"Wildest Place In UK" Opens For Red Deer

Over the years, Harman has expanded his operation, and he is now the largest outfitter in Britain. I say that because Harman has just taken over nearly 45,000 acres of new stag-hunting grounds in the western part of Scotland, where he is offering a rather unique opportunity during this first year on the lease. I'll tell you the specifics of this opportunity in a minute. First, though, some background on the place is in order.

Harman's new hunting area lies along the Scottish coast between the towns of Lochinver and Ullapool, about 2½ hours by car from the Inverness airport. The area was originally made up of two private estates, Glencanisp, of some 34,000 acres, and Drumrunnie, about a third that size, both owned by the Vestey family. Under provisions of the new Scottish Land Reform Act, local communities have, essentially, the first crack at buying such estates when they come onto the market; and a community-based entity known as the Assynt Foundation was able to raise the £2.9 million needed to buy the land and a 14-bedroom lodge on it.

The lands are, by Harman's account, some of the most striking in western Scotland. There is a 3,000-foot elevation rise from the shoreline to the tops of Canisp and Suileven mountains. It is treeless and rocky with heather, of course, and there are some bogs in places. The southern part of the land, because of its unique flora and fauna, has been declared a site of special........(continued)