Life on a Chalkstream



18th August 2023

Dear Simon,

I wish I had not had cause to write about the National Trust and the cessation of fishing at Mottisfont Abbey last time but it was, at least, gratifying to receive so many emails of support. Thank you. It was also a taste of more to come with The Spectator running the cover article last week entitled Country Strife where William Moore wrote about the covert campaign against field sports. Unfortunately, it went to press before the Mottisfont Abbey news broke but I have followed up with a letter in The Spectator this week.

The article has prompted the Angling Trust to seek a meeting with the National Trust to highlight Angling Trust concerns over the National Trust attitude to angling in general and the situation at Mottisfont Abbey in particular.

In addition, we have caught the eye of Restore Trust, a new campaign group who believe the National Trust cannot ‘afford the distraction of ephemeral trends and political activism.’ I think the cancelling of fly fishing at its historic home fall full square into this category. I have spoken with Restore Trust and this is the playbook to maybe roll back the angling ban.

The Spectator 12 August 2023

Firstly, sign up to the Restore Trust newsletter. It is free and will keep you abreast of the campaign. Here is the link https://www.restoretrust.org.uk/join-us-restore-trust

Secondly, if you are a National Trust member (1 in 11 of the UK population are) be prepared to vote for the Restore candidates in the upcoming Council elections. Ballot papers will go out in September; the Restore newsletter will keep you abreast of developments

Thirdly, if you are not a National Trust member you have until 26/August to join to be eligible for the 2023 Council elections.

Finally, do write to the National Trust, especially if you are a member. I know it is tempting to tear up your membership card (I did on the hunting issue) but it takes you out of the game. Here are some contact details depending on your preferred writing route.

• Vicky Fletcher General Manager Mottisfont Abbey, Mottisfont Lane, Romsey SO51 0LP vicky.fletcher@nationaltrust.org.uk

• René Olivieri Chair The National Trust, Kemble Drive, Swindon, Wiltshire, SN2 2NA

• Harry Bowell, Director of Land and Nature harry.bowell@nationaltrust.org.uk

If you wish to remind yourself of some of the issues here is the link to my Cultural vandalism article.

When otters attack

The papers last week carried news of an otter attack in Montana, USA when three float tubing women were attacked by a single otter whilst floating down the Jefferson River. The women escaped the otter by leaving the river where, having called 911, two were treated on the bank whilst the other was helicoptered to hospital.

The general consensus is that this was an unusual event to which I would agree. In all my considerable research for The Otters’ Tale I came across very few incidents of otter aggression to humans. Admittedly there are extremes – a keeper in a South American zoo was mauled to death by Giant River Otters, often referred to as the river wolves, who can grow to six foot in length and sixty pounds in weight which are the world’s largest otters.

Also, famously, the keeper in charge of the otters used in the filming of A Ring of Bright Water lost a finger. I must admit the latter story did rather play on my mind when I went to meet, and hold, and hand feed, a real life otter for a photo shoot to promote The Otters’ Tale but pretty soon I learnt that, as with horses, it is not the hand they crave but the food it holds.

A hungry Topaz at the New Forest Wildlife Centre

In fact, in going back centuries, I found absolutely no reports of European otters ever attacking or injuring a person. Indeed, they are not that keen on fighting each other, or for that matter, other animals such as cats, dogs or foxes. Flight not fight is most definitely the preferred otter lifestyle option.

Are we being taken for mugs?



Back in December our good friends at Ofwat announced £7.1m of funding for CaSTco, the awkward acronym for the equally awkwardly named Catchment Systems Thinking Cooperative. This month the Wye & Usk Foundation (WUF) became the first catchment to be part of the scheme that seeks ‘to revolutionise the way crucial data about England and Wales’ water environment is gathered and shared, in particular on the health of the nation’s rivers.’

In the press release the WUF talk of four pillars to the initiative with farm interventions to tackle pollution at source, citizen science to collect and share data, monitoring the most damaging pollutants such as flea treatments and data collection that will be available for public consumption. The intent of CaSTco is, and I quote,

“.. that by collaborating with the Rivers’ Trusts, and the many other organisations involved in CaSTCo, we can influence NRW, EA and government policy. We aim to rebuild trust and increase confidence of local people, and through community involvement and transparency inspire public value of rivers and water.”

My initial thought was wow, that is great. Hundreds, possibly thousands, of dedicated river lovers spreading out across the two nations to gather the evidence with which to cudgel government to bring the water industry into line. But then I got angry.

Really? When did monitoring the health of our rivers suddenly become our job? What exactly are Defra (annual budget £4.6 billion), the Environment Agency (£1.65 billion), Natural England (£261 million) and Ofwat (£31 million), with over 25,000 employees between them, exactly doing with six billion of our money and a huge arsenal of regulatory and legislative weaponry?

Much though I admire those who have thrown themselves into CaSTco it does feel to me that we are being taken for mugs. It is no irony that the worse-than-hopeless Ofwat, enablers-in-chief of the most egregious behaviour by the water companies, are funding this scheme. It strikes me as perfect cover for them. I suspect they secretly hope that the citizen science will eventually run out of steam and, having bought themselves a few years of respite from criticism, they will live to fight another day. 

The rich are not so different

You often hear it said, and read it written, that the top property tiers are immune to recession and the travails of the wider economy. Frankly, it is nonsense. Though sadly I have never been buyer or seller in that rarefied atmosphere I have watched enough marquee properties change hands to know that the property barometer is as equally sensitive at £10m as it is at one tenth that value.

If you doubt my word, The Watch Estate (pictured) on the River Test is a case in point. It was first offered for sale at £2m back in May but this week was reduced to £1.75m. Whether that represents a bargain or not depends on your point of view and situation, but it certainly indicates a direction of travel.

Details via agents Knight Frank

The Watch Estate, River Test, Chibolton

Main river on left, carrier on right and lakes in between

Have a good weekend - go England!



Best wishes,

Quiz answers:

1)   Mick Jagger

2)   A person who enjoys collecting and using firearms

3)   China. 1991. Won by USA