Following a 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.