River Whitewater, Hampshire
I was the lucky winner of a day's fishing on the very private River Whitewater in this year's Wild Trout Trust auction. This crystal clear chalkstream rises near the M3 motorway (London to Southampton) and is the nearest of Hampshire's chalkstreams to my home. I normally drive over it without a passing thought but was glad to now have an occasion to pull off the motorway and discover a new river. Shortly before meeting my host on Sunday of the coronation weekend, I stopped briefly in the village of North Warnborough to visit the ruins of Odiham Castle. The castle was built in the 13th century during the troubled reign of King John and was once rather opulent. A bend of the River Whitewater sweeps around the castle and it was my first glimpse of the river I would later fish a little way upstream. I noted the river's exceptionally clear water and its riverbed of white chalky gravels, and became very excited for the day ahead. I met Ed Dixon at 11am and he walked me along
