asked to perform and we were treated to Ed spinning like a dervish – and he thought he had got away with it! Click here to see 'Ed in action' Snow grips la Cuesta! Our last trip this year to la Cuesta at the beginning of December is always a jolly occasion. This party has its roots in the fertile soil of Essex although the team is a truly international one with guests from South Africa and Canada adding to the mix. Since their first trip to Las Beatas in 1997 before the house at la Cuesta had been built, I have really enjoyed entertaining this team and seeing the annual bags slowly increase over the years as the gunnery has improved. Ed Harbach, my helper this year, met each member of the party as they arrived at Madrid and dispatched the early arrivals to Aranjuez for lunch. I arrived on the excellent Easyjet service from Liverpool and after a quick dash to the B.A. Terminal 4, met the last 4 guests as they entered the Arrivals Hall. The 2 pairs of guns took less than 5 minutes to check through with the Guarda Civil as Javier had completed the paperwork before hand and we were off in 2 taxis to la Cuesta. A ‘brief’ stop at the ‘Tiende de Caza’ for ear muff batteries resulted in one client purchasing 2 shirts, a pair of trousers, a leather gun slip and a leather cartridge bag as well! On arrival at la Cuesta, having driven through a winter wonderland of snow, the rest of the party had changed for dinner and were well settled in around the roaring fire. The hostess had very efficiently done a seating plan for all three nights so that took the responsibility from me, which with 7 women and 12 men was a huge relief! The 1st of December was a bitterly cold day with snow flurries blocking out the usually amazing view of the Sierra Morenas to the south. It was snowing so heavily that we postponed our start time and left the lodge at about 9.30 a.m. for the first drive. Having warned the team to curb their enthusiasm, the drive only yielded 140 birds – perhaps I had overdone the caution bit?! By the end of the second drive, everyone was frozen and the prospect of sipping ice cold sherry in the snow did not really appeal. Luckily Jesus Alberto had arranged for the ‘Tacos’ to be served at the Casa de Viejos where the blazing enthina oak logs gave off a furnace like heat – enjoyed more by the shoot supporters than the guns themselves as they huddle so close to the fire but damp started to steam and spontaneous combustion was a real concern! Fortified with pig prepared in many different ways, chilli sardines and lashings of hot consomé we set off for the last drives of the morning before returning to la Cuesta for a feast of lamb shank and shallots which, as always, was preceded by an array of tapas in the bar. Alex the Venezuelan chef really excelled himself. The decision to only do one drive in the afternoon was a good one and we lined out at la Gouda with grey skies and a howling northerly wind bringing sporadic snow flurries with the coveys of high curling partridges. Each season has its own special memories and I will not forget standing with Roger at No.1 on that drive and seeing those incredible partridges falling from the skies before they ran the gauntlet over the rest of the line! This was an exceptional show of birds which challenged even the best shots in the team; 86 were shot with the owner of a substantial sporting estate in Essex showing how it should be done and shooting 20 birds to his own gun. However, at the end of the day South Africa ruled the roost with 150 birds and the U.K. brought up the rear with 57 birds; 70 – 80 per gun was the average - an excellent day in every respect. The second day was even colder than the first and the start was delayed until 10.30 a.m. to allow the sun to melt some of the ice on the steep mountain roads. We still managed to do 4 drives in the morning and the delayed start meant that Richard, an eminent London lawyer who had been delayed by a speech making obligation on Monday Evening only missed 2 drives. This was largely due to the speed at which Pedro piloted the Audi; the journey from the airport took 2 hours and 10 minutes! Peter, Richard and Mary's 18 year old son, had been very ably filling his father's shoes and taking to Spanish partridge shooting like a duck to water. However, his father kindly shared his peg for the rest of the shoot but strictly not on a "miss and change basis"! It was warm enough to have taco outside although again the consomé was more popular than the sherry! After a sumptuous lunch of roast chicken there was much debate about whether to do one or two drives in the afternoon. The die was cast as we drew up at the foot of the cliff know to all as ‘The Cinema’ – I now knew that two drives would not be possible as ‘The Cinema’ can go for on ages and is a fitting climax. 296 birds later the team was glowing with pleasure and fizzing with excitement. Moist brows were mopped to the music of beer bottle tops popping and the 4 keepers were introduced to each gun and applauded by all. A mark of the professionalism of Jesus Alberto and his team it is interesting to note the bags shot by each of the 9 guns on this drive: 38, 36, 33, 36, 33, 22, 38, 21 and 39. No one was in ‘starvation corner!’ At dinner that night Jesus Alberto received a standing ovation form the guests for a truly remarkable days shooting. Having been entertained by the Flamenco Troupe many times in previous years, mercifully the decision was made not to ask them to put on a ‘tableao’ for us this year. As such I was reprieved from having to do my solo jig and getting the blonde dancers tassels caught up in my blazer buttons! Instead Ed introduced us to party games of an iphone variety and congratulations to Teresa for catching the biggest fish even though Ed had previously netted ‘Old Mog’! The 3rd of December also dawned cold and windy and we planned to do only 3 drives before returning to la Cuesta for an early lunch and then departing for a night out in Madrid. After a bit of a slow start below the lodge we set off to Noctourno which certainly blew the cobwebs away. Simon, very kindly let me have a few shots and refused to let me stop after a right and left – his revenge was complete as Ed wiped my eye on more than one occasion. We had taco in the permafrost outside, whilst Maria warmed her toes in the Mitsubishi and then off to Primales for the grand finale. This was a memorable shoot on many fronts – the weather undoubtedly added a certain sparkle to the birds but the real pleasure was the party itself. With two new couples in the group, it is always gratifying to share in the pleasure of the initiation to la Cuesta and know that they will be back again I am sure. June 2008 |
