BY APPOINTMENT
SYBARITE CELLARS LTD
FINE WINE MERCHANTS
LONDON
About Sybarite Sporting™
References and “a few words on our founder”:
1 I feel I must pay tribute to Sir Joseph Nickerson (1914-1990), and his book ‘A Shooting
Man’s Creed’ (1989), as Sir Joseph wrote a similar sentence that made an impact on me while
I was in hospital for several weeks, after a lifesaving operation in 1990 - the time was all the more poignant, in the fact that, it was a fantastic grouse year, which meant I had to find sport, that year,
in Sir Joseph’s written sentences. This in-turn prompted me to do a three year ‘Game, Wildlife and Habitat Management’ qualification, and then a further degree in ‘Rural Estate Management’ at
The Royal Agricultural College.
Between these two academic appointments, I was extremely fortunate to work for Brian Mitchell,
who was head keeper at Miltons and Chargot before he arrived at Castle Hill. One of the founder member of the ‘National Gamekeepers Organisation’ and author of “Think Like a Pheasant: Brian Mitchell and the Rise of the Exmoor High Bird”, there are few keepers who know more about presenting high pheasants.
I have immense respect for Brian, and pay tribute to him for what he has done for shooting and the rural community - I am extremely proud to have worked for him, which I’m sure he found particular testing!!!!
2 “A symbiotic relationship is one in which organisms, people, or things exist together in a way
that benefits them all.” - HarperCollins Publishers, (2012). In: 1st ed. [online] Available at:
https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/symbiotic [Accessed 21 Jun. 2014].
SUSTAINABLE USE for WILDLIFE CONSERVATION
Striving for a ‘positive net’ wildlife/environmental gain, balanced together with local social and economical needs, must the primary objectives to hunting/shooting game harvesting operations....Read More
Founded in 1999, Sybarite Sporting™ wasn’t so much started, but formed slowly as a passion for the countryside and country sports; organising a few shooting days and deer stalking trips in the UK, and the odd safari in Africa - a passion, more the heart leading the company, than the head!
The company passion today is without doubt stronger, but it has changed….and the head is certainly leading the company now, after 30 years of business experience. Where once the passion was purely about the quality of sport, today it’s far more about the balance between sustainable use for wildlife conservation, local community integration, quality of sport, and fun with our guests.
Personally, sustainable use conservation through hunting and shooting, has become a religion, and all religions require, amongst other things, dedication, reverence, devotion and above all, love.1 This deep respect for wildlife, and in-turn it’s conservation, together with a devotion to providing great sporting experiences for fun, like minded guests, is what we try and uphold - after all, The Sybarites were seekers of pleasure and devoted to luxury!
What We Do
Sybarite Sporting organise authentic bespoke shooting days and hunting safari experiences - for people who want to ‘actively’ experience self-supporting, symbiotic 2 relationships between managed wildlife ecosystems, and local (often indigenous and/or tribal) communities.
A shooting day or hunting trip with Sybarite Sporting means you will be contributing to sustainable rural development, in some of the most inspiring landscapes and wildlife rich environments on the planet.
We take great pleasure in meticulously sourcing, planning and hosting individual days and itineraries, in some of the most beautiful parts of the UK, Europe and Africa - and we hope, our guests, gain as much enjoyment, from our efforts, as we do in providing them.
"I fully support all game harvesting operations if done properly and in line with
evidence-based, well considered cull plans, conducted in an ethical manner."
- Non-Hunting Safari Guest (2009)
People & Community
Most of the locations and areas of the world that inspire us to research and create travel plans for...sell themselves. But it’s the people and communities we work with, that make the experiences and memories of Sybarite Sporting’s shooting days and hunting safaris, so unique.
The dedicated and discreet network of people we have created, and in-turn who have become friends, are very often the backbone to the on-ground logistics, and to the in-depth knowledge of our operational areas. They are the real conservationists, naturalist and ecologists that understand how habitats, native people and the wildlife work together.
Talking
We can understand better when we listen, and we can explain better when we speak…
Our social media participation, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn are to ‘inform and educate’ on conservation issues, so we can highlight the real facts, and to enable us to learn more about sustainable-use conservation development issues.
Please give us a call on +44 (0)20 7233 7798 or, alternatively please leave us a time that suits you, on our Contact Us page and we will call you.
Forward...!
The main aim of Sybarite Sporting is to maintain our principle objective:
• to provide traditional bespoke shooting days and hunting safari experiences within
sustainable-use wildlife conservation management programmes, for like-minded guests.
By achieving this core aim, we will be able to continue to support our wildlife and community conservation charities and organisations.
We can learn from our wildlife management techniques and results, which we can then draw-off to inform decision-makers, industry stakeholders and the general public to the positive effects of practical sustainable-use conservation development, and if needs be, campaign directly within the industry to correct and improve management practices.
Ollie Hill
“There is one feature of my nature, however, for which I will make no apology -
I am a perfectionist, some might say almost to the point of eccentricity.“
- Sir Joseph Nickerson (1989)
