A chalkstream Lilliput world
Shooting Times & Country|April 29, 2020
Its gin-clear waters are a slice of heaven and its trout know where to hide, but the stream can’t keep its secrets from Richard Hardy
Richard Hardy
A chalkstream Lilliput world

We all have favorites. We may strive diligently for fairness with dogs, children, pubs, and guns but it’s a losing battle. Your hand slips the first biscuit to the most loyal hound, and it’s the same with my little trout stream.

I’m generally a contented riparian, working to nurture my miniature sliver of gin-clear heaven with the even hand of a paternal presence. I plan mowing, planting and tree work to allow nature its scruffy head, to guide somewhat remotely and certainly never gardening an over manicured beat of glorious chalk stream.

I do, of course, have a favorite pool. It’s not the prettiest nor the most productive; it doesn’t hold the largest trout nor provide the most consistent sport. What it does is encapsulate the magic and mystery of brown trout in their southern heartlands, a vibrant population of the wildest Trutta still thriving in the jewel of most precarious habitat meandering gracefully through the midst of our overpopulated southern counties.

Though I’ve established a very wild series of beats, there is a little ongoing maintenance. The major task is mowing paths. Set at least 1m back from the water’s edge they are 1m or so wide, allowing easy access but also providing cover for the casting angler and maintaining habitat for our burgeoning water vole population.

After five hours of plodding the mower around, carefully reinstating the paths for the first time this year, I decided to treat myself to an hour putting a fly on to water.

This story is from the April 29, 2020 edition of Shooting Times & Country.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the April 29, 2020 edition of Shooting Times & Country.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRYView All
United we stand
Shooting Times & Country

United we stand

Following United Utilities' decision to end grouse shooting on its land, Lindsay Waddell asks what will happen if we ignore our vital moors

time-read
5 mins  |
August 02, 2023
Serious matters
Shooting Times & Country

Serious matters

An old gamebook prompts a contemplation on punt-gunning

time-read
3 mins  |
August 02, 2023
They're not always as easy as they seem
Shooting Times & Country

They're not always as easy as they seem

While coneys of the furry variety don't pose a problem for Blue Zulu, he's left frustrated once again by bolting bunnies of the clay sort

time-read
5 mins  |
August 02, 2023
Debutant gundogs
Shooting Times & Country

Debutant gundogs

There's lots to think about when it comes to making the decision about when to introduce your dog to shooting

time-read
4 mins  |
August 02, 2023
When the going gets rough
Shooting Times & Country

When the going gets rough

Al Gabriel returns to the West London Shooting School to brush up on his rough shooting technique

time-read
5 mins  |
August 02, 2023
The Field Guide To British Deer - BDS 60th Anniversary Edition
Shooting Times & Country

The Field Guide To British Deer - BDS 60th Anniversary Edition

In this excerpt from the 60th anniversary edition of the BDS's Field Guide To British Deer, Charles Smith-Jones considers the noise they make

time-read
4 mins  |
August 02, 2023
A step too far?
Shooting Times & Country

A step too far?

Simon Garnham wonders whether a new dog, a new gun and two different fields in need of protection might have been asking too much for one afternoon's work

time-read
6 mins  |
August 02, 2023
Two bucks before breakfast
Shooting Times & Country

Two bucks before breakfast

A journey from old South London to rural Hertfordshire to stalk muntjac suggests that the two aren't as far detached as they might seem

time-read
6 mins  |
August 02, 2023
Stalking Diary
Shooting Times & Country

Stalking Diary

Stalkers can be a sentimental bunch, and they often carry a huge attachment to their hill

time-read
2 mins  |
August 02, 2023
Gamekeeper
Shooting Times & Country

Gamekeeper

Alan Edwards believes unique, private experiences can help keepers become more competent and passionate custodians of the countryside

time-read
3 mins  |
August 02, 2023