Hey, the new winter colours will save your back!

Just taken delivery of James Purdey snap caps. Too good to use??

Off to the marsh tomorrow for wildfowling on the estuary...

Ten Reasons Why I Love My Kanken

The Kanken - Ten Reasons Why I Love My Kanken

The Kanken is made from Vinylon F - a very durable fabric, water repellent and light.

The Kanken comes in mini (baby), classic (mummy) and big (daddy).

The Kanken comes in 3 laptop versions for 13” 15” and 17”

The Kanken comes in a special two colour version

The Kanken has 23 colours to choose from
The Kanken has a removable seat so no cold behinds on the picnics or school wall!
The Kanken has 2 side pockets for mobile phone, MP3 player, drinks, umbrella etc.
The Kanken has a front pocket secured with a zip for the money, credit cards, lipstick...
The Kanken has an inside label for your name and address...the bag was developed for Swedish schoolchildren!
The Kanken is a rucksack or backpack...or carry it like a tote bag!

The Kanken is 30 years old. It has sold to 3 million Kanken fans who cycle, walk, run, commute, go to school, fish, ramble, shop, work or just love the Kanken!

Retro Style with the Kanken - practical and colourful

"They are a delight to sell. I love helping customers choose their favourite colour. Many, of course are in the know and specify PUTTY or BURNT RED or MUD....it can be an agonising choice!" says Lindsay who knows and loves this 30 year old design classic.

What makes the Fjallraven Kanken Bag so special - the Kanken classic to be specific




Well, it comes in 20 colours. In 5 colour palettes
It is made from Vinylon F - a very durable fabric, water repellant and light.
It has a removable seat so no cold behinds on the picnics!
It has 2 side pockets for mobile phone, drinks, umbrella etc.
It has a front pocket secured with a zip for the money, credit cards, lipstick...
It has an inside label for your name and address just like we had when we were young...the bag was developed for Swedish schoolchildren!
You can use it as a rucksack, hands free...or carry it like a tote bag.
The inside is roomy and big enough for a 15" laptop.
It carries A4 files and papers no problem.
It has a baby and a mummy. The mini and BIG versions. This is the classic.
30 years old and still going strong.

Walking at Sandside

Each day it is a pleasure to wander down to the Kent Estuary to see the new view. Every day is different down at Sandside. The view to Arnside and the viaduct is where the trains link Barrow to Manchester. The view in the photo shows the entrance to Storth from Dixies. In the far distance is Grange-over-Sands.

Triple Barrel Shotgun by MacFarlaine

Born in 1930, George MacFarlaine was raised in India in the days of the Raj. When he was just six years old, George was accompanying his elders on shooting forays to the inland marshes and on hunting trips to the jungles for big game hunting in Northern India.

George attended Sherwood College, a boarding school in the foothills of the Himalayas where he excelled in science, art and boxing. When he was 18 years old he left the tropical climes of India where he had learned to speak fluent Hindi and Urdu and write Sanskrit and travelled by ocean liner to study engineering in Scotland. After qualifying in engineering, India beckoned once again. On his return to Bombay, George bought his first gun a Westley Richards which was one of four belonging to an Indian Maharajah.

In the 1960’s George settled with his family in the beautiful English Lake District where MacFarlaine Sports was established as a bespoke gun making business and supplier of the finest shooting and sporting accessories.

For more than 48 years MacFarlaine Sports has manufactured the finest English sporting shotguns for customers worldwide, providing a bespoke service. Using the finest craftsmen and materials, the family created a range of sporting guns including rare multi-barrelled shotguns in particular, the three-barrel single trigger ejector shotgun. George made a dozen or so multi-barrelled shotguns which went to customers in South America, England, Germany and the United States of America. Pictured here is the 10 bore triple barrelled shotgun with engraving by Phil Coggan.

George died in 2000 and the business is now continued by his daughter and son-in-law.

Beretta Shooting Clothing and Accessories

The Sporting Lodge always seeks out the finest shooting clothing and accessories. Beretta, Perazzi, Purdey, Le Chameau are some of the shooting clothing and accessories in stock right now. See the full range at
THE SPORTING LODGE

Beretta clothing and accessories are direct from Italy. See the Beretta range for
Fantastic Beretta skeet vests, Beretta gloves, shotgun slips, cartridge bags and belts and many more unusual items not found in the shops.

Beretta - a history of the gunmaking family

Beretta - a history of the gunmaking family.



In 1526 Mastro Bartolomeo Beretta (1490 – 1565/68) of Gardone received 296 ducats as payment for 185 arquebus barrels sold to the Arsenal of Venice. Already in production in the early 1500s, Beretta products were chosen by the highly discriminating Republic of Venice because of their excellence. As the Beretta name became synonymous with uncompromising quality, design, materials, construction and performance, word spread beyond the Italian borders, establishing a tradition that has carried over, uninterrupted, through fifteen generations of Berettas. The trade secrets and attention to detail Jacopo (1520/25 – ...) inherited from his father Bartolomeo were passed on to his own son Giovannino (1550 – post 1577), then to his grandson Giovan Antonio (1577 – post 1649) – on and on from one century to the next.

In the early 1800s Pietro Antonio Beretta (1791 – 1853), in spite of difficulties arising from constant wars and foreign domination, traveled throughout Italy to demonstrate the superior quality of his products and collect orders. Pietro Antonio’s son Giuseppe (1840 – 1903) continued the arduous effort begun by his father, creating new opportunities for the company through international distribution.

In the early 1900s Pietro (1870 – 1957) took the Company reins, introducing modernized manufacturing methods, many patents for mechanisms and simplified construction, consequently establishing Beretta, the first Italian firearms maker, as one of the most modern firearms production facilities in the world. The modernization process was continued by the sons Giuseppe (1906 – 1993) and Carlo (1908 – 1984), securing the Company’s multinational character with commercial and production activity in numerous European countries and the United States. These efforts created successful ventures in the military, law enforcement and private sectors.Today, under the leadership of Ugo Gussalli Beretta and his sons Pietro and Franco, Beretta embarks on the 3rd Millennium with the benefit of centuries of experience. That experience, combined with investments in technology, organization and growing product lines, has prepared Beretta for the demands of the global market of the 21st century. Quality Without Compromise. This core value of total commitment to quality was established by Bartolomeo Beretta almost five centuries ago, and continues to be the bedrock of the company today.

Fjallraven built to last

Ever wondered why great design lasts and lasts? The Fjallraven Kanken is now 30 years old and is still going strong.

Kanken Bags by Fjallraven 30 years and still going strong

My Kanken is only 15 years old.

The backpack that has been sold to over 3 million customers since its release in 1978 is celebrating its 30 year anniversary. Kånken is an unchanged classic, and the only things that have changed are the colours and the addition of a number of models to the line. The big release for the fall is a Kånken with a specially constructed pocket for your computer – Laptop Kånken.
Kånken was developed at the end of the 1970s by Fjallraven, the Swedish outdoor clothing company with a royal warrant, to save the backs of children and youth; at that time the shoulder bag was popular and 80 percent of the Swedish population reported that they occasionally suffered from back pain.

In 2002, the extremely popular sequel, Kånken Mini, was released and with a volume of only 7 litres targeted small children. We have now got the Kanken and the Kanken mini and if customers are interested in the laptop bag, please tell us!

Kånken is made from an extremely durable vinylon fabric, Vinylon F, that is suited to everything from rough children’s play to tough climate conditions. Vinylon F swells like natural fibres, which makes it naturally waterproof and does not require additional treatment. Vinylon F is unbeatable in its combination of durability and low weight. Kånken has a long zipper that opens the entire main compartment, two side pockets and a front pocket.

Thirty years old and still going strong............