The UK's Vanishing Rivers

[@pwhitewick]

To Get 60% off your first Box and 25% off the next 8 boxes: Use the Code: WHITEWICK60 . Link here: bit.ly/WHITEWICK60

[@juncusbufonius]

Shame Hello Fresh don't accept single people exist. Hmm.

[@sr6424]

It amazing the general public are considered a threat to rivers but it’s ok for water companies to dump sewage!

[@janebaker966]

Get a hay bucket toilet then and don't put your poo into the system. It's all very well blaming "business" but the poo comes from us individual people.

[@andrewhotston983]

And guess who will have to pay for upgrading the sewage system?!

[@greenbob69]

​@@janebaker966Individuals who pay the water companies to deal with it. They should use the money for treating waste not lining the shareholders' pockets.

[@TheHindlepie]

@@janebaker966”it’s all very well blaming business”? They’re the ones dumping the sewage you idiot!

[@rialobran]

As a canoeist I thank you for highlighting this problem, and it is a problem. As with the re-instatement of the deadline for the registering of historic rights of way and the recent Dartmoor camping ban, which also affects me, it seems that by virtue of someone's wealth our rights of access and enjoyment to the countryside (our countryside) are eroded to a point a window box will be the last bastion of nature many will be able to enjoy.

[@pwhitewick]

SO much of the research into this was made possible by canoe groups. I can't imagine such a non intrusive hobby being made close to impossible.

[@captainwin6333]

Britain has always been a class ridden gimp hole.

[@RAFchurchlawford4469]

Please sir, can I have a window box? NOT ALLOWED!

[@helencoates3624]

This may be part of the removal of our historic right to inhabit our lands and started way back with the right to enclose, probably further back with the 'Normans' creation of hunting parks and forest control. We have got to start fighting back, before all we have is the right to sit on a chair and walk around our 10ft square 'generation's (All those with more than an acre of garden don't need to worry, it won't affect you)

[@helencoates3624]

Generation's should read Habitation

[@PerryTamte]

Wow. This blows me away. As an American traveling in England I was amazed at the public access walks that allowed people to go on paths across private land. I loved the walks we did, particularly in the Lakes District, but it always felt a bit weird and the concept made me uneasy. Property rights are a big deal, hot button issue in the U.S. The huge amount of public access paths we experienced in England do not exist in the U.S. I was flabbergasted, then, to hear how inaccessible the rivers were. The exact opposite of the U.S. It may be different in the East, I don’t know, but in the Midwest and West, we are free to go in the rivers, lakes, streams, whatever. You need public land to get access to the water, but once in can go anywhere. There are places, some tidelands, etc. where private citizens own the land under the water, but it isn’t common. Funny how the laws ended up so different, when, as far as I understand things, we started from a base of English law.

[@jagman84]

In a lot of cases the main issue is the angling rights, especially regarding Salmon and Trout fishing. The revenue generated is often quite substantial so "townie oiks", racing up and down with their paddleboards, are not particularly welcome.

[@geobloxmodels1186]

I thought the same thing. Even here in Texas, where you Definitely stay of private property, the 'navigable waterways' are consider a public right of way. The rub comes in determining what is 'navigable' as during the summer months sections of rivers turn into mudflats.

[@10wanderer]

surely you can canoe down the Rivers without problems , NOBODY OWNS THE RIVERS as Paul pointed it out, Magna Carta

[@lauriebloggs8391]

Nobody owns the WATER therein................Noboby@@10wanderer

[@bushmasterflash]

That river access map is certainly interesting at the Scottish border and northwards. FREEDOM !!!!!

[@BrokenBackMountains]

Just to point out that this applies to England, not Scotland. The Scottish access code has this: Access rights extend to rivers, lochs and reservoirs (but never go close to spillways or water intakes). Care for the interests of other users and for the natural heritage of rivers and lochs by: not intentionally or recklessly disturbing birds and other animals not polluting the water as it may be used for a public water supply making sure that the river, loch or reservoir is appropriate for your activity and the numbers involved following the guidance in the Code, and any local byelaws, to ensure that your activity will not interfere unreasonably with the interests of other users, such as anglers, or the environment.

[@pwhitewick]

Very good point, I should have made this clearly. I think I said... "This country" and "England", but you are right of course.

[@tonysegadelli9421]

If the Tories get reelected at the next General Election can you come and invade. We need proper laws in England plus enforcement against big business

[@BrokenBackMountains]

@@tonysegadelli9421 Probably best to sort it out yourself. We will have enough on our plate when we get independence. You need to elect people who will give you that. Unfortunately people have voted for a party that has had a negative effect on the whole of the UK. Scotland tends not to vote for them. Luckily Scotland kept control of water and had a tradition of access so it was easily codified. Also it was what the majority wanted I don't know if you will be able to get landowners behind such access in England.

[@mikehipperson]

@@BrokenBackMountains Independence? By joining the EU? Mug!

[@BrokenBackMountains]

@@mikehipperson That is your opinion but the ad hom is uncalled for.

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Sadly this is what happens when shareholders are involved - requiring a healthy dividend every year. If the shareholders were still the British taxpayers, I doubt this would have happened. The argument was that these utilities would become more efficient as privatised industries - after 3 decades, I would say that argument has been discredited.

[@malcolmrichardson3881]

Excellent job highlighting these twin issues: the pitifully limited access to riverbanks and the polluted state of many rivers. This makes a mockery of any right to roam. It's a double whammy and thank you for airing it on your channel.

[@RAFchurchlawford4469]

Right to roam AND right to moan are under attack!

[@oldsambo]

Several issues in this great video. Rivers make a poor boundary- they tend to migrate in time - erosion and deposition. Putting stormwater- roof runoff into sewage systems exacerbates the amount of sewage to be treated. Significant streams in navigation is possible should be accessible

[@johnspurgeon9083]

I recognise that the Test is a legendary fishing river and that lack of access and development opportunity probably makes it 'more natural' that those flowing through farmland. But, as for the opportunity for us commoners to enjoy just a mile or so on foot, I am reminded of the old principle of "noblesse oblige" (see To the Manor Born"!). It would be good if these wealthy owners felt a bit of an obligation to those who didn't inherit these estates.

[@stepheneyles2198]

I was blown away by the production quality of this video! Well done P, R & H! I especially liked the expression on R's face as the QR code threatened to devour her! 😅 I was unaware of the restrictions on river use - considering that they are the literal lifeblood of this Green and Pleasant Land, we should be more aware of them and take care of them and the surrounding countryside. I'll certainly be joining the campaign.

[@brianartillery]

Wherwell. In British folklore, home of the fearsome 'Wherwell Cockatrice'. It lived in the church crypt, and came out at night to eat livestock, children, etc. It was killed by someone lowering a large piece of polished steel into the crypt. On seeing it's reflection, it battered itself to death on the steel trying to kill the interloper.

[@andrewhotston983]

What on Earth were they smoking?

[@brianartillery]

@@andrewhotston983 I dunno, but the folklore of the UK is undatably ancient, and full of batshit crazy stories like that. I've spent a lot of time studying stuff like that - it seems any horror trope someone in Hollywood comes up with, some ancient yokel in a wattle-and-daub hut near Winchester, came up with 800 years ago. 🤔 😆😆😆

[@royjacques5650]

As a person who grew up in the village of quenington and swam in the river coln in the 1960s to 1980s we could swim almost where we liked where it was safe but from the late 1980s the rich people from London started buying up all the houses and land and blocking rights to access the rivers and footpaths just for their weekend cottages it has killed the the cotswolds and made it into a huge private holiday park for the rich it's so sad for the real people of the cotswolds especially the younger generations who have no chance to buy a house or stay where they grew up because of all the holiday homes thanks to Mrs bloody thacher and all her cronies. Roy

[@neilorton1]

I was in the cotswolds this weekend for the 1st time. I drove through Fairford and thought "wow look at the river I'll park by the church and have a walk" no such luck. All gated off with private signs.

[@roderickmain9697]

Its a serious shame. Where I grew up (Witney) the river Windrush had a purpose built set of changing huts and hard standing by the river. It was certainly a place I and my friends used frequently, Other parts of the river were easier to access but not so deep. Recently I was told by friends who still live there that it has a serious sewage problem. This is not recent but going back many years now. "But theres a swimming pool now. You dont need to swim in the river" - ha. Not very good for picnics and walks though is it? IMHO, Water companies who make huge profits and pay their CEO's and management bonuses based on said profits, should not have them if there is a continuous sewage problem they have not cleaned up. The government should require them to fix the issues and use their profits to so do.

[@AlisonBryen]

I paddled in the Windrush at Bourton-on-the-Water on a family day out back in the 1990s. It was a hot day in June, and it was an incredibly exciting thing for a city kid like me to do 😊.

[@barryconway]

Thank you raising awareness of this issue. Acutely aware of the English “right to roam” issues, but less so of the extent to which it also affects access to our (OUR) waterways. I did a bit of a swear (off camera).

[@SharpblueCreative]

Coombe Gibbet - used to go there when we were kids.

[@stephenmcpherson2888]

Such beautiful landscapes and villages. You are both lucky and generous to share them with the rest of us.

[@pwhitewick]

We are gifted around this neck of the woods!

[@peterhealey7964]

Not a comment about rivers but up until about 15 years ago you could walk around the previously mentioned Walbury hill fort. Then seemingly overnight the local land owner fenced around it. Same sort of public access issue. It certainly upset my dogs.

[@maverickdisco4036]

I didn’t realise it was so bad, thanks for highlighting it. I think “Right to Roam” has gained a new member.

[@lesmaybury793]

I used to live near the Test in the Hampshire village of Overton, not far from the source. It remains a great river but it is very sad that access is so limited. It is the finest trout river in the UK. Ref. Your sponsors, Hello Fresh, nice idea but please don't turn your back on local shops. When they are gone we will so much worse off, corporations are taking over our lives (as well as our rivers and open spaces) so we have to fight back.

[@timeast6412]

Thanks for highlighting this subject,a typical example is the river Thame near me which would be really interesting to explore,however apart from some bits around Aylesbury it’s mostly verboten until it reaches Dorchester on Thames .Come to think of it HS2 must cross it somewhere,but those sites are like Fort Knox.

[@pt9101]

Never thought about the lack of access to our rivers. Great video highlighting the issue and campaign group...

[@paulmartin7241]

I've often looked at the OS map and noticed the river Test is quite inaccessible , on private land for the rich fly-fishing types ! I wish the public could walk the length of it.

[@robatkins5740]

I’m not rich but I’m passionate about fishing the Test. There’s no reason you should know but the whole history of fly fishing was written based on this river, and the Itchen (and to a lesser extent the Avon). It’s no accident that these rivers are pristine - they have been continuously managed for more than a century to ensure they are ideal environments for insects, and hence for trout and grayling. They are amongst the most important aquatic habitats in this country, and are world renowned. It may be selfish, but public access severely damages these habitats, both for the ecology and as a consequence for trout fly fishing, so it is a joy to me that some small stretches of very important rivers are maintained in this way.

[@Bobrogers99]

In my State of New Hampshire, the state owns in public trust not only the great ponds (over 10 acres) and navigable rivers, but any body of water that can be used for any lawful and useful purpose. The land under these rivers and streams may be privately owned, but public access is permitted to the high water mark.

[@AlanWhitewick1]

I see on our local news this evening, that Great Bedwyn school were complaining that their pupils were stopped from doing nature studies on the River Kennet due to a sewerage outfall. Once again another beautiful chalk stream, the response from the water authorities was the usual crap, costs etc.

[@GrahamWalters]

More damage is done to banks by natural erosion and cattle than is done by walkers, or people using the river. As an angler in a club that used the Wye, we were forever repairing the banks after floods and cattle had destroyed fishing pegs. Most farmers I know in Herefordshire have no problem with people waking beside a river, providing they are law-abiding (not poaching) and following the country code by not damaging crops. This seems to be a new thing, for years people have been enjoying rivers without hindrance, it makes me think that some farmers don't want us to see what's happening

[@andrewhotston983]

Flooding is a natural process - it doesn't "damage" the banks, it provides habitats for Sand Martins and other wildlife.

[@GrahamWalters]

@@andrewhotston983 Oh OK, so all that water rushing down the Wye at full bore does no damage to the banks. I must remember that the next time I see an undercut bank fall away. FFS

[@GrahamWalters]

@@andrewhotston983 If a river in flood does no damage to the banks, how does a horseshoe bend turn into an Oxbow lake. I'll let you ponder on that one.

[@andrewhotston983]

Just read what you've written. Or maybe have a little think about the natural world and how it changes over time. The surface of the Earth doesn't stay the same just because humans find natural change inconvenient.

[@andrewhotston983]

And what do fishermen think about having kayaks and canoes going past? My son used to row on the Wye, and his friends used to get shouted at by fishermen!

[@martinmarsola6477]

Thank you for the video today. The tour along and through the rivers were amazing. Have a cracking week ahead, and see you on the next! ❤❤❤😊😊😊

[@pwhitewick]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@Sim0nTrains]

Really enjoyed watching this, did visit a few rivers this weekend just gone in Scotland (I post them in the Discord)

[@bobly]

Another fab video Paul and seeing the lovely Rebecca, very interesting

[@dilwyn1]

I know this is going to be good !!

[@patthewoodboy]

me too.

[@RogerThat2021]

It’s indeed very sad what is happening to our waterways . Regular media pops up time to time highlighting these issues . Paul Whitehouse did something recently. Channels like yours, will help to keep this live and current . I’d be interested if there are any success stories where land owners/ water company have decided to work with the community? Good video guys.

[@andrewcrysell142]

Excellent video. One little bit about ownership. My old but little village in Essex is on the A120 between Coggeshall and Braintree. The bridge over the River Blackwater there is the meeting point for four parishes. In the sixteenth century, it took a court to decide which parish was responsible for the repairs needed to the bridge. Turned out they all were but you can imagine the local Tudor parish councils all looking at the rotten wood, scratching their chins and saying it was nothing to do with them. Bless the little quirks of land ownership and parish boundaries. Keep up your excellent work.

[@stepheneyles2198]

Nowadays they'd just turn the bridge over to a private company and charge people for using it!

[@gibbo9089]

Used to paddle in the river Itchen as a kid. Not allowed anymore. 😢

[@rubberduck3y6]

I noticed the River Wey, which I'm fairly familiar with, is green (accessible) up to the point that the navigable section (managed by the National Trust) ends. Then it's purple and inaccessible, although there are points where you can, or could, get to the bank. One of these has been deliberately blocked off fairly recently as it used to be a popular spot for kids and teenagers to hang out in the summer.

[@brettpalfrey4665]

Ahhh Coombe Gibbet...I used to fly my model gliders there...lovely to see it again!

[@markbletsoe]

When I was at a scout camp in the 1980s we were camped in a field at Longparish on the banks of the river Test. I remember swimming, getting fresh water for cooking and catching eels. The game keepers just said " no soap suds as they destroyed the fish for people who paid to catch them". Oh those were the days.

[@tomchitling]

Living in Huntingdonshire/Cambridgeshire I didn't realise this was much of a problem. You can walk the Great Ouse on the Ouse Valley Way from Bedford to Kings Lynn mostly on or very near the river bank. There are a few excellent canoe and swimming spots. The local National trust place tried to restrict access to a traditional swimming / mucking around in the water spot, but it was funny, there were dozens of parents and kids who could not see the signs! PS. Godmanchester has Roman Roads in 5+ directions and a Roman layout, with a VERY naughty Rare Roman mill stone, in their tiny Porch Museum.

[@Hairnicks]

Well done for highlighting this.

[@norsehall309]

G'day from Australia, in OZ no one person can own a river or prevent access for 10 meters up the banks so access is available for Walker's, wild animals and fishing person's, stupid system in the UK, cheers, Neil 🤠.

[@PaulTimlett]

Excellent video all. Echoes precisely our experience of the Test Way two years ago. Think we can accuse Hampshire County Council of mis-selling. They certainly need to change their publicity to make it clear it is not possible to follow the river.

[@pwhitewick]

Cheers Paul. Much change needed!

[@xhogun8578]

Sadly I've stopped swimming in my local river because of the state of the river thanks to the poultry farms and the run off into the river (river Wye). A few years back I would swim once or twice a week and swim about 2 miles down the river from April to October.

[@TheShedHobbyist]

Thankfully in our little village in mid-Essex, part of the river Blackwater is alongside Parish land so open to all.

[@truebrit3578]

The wider problem is the way the very wealthy are gradually owning everything including things that were always presumed in common ownership. Whether its privatization of assets like water companies, lawyers employed by the wealthy to change the laws or just a footpath being fenced off its happening all the time. When I moved from the UK to the East Coast of The US many years ago I was astounded at how little costal access there was to walk. That is the model that threatens the UK.

[@firesurfer]

Locally, the Bronx River has been the focus of an intensive cleanup. I just bought a book about the whole effort. I believe it has been 'finished' for a while now. See ''The Bronx River: An Environmental & Social History'' and the Bronx River Alliance. Some of my fondest and scariest memories are of the river when I was young.

[@brunobastos5533]

Portugal got many bad things, but around 1800's a law was passed that still enforced , that granted free access to all natural water bodies , and block private ownership of them

[@aengusmacnaughton1375]

P & R -- your cooking/prep of the meals looks awesome! How about I order the kits, have them shipped to you, you cook them up and then ship the final meals to me!!!! Shipping to the US shouldn't spoil them.... 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@pwhitewick]

Hahaha.... Its genuinely easy to do!!

[@lancemumford3106]

In the USA most waterways are owned by the public. The edges may be private but you can use the waterway as long as you stay off the private banks.

[@ChrisCSunshine]

Dear Rebecca and Paul. An idea, being a long time lover of a water way near me (In question the Titchfield canal part of the Meon river in Hampshire), I have been saddened how over the years this ancient water way has slowly silted up and parts are stagnant. So can the people charge those 'Landowners' with the cost due to the negligent upkeep of said rivers. Now i suspect when charged with the upkeep and maintenance cost of said waterways the owners and said legal companies will very quickly change their tune about ownership. Is something like this an avenue which could be explored do you think?

[@s125ish]

Where did the boats go up the Meon ?

[@ChrisCSunshine]

@@s125ish It is an ancient canal next to the Meon river blocked off by the Earl of Southampton hundreds of years ago. (this is why they had a bonfire effigy burning at Titchfield carnival for many years). At one time Titchfield was as influential a port as Southampton. (If you google earth the River Meon by Titchfield you will see the still visible mooring bays once used in the past. Of course now the estuary is a nature reserve. However the issue we are talking about is not the passageway of boats but the upkeep of the riverway and canal.

[@richardwakelin843]

Dont forget also, being a chalk stream, the river test is one of Britain's major trout & grayling fisheries for the keen & rich fly angler. So if you have lots of £££ you can certainly access parts of it

[@JoOtterH]

I live close to the River Witham in Lincolnshire. Here the landowner on one bank is happy for people to use the river for canoeing etc. The landowner on thr other bank isn't. It was all very different when I was a boy. I leant to swim and paddle a canoe in the river.

[@DubArchaeologist]

So my old Sea Scouts and the neighbouring Canoe Club have been piratanical trespassers for decades. 🤔😆

[@robertgordon5150]

This is a subject very close to my heart. It seems again that it’s the same old story, money talks. If you are a wealthy land owner or a wealthy individual that can afford to fish for a couple of hours on a chalk stream, happy days. For the rest of us we can glimpse through the hedges and barbed wire and only dream of walking in the lush meadows, dipping our toes in the river, stopping for a picnic on the bank. Instead we plod along a crappy high hedged footpath closer to the main road than it is to the river. I recently spent some time in Stockbridge. I got chatting to an American couple who had spent hundreds to fish the Test. They said I was so lucky living in an area with rivers and villages such as this. I quickly told them that because of the fishing the likes of us don’t get to enjoy the rivers and that villages like Stockbridge aren’t for the working class. The price of a pint and some pub grub in some of hostelries is eye watering. They were quite shocked. Especially when I started reeling off stats about the miles of rivers we have and the percentage we can actually access. It’s a sad state of affairs. For us canoeist, kayakers etc. especially down here in the south, this is becoming more and more of a battle. We are even starting to get grief from fisher folk on some of the tidal waters.

[@raphaelnikolaus0486]

Hedley reminds me of Chris Denham, the Network Rail guy known for his appearances in Geoff Marshall's videos. Would be nice, if you could do one of your disused/abandoned railways videos with him (explaining the engineering side of railway things).

[@DavidBeddard]

It really shouldn't always have to be such a fight to make the world a pleasant and plentiful place for everyone. It's exhausting.

[@nickwhite2996]

Love the Red Kite fly-by at 8:05

[@davie941]

hello again Paul Rebecca and Hedley , another nice video , some very nice rivers but its sad that there are so many that we cant go and enjoy , really well done and thank you all 😊😍

[@leftmono1016]

As an angler who prefers fishing small rivers and brooks, a lot of (paid for) access requires a fair bit of jungle warfare. Not an easy walk by any stretch! Which is why so many anglers prefer stocked lakes, more fish and much easier access.

[@davidberlanny3308]

That map showing the pollution is really shocking. I'm at a loss to understand it I really am. The otherside of the coin is that these things can't be hidden quite so well as once might have been the case before the internet. If I understood you its legal to be on the water but not touch the floor of the river or banks, so you could in theory navigate the rivers but not in wellies!! I can remember canoeing the River Rother from Petersfield to Midhurst camping overnight near Iping (no sign of the Invisible Man!!). At the start we were basically punting, dragging the canoes along as there was so little water. A great adventure it would be a shame to deny others the opportunity!! Great video as always!!

[@trevorpitchell5970]

Well done for highlighting this major issue...come on viewers this needs your attention.. Keep up the good work.

[@75elgrebo]

A common walk for me, I take great pleasure in letting the pooch enjoy a dip in the Test wherever possible, which is not always easy of course!

[@mymini67]

Reverend Caffyn's work clearly defines that water cannot be owned and if you don't touch the banks or bottom (ie navigable) there are no restrictions on usage!

[@davidwilliams6525]

If I recall correctly, one of the sections in "that document" differentiated between motorised vehicles and canoes, boards etc. I think a loophole could be to argue that a canoe or other board type device is powered or motorised by human power. Motorised or human power both used energy to move.

[@briancjohnson]

Tactical. Voting.

[@MrGreatplum]

Some interesting stuff here. There’s only two rivers I know well, one of which the Arun, I’ve canoed down much of it and I can see from the link it’s green. The other river, the Mole, seems to be in yellow but much of the data is 14 years old in that map. I’ve seen lots of people canoe on the stretch south of Dorking - there are even a crazy bunch who like to swim at betchworth. We’ve paddled at the stepping stones near box hill (although the amount of sewage being discharged had put us off recently…)

[@120ingram]

Need to outlaw putting storm water in the sanitary sewer system. There should be a separate drainage system for both. That way when it floods the sewage system is not overwelled by the volume of water.

[@Sarge084]

There is already such a law, covered by building regulations. However, there is a lot of old Victorian infrastructure still requiring updating. Updates are (or were when I worked in the water industry) ongoing but it could take years before it is completely resolved. Gloucester for instance, has had a system of tunnels and pumping stations installed under the city to carry away storm water as quickly as possible, but the connection of older properties to the system is the responsibility of the property owners up to their boundaries, but it could cost the average homeowner several thousand pounds, weeks of disruption and years of work creating the perfect garden in ruins.

[@DavidElliott-p1f]

Quite cross Paul, as your video has now relegated my favourite hill to third highest in the south east. The only course left open to me is decide that Walbury Hill is clearly (just) in fact in the south west of England and gain promotion back to second. I don’t need this kind of thing on a Sunday evening! ;)

[@paulwhitehouse3690]

It was such a surprise to me, living in a "third world country" to hear that last year there were 375000 sewage 'spills' into the rivers if England. My thanks for now I reset my ''definitions/views' of my own country. Wonderful work from the Whitewicks & Headley Horne, a subscriber to all of them, keep up the good work, Paul, Johannesburg

[@MarkGlover-re5tn]

When I was younger I kayaked across Holland south to north with only a few portages. Many kayakers holiday in Europe because of the better laws and longer rivers. Pulling Himalayan Balsam I have walked most of my local rivers every summer, just need some very good Wildlife Trust staff negotiating the access and some very hard work.

[@peterphillips2544]

Used to live in Otford, Kent through which the river Darent flows. I was quite fortunate in having the Darent Valley path which runs along the river bank for much of its route. Now I live near Haywards Heath and just looked at the Sussex Ouse Valley Way (42 miles long). For much of the upper part of the way it does not flow along the river. At least towards the end it is mostly along the river.

[@roamingthepaths7363]

Spent a fair bit of time in that river many years ago! Bridge only had railings downstream side back then. Certainly very refreshing getting in, and nit very deep! A refreshing pint or two in the white Lion afterwards. (They had a hexagonal pool table! ). Stockbridge common was another great place, deeper water too. Seems like a lifetime ago.....

[@markthompson3577]

thank you paul for another great video ........

[@focusrssteve]

What a nice way to finish my sunday! Catching up with your travels, last weeks and this weeks video, cheers!

[@ambassadorkees]

Strangely organised! In Finland, property bounderies may run in the center of ditches, but the ditch is "owned" by all properties, that use it for drainage. So we can hae like 50 farmers and home owners paying together for the maintenance. Rivers however, are PUBLIC, and the property boundery is sat at the river bed edge. Not sure though, when that's established, surely not during spring flood or summer draught, but somewhere it is.

[@forrestunderwood3174]

The obvious question here is, what group benefits from the public being barred from these rivers? Like, I understand that plenty of land owners might make this individual decision to keep people out, but who is behind "the document"? What third party gets something out of this?

[@pwhitewick]

The document, which I didn't want to name, is basically a legal firm making money from landowners and further dividing the issue.

[@PaulTimlett]

CLA do a lot of lobbying and campaigning on behalf of landowners including commissioning of legal advice. Having read a few of their publications they seem to start from the premise that the general public would cause damage of allowed wider access to their members’ property. Just been reading their paper about Right to Roam.

[@glynparker9524]

Quite ironic that you have tracks and walkways that accessible for the public but not the rivers and banks. Here in NZ we have what is known as the Queens chain, all natural bodies of water have a margin either side where the peasants are allowed. Some access is difficult if you have to cross private land.

[@davidmcclelland2661]

Here in New Zealand we have the Queen's Chain, I suppose it will now be the King's Chain. Which is from the centre of a waterway. Which allows public access. However we have to be able to legally access the river bank! As we don't have public footpaths or Scotland's right to roam. I do miss the chance to freely walk in the countryside from town. Love your work.

[@davidgould9431]

Lovely views of Hampshire! My wife and I lived for nearly 30 years in Longparish, about 3 miles upstream from Wherwell. The Test is very braided at that point, and you get to be within a few yards of one of the braids on the field between the Church and the hamlet of Forton, which is where we were. The Test Way went right past our front door. It's really not a big deal to cover it all in one go (if you're happy to jog a bit). We're now living in Suffolk near the Stour Valley Path, which is probably similarly far from the titular river. Must do that some time (it's a bit longer than the Test Way).

[@mrcellophane99]

If you want to reduce the amount of sewage dumped into rivers, here are some tips; Don't pave your front garden so you can park you car on it Don't rip up a lawn and lay green plastic in it's place Make sure any home extensions are connected to the correct sewage pipes Sewage overflows into rivers when there is heavy rain and if that can't soak away into the soil, it ends up in the sewers which can't cope.

[@pwhitewick]

Or the Tories vote for it to be directly dumped into Rivers instead of paying to have it treated.

[@mrcellophane99]

@@pwhitewick Well it could have been a Conservative or Whig government when the sewers were built, but successive governments of all party's have had the opportunity to rebuild them during the last 150 years. However, excessive building in the wrong places has led to floods because rain water can not drain away as it used to. The Victorias built the sewers to drain into rivers at times of high flow. It will have taken 10 years and £4.5b to try to fix London's problems. The Torys never voted for sewage to be dumped instead of being treated. It was Labour MPs who voted against their own motion to stop that. The Tories voted to stop sewage being dumped in rivers.

[@paca_bill4863]

When we lived in Virginia (USA), they had similar laws there. You could access the major rivers when the state right-of-way crossed them (at bridges), but could not get out of the rivers anywhere else, as the property owners owned the land under the river and the shorelines. Go figure.

[@thepeakdistrictviking]

All about the upper classes. Read the book trespass it's enlightening to say the least. We need to take the land and rivers back

[@michaelmiller641]

That, I didn't know! Very sad!

[@phillwainewright4221]

When I were a lad, many decades ago, I was told all navigable rivers were basically public highways.

[@pwhitewick]

I think most laws from yester year absolutely gave that right.

[@robertcoleman4861]

Well done Paul & Rebecca thank you.🎥🎬📹🫖☕🍪🍩🦘🤠

[@fedyno4reviews]

Sewage outflow is directly tied to population increase more people means more people shit. 600,000 net immigration last year, For context Windrush was 70,000 over 30 years. Its lack of investment as a leading issue of course, but Uncontrolled immigration is a massive contributing factor. Of course everyone is afraid to talk about this due to fear of accusations of racism and its effect on there livelihoods, so one of the main causing factors of the issue will go unchecked so don't expect change to come any time soon,

[@rhodsullivan7773]

A sorry state of affairs in England and Wales. As one of your followers has described in detail, things are different in Scotland. We used to canoe on the Severn in Newtown Powys without any problems but we had no idea if we needed permission.

[@DavidRoberts01341]

The right of navigation on the Severn starts at Pool Quay, north of Welshpool. The Severn is unusual for a river in England & Wales, in that it has a right of navigation for such a long part of its course. My favourite section to paddle is Llanidloes to Caersws (above the right of navigation!).

[@NOVECH]

@@DavidRoberts01341 I often kayak from Pool Quay to Shrewsbury, Lovely stretch of water.

[@rhodsullivan7773]

@@DavidRoberts01341 Thanks for the info. I was in Llanidloes last week. Grew up there and fished between there and Caersws. Dolwen being a favourite spot.

[@marketmalc]

Good show. Thank you.

[@waynejennison5290]

Hello folks, I was just wondering! After Paul said that the property boundaries between two neighbours is the middle of the river, stream etc, then would it not by those same laws mean that everyone's property boundary would also meet in the middle of the road at the front of your house as well? It certainly makes me wonder( not that you'd be able to claim it or stop people from driving or parking on it ). Love your channel its very informative a joy to watch, Thank you.

[@mikebrown3772]

That's correct, property ownership extends 'ad medium filum viae' - to the middle of the way. However if the road is adopted as a highway maintainable at public expense the rights of the Highway Authority override those of the landowner.

[@eze8970]

TY 🙏🙏sad times.

[@stmtom2811]

Fortunately the state of Washington where live in here in the US. Is very stick on keeping rivers and actually all bodies of water clean. Also keeping public access to them open.

[@barryballard1408]

Well done for highlighting this important issue. Hope our local MP KM get to see it as he's put his weight behind supporting a strategy for protecting the Test. Unusually, no food was visibly consumed during this video so I would like to think that the White Lion received your patronage! You're all doing a great job. Keep it up.

[@pwhitewick]

Haha... sandwiches all round. Sadly KM voted to allow water companies to legally dump sewage in the Test!!

[@barryballard1408]

@@pwhitewick Thanks Paul. I didn't know that. That's disappointing.

[@pwhitewick]

@barryballard1408 yup. I wrote to him about it. Sadly no reply.

[@alexleeman8277]

I have always tried to get permission from the Land owner’s, to access the little rivers, when I go Gold prospecting in the UK. Never had any major problems. I have been asked to leave an area before, I was panning in the wrong place ‘out of season’. I have been refused access, but mainly people are quite happily to oblige permitting the access. Sending an Email to one another is helpful. May the peace be with you. God bless

[@philhawley1219]

I am not a landowner but if I was my first concern would be about my liability under law for any injuries or damages that a member of the public may sustain on the land. Would a landowner be liable and how much would insurance cost?

[@pwhitewick]

Agreed, and this wasn't a rant at Landowners. Moreover, the law!

[@Jimyjames73]

Welcome back to Sunday Evening Videos 🙂 Always look forward too - I didn't know about this 🙁 not nice 😐🚂🚂🚂

[@arthur1670]

11:16 "Publicised recently" right way of saying because its been happening forever

[@mareusappare]

Alas, a video I finally don’t agree with Paul and Rebecca on! 😂 as a Riverkeeper on the Kennet, I can tell you that best thing for our rivers is that they are private. Having them open to the public would be disastrous for these fragile echo systems. Sadly some of the public(not all) have no regard for them, allowing dogs to jump on and swim with recently applied flea and tick “spot ons” which causes the invertebrates to die in droves eroding riverbanks but climbing in and out causing siltation and over widening .Litter will be left, trees damaged, weed beds destroyed, As someone’s fun is most of the time detrimental to the echo systems

[@conclaveofthelost513]

A fair comment but what is the difference between me and my dog jumping in and a herd of cows doing the same thing? Not sure about the status of my local waterways but am aware of the damage done by cattle gaining access to the streams to drink. A lot more than I could do in a year. Double standards I say.

[@6panel300]

As an angler one of the issues we as an angling club have with canoeists is the fact we have to pay riparian land owners thousands of pounds a year to have fishing rights, yet canoeists expect to use the same waterways for free. Another issue is some of the rivers are so shallow in the summer that the riffles (gravel beds where fish breed) are barely covered with water and will get damaged by canoes. Bearing in mind we can not use the rivers between 15th march and 15th june to protect the fish stocks breeding at this time.

[@raphaelnikolaus0486]

What a video. What a subject. And what a crazy world you live in in Britain: public bridleways/footpahs vanishing, private land boundaries in the water (as opposed to in the river bank itself), waterways probably being public rights of way (or not), and sewage getting dumped into them. By the way: Is that dumping happening illegally? Or is there actually no law regulating - and therefore probably prohibiting - it? Would they need to seek permission and failed to do so? And what is the Government's role in all that (including any sort of reaction to the sewage dumping)?

[@cjeam9199]

To be fair, the access situation is different in Scotland. The water companies are allowed to dump sewerage to a certain degree to avoid sewerage backing up into homes, they do get fined I believe for doing it too much, the government are a bit impotent regarding it beyond that. Recently the government voted against an opposition motion that would have made it illegal except where it would cause flooding, I still don’t understand why they voted against that because it hardly changes the current situation.

[@AdamsWorlds]

I cant stand the way rivers are ran. I pay my fishing licence for the EA to clean rivers up, i pay my council tax for the local river to be cleaned up. I have to pay a club fee also for the river to be cleaned up. I have to pay extra on my water bill to keep the rivers clean..... Cant even go on a boat without paying for a licence even a dingy. Its to complex and costly to use the rivers in the UK. Just trying to find a spot to fish is hard, trying to find who owns that spot is near on impossible. Why should a fishing club be able to buy up large chunks of the bank.. The same bank im paying multiple times to have cleaned! I get farmers might not want people going through there land. But the land with a public footpath next to the river? Or just rocking up with a dingy? Its wrong. The worst thing is. Despite paying so many times the rivers are dead, they are not being cleaned up. The UK needs a serious shakeup of how things are ran.

[@01cthompson]

Very interesting. Here in Connecticut (US) ,where property owners will defend every blade of grass they own to the death, we have the right to access waterways. Many anglers use this rule much to the anger of the people that own the banks and beaches. The only caveat is that you cannot trespass to access the body of water.

[@golden.lights.twinkle2329]

I once tried going to a beach in CT, got to the barrier and no cars with NY plates were allowed in. It's an effective way of discouraging tourism to the state. I complained to the CT Tourist Authority, but never got a reply.

[@01cthompson]

@@golden.lights.twinkle2329 Yes. Beaches in state/ town parks is a different story.

[@andyhill242]

It's Doobry Do, where I come from 😊

[@mtgcardzandreview2756]

Very interesting about the lack of access to the water ways.