All posts by David Pottinger
Fleet’s Future – A Public Consultation
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfIwhcXxPR0&w=560&h=315]
The video above, which gives an overview of Fleet and also mentions Fleet Pond, has recently been put up on YouTube – it’s worth a watch!
It’s a promotion by FleetFuture who are developing a Town Plan to guide the future of Fleet Town Centre.
This is an important topic and they would appreciate it if you could help by:
1) Reading the Consultation Document (please click here to download a “pdf” version), and
2) Completing the Survey.
All responses are anonymous.
The survey is open to all people aged 11 and above, who either live in the area or work within Fleet.
The deadline for completing the survey is Monday 16 September.
Extract:
“The town centre should be bustling and attractive, full of people and entertainment, as well as retaining nearby tranquil open spaces like Fleet Pond and the Basingstoke Canal.”
Colin’s Charity Walk – Donations Welcome!
Colin Gray (pictured above), Chairman of Fleet Pond Society, writes:
“To support Fleet Pond Society’s Clearwater Campaign towards the restoration of Fleet Pond, I aim to do a circular walk to as many wildlife important sites as possible within one day. The sites will include Sites of Special Scientific Interest, Local Nature Reserves, Sites of Importance for Conservation and Special Protection Areas (a map of the route is given below).
As 2013 is my 75th year I felt it was about time that I left my desktop for a while, stopped going on about Fleet Pond and went out in the open air to raise some money for my favourite nature reserve. The walk covers at least 21 miles including open country, footpaths, canal towpaths and minor roads.”
The walk is scheduled for Sunday 22 September 2013.
To donate, please go the Virgin Money Giving page here.
The route map – 21 miles is a long way!
Further information on the walk can be found here.
Catching Bream At Fleet Pond
The First Bream
David Pottinger writes:
Whilst taking a walk round the Pond yesterday, I struck up a conversation with an angler, Chris Gadsden, at one of the fishing swims. I was curious to find out how the angling was going.
To my surprise Chris had already caught (and released) nine bream that morning so I thought I’d wait and see if any more came along. After about 15 minutes one was caught (see above), followed by another about 10 minutes later (see below).
They are common (or bronze) bream and about 4 lbs in weight. Bream are shoal fish which explains why catching one can sometimes lead to catching another in the same vicinity.
The Second Bream, Just 10 Minutes Later – This Time A Younger And Livelier One
To fish at Fleet Pond a permit from Hart District Council is required. These are available from the reception desk in The Harlington Centre, or ‘Tackle Up’ on Fleet Road.
Also required is an Environment Agency rod licence which is available from the Post Office or the Environment Agency website. Fishing is only allowed from a boat or an approved fishing jetty and site by-laws apply.
For an overview document on ‘Fishing And Boating At Fleet Pond’ by Hart Countryside Services, please see here.
Additional information can also be found on the Tackle Up Facebook page: Fleet Pond Anglers.
Finally, we are currently in National Fishing Month 2013 (19 July – 26 August) – see here for details.
Photo credits: David Pottinger.
Magnificent Heron At The Pond
Following on from a recent post on the creative carvings at the picnic area at Fleet Pond, there’s now a totem pole to also take a look at!
At the top there’s an impressive looking heron keeping a watchful eye on the Pond (see above and below).
This picture gives an idea of the size of the totem pole.
A close-up of the carefully carved heron.
Lower down you can see in detail how the carvings have been done.
If you’d like to take a stroll round the pond, there are details of three (short, medium and long) walks here. They are all marked by colour-coded posts.
If you’re walking with a buggy, this post may also be helpful.
Photos: David Pottinger.