A guided tour of Bisley Shooting Ground – first in a new series
Jasper Fellows is given a guided tour of Bisley Shooting Ground by Richie Vallance, its general manager
Bisley, the home of British shooting. Certainly the National Rifle Association, the CPSA and even the British Army ’s own target shooting teams all call this quiet corner of Surrey home. Alongside these shooting luminaries Bisley is also home to a host of top-notch shooting grounds and ranges, each with its own specialities and unique characteristics.
Bisley Shooting Ground has provided perhaps the most naturalised, almost gamelike experience available for more than 130 years. Its winding pathways and heather-lined stands provide a stunning backdrop to a wide range of challenging targets.
Don’t be fooled by the rich history and natural feel however, Bisley Shooting Ground is firmly rooted in the here and now. “Since the NRA took over the business last August, it has invested heavily in fully modernising and upgrading the entire site,” says Richie Vallance, the general manager. “Today we have more than 80 electronic traps, spread across in excess of 30 stands on the historic Cottesloe Heath.”
Variety
With so many traps throwing a wide variety of challenging targets, you’ll want a guide. “Many of our regular clients like to book in for what we call an instructor practice session,” explains Richie. “These sessions are positioned as a sort of halfway house between a lesson and a simple caddied round, with one of our team offering help and advice to shooters, as well as buttoning for them.”
Shooters looking to really dive into their technique can call on legendary Sporting shooter John Heagren and his team of coaches. “Thanks to our close partnership with our sister facility, the National Clay Shooting Centre, which is just over the road, we are able to offer lessons on all clay disciplines,” says Richie.
“We are also able to call on its coaching teams, which allows us to match each client to the best possible instructor and really tailor our lessons to the client’s individual goals. We even have our very own training programme ‘The Bisley Approach’. Its purpose is to capture best practice from all shooting disciplines and to arrive at a consistent approach to shooting instruction fit for a national centre of excellence in clay shooting.”
Clay shooters aren’t the only ones who can benefit from fantastic tuition. Thanks to an impressive array of simulated game, even the most hardcore field Shots can still get in on the action. “We recently installed a brand-new high crane,” says Richie, “affectionately known as ‘Colossus’ the crane is fully equipped with the latest automatic traps and is able to deliver an array of targets through 360 degrees and up to a height of 250ft. When combined with
our newly rebuilt pheasant tower and our famous grouse butts, we’re able to provide the ultimate challenge to both clay shooters looking for a new challenge or game shooters looking for some out-of-season practice.”
Experience
To push the simulated experience to the next level, why not book into one of Bisley’s simulated days that’s set out like a traditional day in the field, but with fully-controllable targets. “The focus during our simulated days is on quality drives and challenging targets, each designed to mimic the natural movements of a pheasant, partridge or grouse,” explains Richie. “We also provide refreshments and snacks throughout the day and invite clients for a complimentary sloe gin at our colonial-style Victorian clubhouse ‘The Council Club’ to round off a true, if simulated, shoot day experience.”
Bisley’s simulated days further illustrate the ground’s impressive ability to transport its visitors deep into the English countryside. Its heathland and stunning woodlands easily conspire with the fantastic array of Sporting and simulated targets to pull any visitors far away from the hustle and bustle of modern life. This, combined with the passionate team who work hard to offer tailored experiences, is why Bisley Shooting Ground has stood the test of time and why it can expect another 130 glorious years as a valued institution in the heart of Britain’s shooting capital.