Grouse shooting at Swinton Park, North Yorkshire

Mark Cunliffe-Lister and his dog, Myrtle

Rain was forecast, but it hasn’t arrived. Instead a late summer sun beats down on the Yorkshire moors, creating a shimmering heat-haze above the purple carpet of heather.

The silence is disturbed only by the hum of bees and the distant cry of a kestrel. The scene is one of unchanging, undisturbed and unparalleled British countryside.

There is more to this timeless scene, however. It is the first day of the grouse-shooting season (traditionally 12 August) at the Swinton Park estate in North Yorkshire and, strung out behind a low stone wall, a line of nine guns is waiting.

A long weekend in Angers, France

The 12th-century Cathedral of St Maurice, Angers

The historic city of Angers lies around 180 miles southwest of Paris – just over an hour and a half’s journey on the TGV, making it a feasible destination for a long weekend.

FRIDAY

Afternoon

The modern train station is on the edge of the compact city centre and within walking distance of several of the city’s main hotels.

Review: Aikwood Tower, Selkirk, Scottish Borders

Aikwood Tower: the Reiver's return…

The Border Reivers weren’t big on luxury. After a hard day spent stealing their neighbours’ cattle or otherwise getting up to mischief they’d retire to their strongholds for a few mugs of ale before falling asleep in a heap – and quite possibly in their armour – in front of the fire.

The Reivers roamed the No Man’s Land between England and Scotland in the 16th and 17th centuries, and traces of their presence can still be seen today.

One of the more obvious of these is Aikwood Tower, 40 miles south of Edinburgh. While from a distance the Reivers would find it familiar, however, they would probably be left dumbfounded by its luxurious interior.

Traditional luxury at the Carlton Hotel, Cannes

The Carlton: a façade to remember

Cannes is a city of grand hotels, and they don’t come any grander than the Carlton, whose vast white façade, towering above the famous Croisette, is one of the city’s signature sights.

The hotel was built between 1909 and 1913, much of the money supplied by a Russian aristocrat who wanted to create a Côte d’Azur resort for his wealthy countrymen. Given the popularity of the place now with Russian visitors he had more foresight than he perhaps realised.

The hotel’s 343 rooms include 39 suites, each named after an actor who has a link with Cannes and its film festival. The grandest of these are on the seventh floor and include the Grace Kelly, the Cary Grant and the Sean Connery.