Following the recent Spring and Poetry walk with Richard Hesketh, we are pleased to share with you this delightful poem penned in the early 1900s by Bournemouth resident and poet Cumberland Clark .

The Stour Valley         by Cumberland Clark   

A man who wangles holidays is rightly termed a “wangler,”

And if he be an oarsman, a pedestrian, or an angler,

The River Stour will bring delight and all his spirits rally,

For happiness and health are found along this lovely valley.

                 A few hours boating on the stream

                 Will make the time pass like a dream.

                 You’ll notice, too, when you’ve undressed,

     You measure more around the chest.

A walk round Throop and Holdenhurst will make you feel much fitter.

And when you meet a country inn, you’ll like a glass of bitter.

And Iford is a place that’s sure to banish melancholy;

Though you may go there with the hump, you’ll come back feeling jolly.

                 When walking there buoyed up you feel;

                 Your boots don’t wear down at the heel;

                 You have no wish to laze or sit;

                 Your corns don’t trouble you a bit.

And if you go there fishing, you’ll get plenty of enjoyment:

The fishes are so numerous, your wrists get good employment.

The minnows are a splendid breed, for which the angler hungers, -

You don’t see them exposed for sale when visiting fishmongers.

                 A day there fishing you must snatch:

                 You’re sure to have a splendid catch.

                 You’ll go home giving thanks aloud,

     And make your wife and children proud.