i68 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER 



has a strong stud, and desires to hunt on every avail- 

 able day, but for the ordinary individual with leisure 

 and a certain amount of means such towns as Leaming- 

 ton, Cheltenham, and Malvern particularly appeal, 

 because there is plenty of society in these towns, 

 good clubs, and bridge, which is probably unlimited 

 as regards the quantity of it to be had, and limited as 

 regards the points which are played. 



It is argued that Leamington is in these days to 

 some extent a suburb of Birmingham, and Coventry, 

 though situated in pleasant country, and very handy 

 for the Atherstone and North Warwickshire, is not 

 quite a watering-place, being, in point of fact, a manu- 

 facturing town ; but Cheltenham and Malvern are 

 watering-places and nothing else, and both are good 

 if provincial hunting centres. Hunting from Chelten- 

 ham means for the most part hunting with the Cots- 

 wold hounds, though other packs can be reached with 

 a little trouble, notably the Berkeley (Lord Fitz- 

 hardinge's), the V.W.H. (Earl Bathurst's), the Croome, 

 the Ledbury, and the North Cotswold. The kennels 

 of the Cotswold are close to the town of Cheltenham, 

 and hounds are out three and sometimes four days a 

 week, all the meets being within riding distance of the 

 town. 



Malvern is, perhaps, a better centre than Chelten- 

 ham, for it is almost at the division of the Ledbury 

 and Croome hunts, and the Worcestershire can be 

 reached at times, as can the North Herefordshire, occa- 

 sionally on the Bromyard side of the country. The 

 Ledbury and the Croome, however, are out four and 

 three days in each week respectively, and the former 

 pack often have an extra day ; nearly all of the Led- 

 bury country is within reach of Malvern if an occa- 



