Dick Walker on "Health & Safety"

[Stour Otter]

Below is reproduced a letter from Dick to my late fishing partner William Gillingham, regarding his Anglers Accommodaton on the Ouse.

From Walker.
1a Water Lane, Flitwich, Beds. ........................ 12th January, 1977

Dear Bill,
Of course you can arrive on a Monday and leave on a Friday.
I imagine your best route would be up the M1 coming off at the intersection leading to Newport Pagnell, then going through Wolverton and coming on to the A5 road at Stony Stratford. Go north through Stony Stratford, over the bridge crossing the Ouse and up to the traffic lights at the northern end of the town, where there is a left turn to the A422, signposted Old Stratford, Deanshanger and Buckingham.
About 3-4 miles from these lights, along the A422, there is a farm entrance over a cattle grid, leading to an avenue of lime trees. Drive down this avenue, and you'll arrive at the farmhouse. Either Mr or Mrs Edmundson at the farm will tell you it it is safe to drive down to the hut and if so, which was to go. It's tricky to get the car down if the ground is wet, because of the slope.
Here is a map showing the fishery and adjacent land.
There are no rules, fish how you like and do what you like with what you catch. You'll need Anglian Water Authority licenses.
At the back of the hut, underneath, there's a gate-valve which you should find turned off. Turn it on to get water in the tap in the sink, then off before you leave. The water seems rusty when first turned on, but clears after running for a bit.
It's best to empty the Elsan when you arrive, put some water and chemical in it, leave it when you go, don't empty it then. By the time the next visitors arrive, the chemical should have done its stuff and only liquid is left to empty. You do the emptying in the hedge behind the hut.
Open the door and all the windows as soon as you arrive and don't smoke or strike lights. The gas should have been turned off at the cylinders at the back of the hut, and at all gas taps in the hut, but in case some twit left gas escaping, it is best to proceed as above, because it is hard to catch those big chub if your head has been blown off.
Don't burn your tackle if you don't catch big chub. It's only fair to warn you that they are pretty difficult to catch, and it takes most people more than one visit to succeed. It did me, I can tell you! If you aren't successful, you can always come again.
The only other parties who have booked so far, have chosen 8, 9th and 10th July, and another for some time in August, dates haven't been confirmed.
Remind me nearer the date you choose to send you the hut key. If I were you I'd try to come as early in the new season as I could manage.

Sincerely,
Richard Walker (Dick)
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1a Water Lane, Flitwich, Beds. ........................ June 10th, 1977
Dear Bill.
The Ouse was in a marvellous condition when I went to have a look at it about 10 days ago, plenty of water coming down, crystal clear and far less rubbish than usual at this time. We had a tremendous flushed down it in the winter, which seems to have shifted a lot of old reeds.
There is no shortage of chub, I counted over 50 in 100 yards mostly between 2 and 4 pounds, but, five or six I saw would be 5 pounds or more, and one looked nearer 7 then six.
I also saw three shoals of pretty fair roach around the pound with one or two bigger bigger ones, I wouldn't guarantee that anywhere as big as 2 pounds, but if not they weren't far short of it. The usual bream shoals were there too, one at the bottom end of the fishery, about half a dozen 6 pounders and the other at the top end of the middle Meadow, about 15 fish between 5 and 7 pounds. I saw far fewer dace than usual and even fewer minnows, which is a blessing to anyone after roach.
There will be only one other angler fishing between the 16th June and the 20th when you arrive and that's me, so you won't find the fish heavily hammered. I only want to catch one or two, to get a few photographs.
If you can get hold of some black slugs before you come, do. You can feed them up up on cabbage or lettuce leaves. Also having witnessed the bank erosion that happened in the winter I guess those chub would be very eager to be offered a big fat worm, bigger the better.
I'll do my best to remember to leave a beta light float in one of the drawers of the sideboard in the hut, so you can try float fishing after dark, if you like. There are one or two swims that are now sufficiently open to make float fishing defiantly possible. Probably most of your daytime fishing will be free-lining or very light ledger, with a beta light float after dark can be deadly for chub, roach or bream.
I cant remember if I gave you full directions for finding the hut, but I assume you will be coming up the M1 or the old A5. If the M1, set off where it says NEWPORT PAGNELL and follow the signposts to WOLVERTON and STONY STRATFORD. On approaching STONY STRATFORD, you will find it is now by-passed, so look for TOWCESTER signposts. You want to arrive at the traffic lights where the A508 NORTHAMPTON road and the A422 Buckingham road joins the A5. Look on the map. You arrive at the same junction and lights if you come up the old A5. Here you turn left along the A422 for about 3 1/4 miles, looking out for an entrance over a cattle grid, down an avenue of lime trees.
This is Little Hill Farm, ask Mr or Mrs Edmondson at the farm, which track to take down to the hut, and watch your car springs, when you go over either of the canal bridges! I usually turf out and passengers and go over very, very, very slowly!
I hesitate to mention this, but a lot of chocolates for Mrs Edmundson and her children might help to pave the way, just in case you get stuck and had to ask for help to get the car out. Don't worry that very seldom happens, but in the event of continuous heavy rain, it isn't entirely impossible.
We have sorted out the hut and fixed a Hampshire gate, which can be detached to let you car into the enclosed grounds of the hut, so it is safe from cattle. In case you arn't familiar with Hampshire gates, I'd better explain that they are simply detachable sections of barbed wire fences, fixed at one end, but with wire loops to attach and detach the other end.
Don't forget the toilet paper!
Pissing off the hut porch is strictly forbidden, unless it is raining enough to wash it away!
Don't be alarmed when you first sight the hut, it looks like a small warehouse at 400 yards, but grows as you get nearer. You can't miss it, it has a light tiled roof with a weathercock on the facet. The weathercock is fixed to indicate a SW wind, the best wind for fishing. There are trees and bushes around one side.
The fishery rules are not very complicated, in fact there's only one.
Do what you'd do, if it were your own fishery and your own hut.
Did I tell you that you need an Anglian Water Authority rod licence?
I hope to get over one evening while your there if possible.
If by some misfortune you run out of calor gas, get a new cylinder from Chipperfields, the ironmongers on the west side of Stony Stratford High Street, and tell them to charge it to my account and that its for the fishing hut at Little Farm Hill. I've had an account with them for about 20 years, so they know all about us. Same for any other items you might just possibly need, such as gas mantels or Elsan fluid. You should find enough of everything, but if not, you know what to do.
The fishing goes from Thornton Bridge, down to the end of the third field, where there's a notice board saying "Beachampton Angling Club". The hut is just inside the third meadow, so if you cross no fences below the hut and don't cross the road that goes over Thornton Bridge, you'll stay in bounds.
If you have any queries you can phone me at Letchworth 3031 (office) or Flitwich 3177 (home). Here's the key.

Good Luck,
Dick

[Harry H]

Great bit history and no misunderstanding those instructions.

[Wallys-Cast]

Sounds like heaven compared to some of the places I have stayed.

[Bobby Marlene]

Fantastic!

[Lea Dweller]

Some precise instructions from a Great angler, lovely to read!

[Liphook]

Very interesting and a lovely bit of angling history to have I do miss a decent letter arriving in the post. All I get in the post these days are bills and guilt ridden tackle purchases from ebay, along with the occasional gem from you kind gents of course

[Stour Otter]

Gentlemen. I had fished with Bill (William Gillingham (1933-2016) for almost two decades, chasing chub, using his favourite cheese mix. Bills letters were passed on to me some years before his death, by him to type up and store digital. These cover the dates from 5th December 1976 - 14th November 1977.



22 Myrtle Road, Dorking, Surrey ....................................... 8th November, 1977.

Dear Dick.
Thank you once again for the use of your fishery and hut. In my last letter I did say that we would only be able to come for the day, but Peter's good wife gave him an "overnight pass" and we fixed up with Rod to fish for the weekend.
On arrival we were surprised to find the river at a very low level and running clear, it was even lower than when we fished way back in June, after the rain we have endured recently we expected to find it bombing through and coloured, in fact, during Saturday night it dropped by about another four inches.
The chub proved hard to catch, but I managed to temp several to accept my bait including two that went 3 1/2 pounds, Peter was not quite so fortunate and had to top fish of 2 3/4.
On reflection and in view of the clear water conditions, we possibly may have been more successful using smaller baits, such as maggots or wheat in an attempt to draw the fish out of their lairs as there was no visible sign of fish movement in the river that we could see.
On Saturday afternoon, I ground baited a very shallow swim with lumps of cheese paste and then fished it after dark catching a chub of 3 3/4 pounds, but made such a hash of playing it, letting it splash about on the surface, that no doubt and self respecting chub within 50 yards did a bunk back into the weeds, from whence they came for no more bites were forthcoming from that swim.
For the first time a betalight bite indicator was used and even in the very high winds that was blowing proved very successful.
It's amazing the amount of gear one needs just for an overnight stay, when we arrived I foolishly drove my car right down to the hut to unload and after the "exciting" ride down realized that I would be fortunate, particularly if we had any more rain overnight, to get the car back to the farm, so instead of leaving the car by the hut, I drove back and parked in the farm and only just about made it.
On the Sunday when departing we made two trips of foot, heavily laden, and worked up quite a sweat.
I noticed that the dreaded dredgers are not yet in sight, let's hope they don't arrive, although it is inevitable that they will, perhaps it would be as well if they came now, at least it would give the river a chance to recover before next season.
Well Dick, the four pound barrier still remains unbroken but of the fisheries we have available I feel that your fishery provides the best opportunity to produce a fish of this size for us.
Rivers like the Avon and Stour hold fish of this calibre but when Peter and I go fishing, we prefer to get away from the crowds and this we are able to do on your stretch of the Ouse.
In the new year, before the season ends, we would like to pay your fishery another visit, just for one day,and with your permission, I will fix this up with Rod.

Best wishes,
Bill.
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1a Water Lane, Flitwich, Beds. ........................ 14th November, 1977

Dear Bill.
By all means fix up another visit, if Rod can find you a vacancy; and if you plan for come again next season, you might be wise to look that far ahead.
For some reason we always get low water on that stretch in the Autumn, but later in the Winter a lot of water comes down and I've seen it so high that I could sit on the porch of the hut and catch fish by the trunk of the big Ash tree. From the middle of November till mid March, you never know how you are going to find it.
Somebody got a roach over 2lbs a few weeks ago, in the swim just downstream of Thornton Bridge. I haven't heard of any really big chub being taken lately, an odd four pounder has come out, but no fives. Still, they're there. Trouble is they're thoroughly well educated and I am sure the secret is choosing a bait they haven't been caught on before. Like trout pellet paste, or sweet corn, or pearl barley.

Best wishes,
Richard Walker (Dick)

[Stour Otter]

Dear Bill,
Thanks for the key. You can have it again when you fix another date, which, as far as I'm concerned, can be whenever you can fix up with Mr Rod Lane. I'm glad you met him because now you'll both know whom you've talking too.
I'm sorry you didn't get your four and five pounders. Neither did I when I first fished the water. The biggest I caught in my first season there was 4 3/4 pounds, and that was on my eighth visit. It takes to sort it all out and get to grips with the bigger ones. I just hope that the dredging won't spoil your chances on future visits.
The reason for my suggesting you tried the betalight floats is that the big chub tend to move into very shallow water after dark, and you can cover likely areas by casting across with the float set well over depth, and letting the current swing it across. You can do this with leger for free line of course, but it you hook one, you have a job to know which way it is headed, and it can be in the crap before you can do anything about it. The glow float follows a hooked fish and lets you know where it is and which way it is going.
Catching the 5lb bream does more credit than you allow yourself; those bream and much harder to catch than the chub of similar weight.
I'm pleased that you at least saw some bigger chub, Next time, take a look and ask yourself where they would likley move out to, when the light fails. If you can spead a bit of corn or heavy ground bait in the place you think most likely, you can often nobble one. Trouble is, it might be the next open patch above or the next one below, but at least you're in with a 50/50 chance and if you've got a mate along, one of you is almost onto a cert.
You can get the bright betalights, or similar dimmer ones, from Woodys of Wembley Ltd, High Road, Wembley, Middlesex, but for butt indicators, or swing tips, you don't need the expensive bright ones, the cheap dim ones are O.K., because you can see them easily at 10 to 15 feet away. The bright ones are for putting on floats that you need to see at 25 yards or so. Easiest way is to cut the top of a bit of porcupine quill or peacock quill flat, drill a hole in it of the right size and glue the betalight in with Araldite.

Best wishes,
Richard Walker (Dick)
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Mrs K L Dymock, c/o Lloyds & Co Letchworth Ltd.
Birds Hill, Letchworth, Herts. ........................................7th March 1977

Dear Mr Gillingham.
As there has been a little confusion regarding booking dates for Mr Walker's fishing hut at Beachampton, will you please be kind enough to let me know if the dates you booked were 20th June to 24th June. These dates are quite all right, but we would like to make sure they are the ones you want.

Yours sincerely,
K. L. Dymock
Secretary to Mr Richard Walker

[Gudgeon Basher]

A fantastic read, thank you for sharing these little treasures.

Even includes a mention of Woodys of Wembley, my local tackle shop when I was a nipper, I would have been going there about this time too, who knows maybe I rubbed shoulders with the great man without realising it!!!

Regards GB

[Pallenpool]

Superb read - and like Liphook I sincerely miss the days of letter writing for all the reasons in the post.

Thanks for sharing them.