After making a remarkable recovery from a big operation, Amelia wanted to ‘cash in’ the “Day on the River” voucher that she’d been promised. It goes without saying that the rest of the family were invited too and as Dad Andrew was having a big birthday the following day, it was a great chance for everyone to spend a very special day on the Derbyshire river Wye.

 

Amelia herself was fascinated by the invertebrates found in our kick sample. The Limestone in the river Wye helps create a perfect environment for insects and fish so we were able to find almost every insect that was on our bug guide.

 

Big sister Darcey, who’s painting of the brown Trout below is in my study, wanted to try her hand at catching a real one. Given the circumstances, this wasn’t going to be easy but she actually managed to achieve her goal with some casting skills that would shame many a seasoned fly fisher.

It looked for a while like Birthday boy Andrew would be outfished by his daughter but he made a late comeback and bagged a brace of Brownies whilst the ladies prepared afternoon tea.

A fantastic picnic lunch and surprise celebrity visits from Don Stazicker and Peter Hayes topped off what was a truly fabulous day.

A real big thank you to the committee and officers of the Cressbrook and Litton Flyfishers club for allowing us to use their facilities.

 

In truth we did a lot of eating on the day but with such beautiful surroundings, who wouldn’t want a meal ‘ere?… Geddit?… Amelia?… Oh never mind!