4th June 2021 • 5pm to 8pm • River Chess

This summer we invite you to walk the waterways of England, navigating their gentle wildness alongside Sam Lee and special guest ecological pioneers.
Leave your gadgets behind and spend an evening chalk streaming together.

Running gin-clear through Southern England’s downlands, weaving across meadows, billowing with watercress, water-buttercup, wild trout and salmon, are England’s ecological jewels in the crown. Of the mere 210 chalk streams in the world, 161 of them well up from aquifers deep within the white cretaceous bedrock of England.

This island is historically the custodian of the cleanest, most mineral-rich, species-abundant and aquatically profound of landscape features on Earth. Beloved of fisherman, painters, pastoralists and poets, chalk streams are woven deep into the ancient lore of Britain as a land of abundance and healing. They are our Lourdes, our Ganges and our Amazon in miniature, crystalline and very, very cold. With names like Wissey, Itchen, Test, Chess, Linnet, Kennet, Mimram and Gadder they weave watery poem-paths and whisper histories of the tribes and kingdoms who depended upon their abundant waters. From days of high spiritual esteem to modern times of being drained out of, drained into, managed, covered, slurried and sullied, these little wonders call for a reawakening to their gentle majesty. They demand us to redeem them back to their sovereign glory and arterial importance in the health of our land.

Over the course of spring 2021, we will be seeking out six of the many chalk streams that lie within a stone’s throw of the M25. We invite you to meander side-by-side with each river to learn her songs, witness her beauty and bring our gifts of appreciation to her ill-worn banks, body and bed.

Accompanied by folk singer Sam Lee and a special guest ‘ecological pioneer’, each uniquely-created walk leads our company to meet the river and tune deeply into the water’s resonance and hidden depths. Each walk will meet and end at adjacent train stations and chart about 3 to 5 miles together.

Special guest for this Nature Walk is Chris Park.

Chris Park’s work is wide and varied, from arts and craft, ancient technologies, experimental archaeology and educational projects to eco-building, professional storytelling, folk music and raising the awareness of the heritage of beekeeping.

Covid-19

A full Covid-19 risk assessment will take place for this event nearer to the time, reflecting the current Government guidelines. We anticipate that these events will be able to go ahead, however we will keep ticket holders updated with any changes, and should cancellations be necessary then ticket transfers or full refunds will be available.