Camping By The Derwent

A Memory of Huttons Ambo.

I spent my early years (1951 - 1960) camping by the Derwent between Huttons Ambo and Kirkham Abbey. They were wonderful years and very rich in memories. I have wonderful memories of the swing bridge and as a child being frightened to cross it, my father always seemed to make it 'move' when we were about half way across.
I remember boating down to Cherry Island on the Malton side of the railway viaduct, fastening up there and spending a good days fishing. Crossing on the steam train to Scarborough the other day the river now seems to have become much more vegetated.
We used to get our water from a pump at the roadside at Menethorpe and fill a milk churn, which used to last us a couple of days.
I remember an old cottage on the south side of the Derwent just west of the swing bridge, the cottage is now demolished, the people here used to swim in the river and seemed to live on eels which they caught in the river overnight.
wow ! what memories. It would be wonderful just to go back and enjoy just a few days back there away from this rat-race.

Keith Wainwright
Wakefield

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