Golf & fishing are both activities that share a common feature in that they can be pursued while naturally maintaining social distancing. Shooting & stalking share the same solitary aspects and so will almost certainly fall under the same category.
Social distancing tips for your sporting vacation & summer 2020 holiday in Scotland:
Golf
- Leave the pin in the hole
- Don’t share clubs
- As is normal in Scotland, walk the course, rather than use a cart
- If employing a caddy, disinfect and wipe down your clubs and bag, before and after play
Fishing
- Salmon and trout fishing is a naturally self-distancing activity in any case. You can still enjoy the company of your ghillie and fellow anglers, simply maintain distance!
Shooting / stalking
- Shooting and stalking are very similar to fishing in that they allow for easy social distance by their nature, just stay slightly further away from you fellow guns than before
- The traditional indoor shoot lunch might have to be a little different on driven days, outdoor dining & packed lunches will be the order of the day
- Avoid handshaking on arrival at a shoot
- Tips should be paid in advance by bank transfer rather than given in a handshake at the end of the day
So for the moment, the responsible thing to do is to not travel to Scotland until the Scottish Government give the go-ahead (Scottish Government advice found here) however, this odd situation is not set to last for much longer (thankfully!). The Scottish economy is heavily dependent on tourism meaning that, in the near future, it will be in everyone’s interest to start welcoming visitors from across the world back to our beautiful country.
There will soon come a time when social responsibility means a gradual shift from focusing on protecting yourself and those around you to doing your part to help the economy recover. A sporting break or a summer 2020 holiday in Scotland allows you to do both.
