Next September my wife and I will celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary; if I do say so myself, for a second marriage, that's not too shabby.

Today we reached detante and agreed to spend one to two weeks in France, then hopefully meet another couple coming from the States in Edinburgh for some Scottish stag stalking and distillery sampling for about a week. Mid to late September my wife and I need to be in Paris for the actual anniversary dinner, romance, etc.

What recommendations do my AR friends in the UK, and even you gentlemen francais d' AR have to offer? Where to go, where to hunt, how to get there?

In France we would like to see the most authentic, but least "touristy" parts of the the country, Riviera, wine country (especially Champagne), and Paris that we can possibly achieve. I saw Paris when I was 17, and at that naive age, immediately thought that it was the most beautiful city I'd ever seen. I don't want to ruin that image, but if it was simply the exurberance of youth, please let me know and steer us accordingly.

In Scotland, I'd like the most traditional form of stalking available; estate trophies are not required, but the health of the gentleman from the States that will be meeting us in Edinburgh is "up in the air" as he is battling cancer (mesothelioma), so we're not sure what he will be up to. (We'll know more in January.) I feel that I can walk a fair amount and suffer quite a bit of wind and weather, but I don't want to subject my friend, that is 20 years my senior, to an uncomfortable hunt that, well none of us know when we're on our last hunt, do we? On the up-beat side, he and his wife both like single malt scotch and hopefully his health will allow a "tasting" period.

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. I would like to hire a driver for the distillery sampling portion, as I am terrified of trying to drive on the left-hand side of the road (even sober). Your advice on either hiring/letting/renting a rifle or convincing my friend to bring one or two rifles over would also be welcome.

I know a large portion of the European AR members are from England proper and part of my heritage hails from the Cotswalds, but I fear that trying to cram in sight-seeing in that part of the isles will just be too much. We will have to leave that for another trip.

Thanks in advance for your help.

You should consider visiting Troyes in France. It is in the heart of Champagne country, so much so, that the main section of town is laid out in the shape of a champagne cork. Besides the many champagne companies to visit, it has many ancient structures (including Roman), several museums, and some very beautiful churches. It is not as crowded as Paris and it tends to be overlooked by most American tourists.

If you get a chance to go south, you should definately visit Marseille and Nimes in that order of preference.

I would recommend Invermark Estate it shares the March (Boundary) with Balmoral.

http://www.dalhousieestates.co.uk/deerstalking.shtml

In my humble opinion it is the finest Scottish Estate for Red Deer stalking in Scotland bar none.
The Stalkers, Ghillies and Pony Men are all first class especially Fred the Head Keeper/Stalker.
It is a really traditional estate that still uses Grarrons (Ponies) for extraction even for hinds.

Down in the village (Edzel) there are a couple of nice hotels and the Next village of Fettercairn has a Hotel and a Distillery.

As for the Whiskey tours I recommend you go for at least one of the Ambassador tours they cost £25 as opposed to the usual free distillery tour but are worth the $.

We have spent quite a bit of time up in that part of Scotland and have toured most of the distilleries so if you want to know any more drop me a pm.

Once you've done with Paris, swing through to Champagne but realise that, stripped of its bubbles its a relatively unremarkable wine, head north to Normandy and Calvados country. Made from apples, its mouthwatering aroma will be much more in tune with your Cotswold heritage! Sample both the Crepes and the Seafood (fruit de la mer) at Cherbourg before sleeping it off on the ferry trip to Portsmouth. After a short train trip, park the wife in London with some shopping money before linking up with Kiri (Athina) for some Fallow stalking, game bird shooting etc. There are six species of deer in the UK so its worth seeing if you can connect with some of the more unusual species.
Pick up wife and fly out of Heathrow to Edinburgh and pick up your friend and Whisky itineray. Since your friend's got Mesothelioma, trecking up hills is going to be hard on him so make sure the shooting estate you chose has the ability to transport him close to the quarry.
Enjoy!

Speyside and the Cairngorms are wonderful country but also don't forget the Western Isles and the Island distilleries. In terms of stalking on flat ground for your friend North Uist has some good stags with a wonderful lodge hotel (whose name slips my mind). Also have a look at the Inverpolly and strath oykel areas. September is also very good for fishing, whether it is just for hill loch trout or salmon.

For your friend, don't discount Roe buck stalking down in the woods.

My advice is to contact a few different estates and explain clearly your problem. I have found that some estates will take your friend up to the highground in an argo or ATV so he does most of his stalking downhill (or along the sides of hills ) if that helps.
Avoid the West Coast of Scotland which is hilly and steep - central or east coast estates are better.

Thanks very much for the comments. I can start to formulate a plan with these suggestions.

Good hunting to you all.

Check with Scotsport.dk , they have much fine areas, we worked on a tour at Glenmuick , neighbour estate of Balmoral. Very fine place for a couple to travel too . They arrange the whiskey tour to Glenfiddich and very much good hunting and fishing also .

I will make and post a report of the tour this weekend .

http://www.scotsport.dk/start.asp