With 36 years in hunt service behind him, Robert McCarthy is one of the country’s most senior and most respected huntsmen. He talks to Tessa Waugh about Crufts, the current situation and life in Northumberland

PICTURES: ADAM FRADGLEY; GETTY IMAGES; HISTORIC ENGLAND A ...

As winter relinquishes its grip, Tessa Waugh enjoys a copybook meet, with convivial chat, springy turf and good sport – while the real hunting aficionados demonstrate their teleporting skills

The issue has been debated in Parliament again – but the Government has not committed to a timescale for change

I’d just dropped Sarah off at a small railway station in Scotland and, after several weeks travelling together, I was on my own again. She was heading home to Cornwall, leaving me free to devote time

● It had been, until that point, an ...