Yorkshire Chalkstream

DRIFFIELD BECK

Driffield Beck is the most important of the chalkstreams in the eastern Wolds, the most northerly point on the planet where alkaline aquifer-fed rivers exist.

Driffield West Beck as it is sometimes otherwise known rises as a spring at Elmswell in the foothills of the Yorkshire Wolds. It flows for a shade over 10 miles, in every sense a perfect chalk river until it joins the River Hull to complete a further 19-mile journey to the sea.

At some point in their angling lives most of the fly fishing greats made their way to Yorkshire. Articles way back to 1870 in The Field magazine sing its praises and J W Hills of 'A Summer on the Test' fame thought the Beck very like the River Itchen in Hampshire.

The river even has its own fly, the Driffield Dun (pictured left) which looks rather like a Greenwell's Glory. The seasonal hatch pattern will be very familiar to chalkstream regulars (despite the absence of a mayfly), though the locals do tend to favour smaller sizes, sometimes going as small as size 26.

MULBERRY WHIN since 2012

The river at Mulberry Whin has been in the same farming family since 1940, now passing to the fourth generation of Andrew and Gemma Dixon.

The river meanders across the farmland with sharp, deep bends interspersed with shallow gravel sections with abundant ranunculus and starwort weed. The beat is double bank along its entire length of over a mile. There are five beats (pick your beat on arrival) with wading an option on Beats 4 and 5.

The fish are a variety of wild brown trout and grayling, supplemented by Yorkshire-reared brown trout that run to over 3lb. The banks are well-maintained with a cabin and good parking a short walk from the river. There is self-catering accommodation on the farm. Local guide/instructor, Dave Southall, pictured with his record 8lb 5oz wild brown at Mulberry Whin, is available for half and full days on request.

Watch the 0:39 second Directors Cut of CHALK filmed on the Driffield Beck.



	No. RODS 1-5+		COMPARE
No Dogs	3m	on site	2m
“Wow, what a fishery!” “All excellent, we will definitely be back.” “Beautifully kept fishery with some cracking fish.”