Unknown (at least to me) bit of the old R.Lea

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Corneybury
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Unknown (at least to me) bit of the old R.Lea

Post by Corneybury »

As a fully paid up Conservation volunteer with Lee Valley Park, I get to travel up and down the Lee Valley clearing, cutting back, painting, building, litter picking etc. with my fellow volunteers. A week or so ago, we were clearing a space near Cartagena weir for the new LVPAs "Nearly Wild" campsite. This was a piece of ground which has not been used for some time and was full of rubbish. It backs onto the Navigation above Cartagena Lock, and around a lake (part of Cartagena fishery) and has a stretch, of what I can only presume is the Old R.Lea (note different spelling) flowing through it.

On talking to an angler who had been carp fishing on the lake, I asked him who had the fishing rights on this bit of river, and had he any knowledge of what was in it. He said he had never seen anyone fishing it, and did not know what it contained.

Can anyone out there enlighten me? I attach a Google map of the site, although the river is incorrectly labelled "Lee Navigation", which really applies to the canal on the other side of the campsite.

Image

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Tengisgol
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Re: Unknown (at least to me) bit of the old R.Lea

Post by Tengisgol »

Interesting! I have never been to that part, did you see any fish?
Where the willows meet the water...

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Olly
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Re: Unknown (at least to me) bit of the old R.Lea

Post by Olly »

I think that is part of the Carthagena Fishery.

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Corneybury
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Re: Unknown (at least to me) bit of the old R.Lea

Post by Corneybury »

Well the member of the Cartagena fishery I spoke to knew nothing about this bit of river, although that doesn't mean that it was or wasn't part of the clubs jurisdiction.

I didn't see any fish, but it was weedy and fairly fast flowing. It looked very chubby.

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Re: Unknown (at least to me) bit of the old R.Lea

Post by Corneybury »

An update on this. I spoke to the senior ranger for the Northern part of the park today, who is charged with restoring the land adjacent to the river for use as the 'Almost Wild' campsite. He told me that the river is not the Lea, but a tributary, the River Lynch, which flows into Broxbourne Mill. He said that Lee Valley Park Authority had acquired the fishing rights to the river for use by campers. The river was quite fast flowing today and he said it contained trout plus a good head of the normal coarse fish. I asked, as one of his volunteers, and as a keen angler, would I be allowed to try my luck, particularly as I don't think it has been fished for some time. He said yes, but I need to wait for the start of the season, so I will just have to hold my breath for six weeks...Watch this space!

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Re: Unknown (at least to me) bit of the old R.Lea

Post by Olly »

Sound exciting!

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