Of the rare chalk rivers in the world 86% are in England. They are a national treasure. The Test and the Itchen in Hampshire are two of the best. They are the crown- jewels of our South of England countryside.

England’s Chalk Streams – the Itchen

These streams rise in chalk springs providing crystal clear water with very little sediment or organic matter, giving beautiful mirrored reflections.

Standing on the river bank our inner self slows to the gentle pace of the stream and we become in-tune with its peaceful rhythm.  Mesmerised, we watch the water weed, mainly water crowfoot, swaying gently in the flowing stream, our eyes ever looking for fish and listening for any movement of water-voles rippling the water. In the early mornings the dawn chorus wakes us in full song and in the evenings we hear the occasional sound of a trout surfacing to catch one of the many mayflies in flight.

Linger awhile upon some bending planks
That lean against a streamlet’s rushy banks,
And watch intently Nature’s gentle doings:
They will be found softer than ring-dove’s cooings.
How silent comes the water round that bend;
Not the minutest whisper does it send
To the o’erhanging sallows: ……
Where swarms of minnows show their little heads,
Staying their wavy bodies ’gainst the stream
To taste the luxury of sunny beams
Temper’d by coolness.

From I stood tip-toe on a little hill by John Keats

The Cottage Book

Sir Edward Grey, who served as Britain’s Foreign Secretary in the troubled years leading to the First World in 1914, used to know this stretch of the Itchen river bank well. A few years ago a friend introduced me to his delightful ‘The Cottage Book’ in which he records his spring weekends spent with his wife, staying in their small wooden cottage by the river at Itchen Abbas. They spent their time fishing, walking the river footpath, exploring the surrounding water meadows with their rich flora and watching birds and finding nests. Later he records of one evening by the river:

“It was as if one’s own being was soothed and in some way refined by the stillness, the gentleness and the sweetness of it all.”

The book began as a diary of the wildlife sightings and discoveries of the day. It was left open in the hall for daily jottings. Only 20 copies were printed for friends. The book was only recently rediscovered and reprinted with the addition of beautiful art work.

The Peace of Wild Things

Edward and Dorothy Grey loved their stays in the cottage. It became their beloved place surrounded by the rich wildlife, peace and beauty of these clear steams and surrounding water-meadows.

The beauty has been overwhelming: pear and apple blossom overlapped and the profusion and splendour are more than human capacity could appreciate. I used to feel at this season of the year a sense of waste because I could not enjoy at once  all that was spread abroad; until one day the overwhelming egotism of looking at it from this point of view occurred to me, and I thought that God might be contemplating it all...’ 

From The Cottage Book

Practically a whole summer has come and gone since that walk, and this place has been to us all and more than we ever hoped it would be. In taking leave of it, one takes leave of the summer too. The day has been full of thoughtful last looks; Here, and there someplace or tree is lit, as one looks at it, by a happy memory, like a gleam of light falling on it. 1894.Dorothy

We are inspired by Edward and Dorothy’s love for this idyllic place. These chalk rivers are delicate ecosystems vulnerabl to pollution, over- extraction for public water supply and climate change. As ‘Sites of Special Scientific Interest’ (SSSI’s), a number of public bodies are responsible for the care of these national and international treasures.