At Gleneagles we celebrate in style, inviting our Fishing & Shooting school members – as well as hotel guests – to our best Beats for a day full of revelry. Before morning breaks, keen fishers gather at the Shooting & Fishing Lodge. Here they’re kitted out while enjoying coffee and bacon rolls before they join our line up of mossy green Defenders crowned by rods. As they arrive at the chosen Beat to make their way down to the banks of the Tay, they’re processed to the water’s edge by a lone piper bedecked in traditional Highland dress.
Our first such gathering was held in 1947 and we’ve made it an annual tradition ever since. Before any flies are cast, the river must be blessed. Our festivities are led by our Head Ghillie and in true Scottish fashion, the blessing takes the form of whisky. As everyone gathers to the sound of the pipes, the amber dram is poured from a quaich – which translates to ‘friendship cup’ – accompanied by a verse that calls on the fates to provide plentiful fish in the months to come.
