Elliott Clays
About George Elliott
& the Estate
A Passion That Started at Five Years Old
George Elliott has been shooting on these Fife hillsides for almost his entire life. Elliott Clays is the culmination of that life's work.
George's earliest memories are of being taught to shoot by his father, George Elliott Snr., before he'd even started primary school. That early education on the Fife countryside instilled a love of the sport — and of the landscape — that has shaped every professional decision he's made since.
Over twenty years as a professional gamekeeper and shooting instructor, George built a reputation as one of the most knowledgeable and respected figures in the Scottish shooting industry. He's been profiled in shooting journals, featured in internationally distributed short films, and has introduced hundreds of first-time shooters to a sport they've gone on to love.
“The thing I've always loved about this sport is that it genuinely doesn't matter who you are or whether you've ever held a gun before. Anyone can come here, have a great day, and leave having hit more clays than they expected. That's what we're trying to create every single time.”
Why Elliott Clays Was Founded
In 2019, George noticed something changing in the shooting industry. Interest in clay shooting was growing strongly — but the traditional driven game shoot remained out of reach for most people, either due to cost, seasonal restrictions, or the steep learning curve it implied.
The answer was simulated game shooting: all the experience of a real driven day, without the barriers. George established Elliott Clays at Birkhill Castle Estate to bring that experience to a genuinely inclusive audience — beginners and seasoned shots alike, groups and individuals, families and corporate parties.
Five years on, it's become one of the most sought-after shooting experiences in central Scotland — and George is still personally involved in every single day.
Birkhill Castle Estate
1,500 Acres of Scottish Countryside
The Birkhill Castle Estate sits near Newburgh, on the banks of the Tay Estuary in historic Fife. Its 1,500 acres encompass open hillside, ancient woodland, river valley, and the formal grounds of the castle itself — a landscape that provides a varied, challenging, and genuinely beautiful backdrop for a day's shooting.
The estate's topography is central to what makes Elliott Clays special. The hills and glens create the angles and elevations that give simulated game its realism — you're shooting at targets that behave like real birds in real terrain, not flat-range clays in a field.
The lodge provides a warm base for the day — breakfast before the guns go out, elevenses mid-morning, and dinner in the evening. It's part of what turns a day's shooting into a day you remember.
The Lodge
The Bar
Where the day ends — with a dram in hand and the afternoon's shooting replayed in detail. The lodge bar is stocked for the occasion.
The Dining Room
Dinner is served properly — a sit-down meal after the day's shoot, with the kind of cooking that sustains a long evening's conversation.
Barbecue Option
When the weather allows, the day can end with a barbecue on the estate grounds — an informal finish that works particularly well for larger groups.
Continuing the Tradition
The thing George is proudest of — above the reviews, the press features, and the television work — is that he now teaches his own son to shoot the same way his father taught him, on the same Fife hillsides where it all began.
That thread of tradition, passed from father to son across the generations, is what Elliott Clays is really about. It's why the sport matters, why the setting matters, and why George cares as much about his thousandth guest's experience as he did about his first.
Come and Experience It for Yourself
Speak to George directly — he will tell you everything you need to know and help you plan a day that is right for your group.