MAY UPDATE
WE ARE NOW BACK OPEN!
As of 7.30 on the 13th May we have been able to reopen with additional safety measures in place. Please read the new notice board on your way into the estate, you cannot miss it!
We are currently faced with difficult times given the Covid-19 pandemic and in line with Government restrictions and guidelines from The Angling Trust and the Institute of Fishery Management, we unfortunately had to close our gates to the public in March. As angling has being included in the first lot of UK relaxations we are now open and are looking forward to seeing you get back to the bank and enjoy some fresh air.
The last few weeks or so for us have been filled with maintenance, predator checks and fishery improvements (there are certainly worse places to be isolating!)
The Lodge itself has been cleaned and treated (with the “help of the children as I am sure you can imagine). It took a few days between cleaning, sanding and treating, and the window frames are still to be done, but I’m sure that once you see it you will agree that it is much softer and almost blends into the surroundings. Even Alfie enjoyed “painting” the railings with water!
The path to the side of Brick Lake has been widened, flattened and is much more accessible. The swims around Brick Lake have been cleared and are more casting friendly so hopefully this will make things more enjoyable now you are able to get your rods out again!
Everywhere has been mowed and is looking nice and neat. We have also cleared huge amounts of weed from the ponds!
There has been some good movement on the lakes and the fish have been regularly rising throughout the day. We have observed some great hatches of Buzzers, Blue Damsels and even some May Fly! I posted a photo on Facebook of some lovely Coot chicks which are on Stag Lake and the children were thrilled that the Easter Bunny came out of isolation to hide some eggs for them. We have been doing our best to make sure that everything is healthy and neat for your return and have scared a few cormorants off and thankfully the fish are still in great condition (sorry – that’s an isolation perk of ours in having the lakes, but it’s not been for pleasure – purely stock checking!) The early morning checks certainly aren’t hard work when there are such lovely views awaiting.
Now we have been given the go ahead to open again, there will be social distancing measures in place and we ask that at all times when you are on site you keep a distance from other anglers. We are operating a 1 in 1 out system for the Lodge and ask anglers to use the outside toilet facilities rather than indoor as access will be to the log book only. We won’t be serving any food until cafes and restaurants are given the OK to reopen so please bring a packed lunch with you can still enjoy a day out. We do have some confectionary available such as chocolate bars and flapjack. You will still be able to make use of the free tea & coffee we offer to anglers, but in order to limit the use of the kettle we will happily make drinks for you. For those of you that would rather, we are happy for you to telephone us from the car park and we will complete a ticket for you and can take payment over the phone – we just ask that you call us again before you leave so we can complete the catch report on your behalf.
Stay safe and we look forward to seeing you again soon!