Welcome to the next installment of my Blog. Thank you to everyone that read the last blog on ‘Why I Use CC Moore‘, if you haven’t read it then you can here! This turned out to be my most successful blog to date! Since writing this blog, I have been speaking to CC Moore and I am now a CC MOORE TEAM MEMBER! I am very much looking forward to continue using this wonderful bait!
Anyway onto this weeks blog! A few weeks back I visited Hastingford Fishery in Sussex where me, my partner and parents spent a weekend in their lodges where I fished for 48 hours! In this blog I am going to review the owners, accomodation, fishing and surrounding areas to give anyone looking for a lodge fishing holiday in sussex an idea of what to expect!
Owners
The owners Geraldine and Mark were very helpful through the whole stay and prior to arriving when making the booking. When we arrived we were greeted by Mark who showed us to our lodges and explained how everything in the lodges worked! Mark himself built these lodges and manually put all the mod cons in which is absolutely amazing work. This used to be a working farm but since retiring he has built this complex, however he has kept some cattle and sheep. Even one of the cabin’s was insulated with his own sheeps coats!
They both were so helpful throughout our stay and as they live on the complex they were always willing to help to make our stay as comfortable as possible. Mark would reguraly come and check in whilst we were outside to see if everything was ok! You can see and feel the passion for making their guests welcome!
In summary I would rate the owners 5/5 having done everything for us to make our stay one of the nicest fishing holidays we have been on!
Accomodation
Both my partner, parents and I stayed in these fishermans lodges right on the side of the lake. There are 4 huts on the complex named Roach, Carp, Tench and Perch. The Fisherman’s huts have a minimum 2 night booking (3 nights Jun, Jul and Aug), and has everything you need although with Carp and Roach huts there is a short walk to your private shower and toilet unit. (There is also a small ‘portaloo’ hut right outside those 2 huts for those ‘caught short’ moments). Perch and Tench huts (overlooking top lake) are slightly larger, have full kitchens and ensuite facilities. The lodges on the bottom lake are lake side and can be fished from right outside your lodge!
As stated above the lodges have all the mod cons you need including fridge, freezer, hob, table and chairs, bed, tv, log burner, wifi and plenty of space! Upon arrival we had a welcome basket which contained croissants, bread roles, fresh milk and orange juice, butter, tea and coffee! It was just what we needed to get started and feel comfortable.
The lodges on the bottom lake have a balcony overlooking the lake where you can see the carp and goldfish cruising on the top! The balconys come with a external log burner, barbeque, table and chairs plus some stunning views!
In summary I would rate the accomodation a 4.5/5. It was all you needed for a wekend getaway, It was great to be in the outdoors! If you like a soft comfy bed then this is your place! The bed was very soft however for someone who likes a harder bed it felt slightly uncomfortable but you can’t moan at that can you!
Fishing
There are 4 lakes (all spring fed). One is the original fishing lake, with large common and mirror carp plus perch and grass carp, The second is their newly built (2018/19) large lake, which has more breeds of fish and has matured nicely. This is stocked with common and mirror carp, golden and blue orfe, perch, green and golden tench, chub, roach, rudd and gudgeon. Their 3rd lake is about a year old and has Carp and Orfe. Plus at the very top is a natural ‘wild swimming’ pool for those adventurous enough. Fabulous views to the South Downs from here.
Fishing is available by the day from 8am – 8pm/dusk and by night (hut residents only) – 8pm/dusk to 8am. Visiting anglers please see fees list. For day ticket anglers there is a unit with toilet/shower and kitchen facilities. All anglers must show a current fishing licence and abide by their rules.
As me and my partner were in roach I was lucky enough to be able to fish right outside our lodge. I started off with my tried and trusted Ronnie Rigs which I quickly found out was not the right choice if i wanted to get through to the larger carp. There are alot of carp between 1lb and 3lb in the lake which proved to be difficult to get past!
The first evening I started to think about how I could potentially get past the smaller carp. I tied some Snowman Rigs to hopefully fish more effectively with a larger hookbait. I used a Stick Baits Krill Boilie with a Nash Key Cray pop up and a bag of mixed pellet to attract the carp into the area. The reason I used these are the Sticky baits boilies are slightly larger than other bottom baits at 16mm which gave me a larger hookbait.
This proved to be incredibly successful as I managed to get through to the larger carp and landed 2 mirrors which were in immaculate condition.
In summary I would rate the fishing a 4/5. I don’t think the larger stock is huge in either lake but the fish were in immaculate condition and the lakes were kept in tip top shape.
If you would like to see my video about fishing at hastingford then please go check out my youtube channel!
Surrounding Areas
There is plenty to do out in the countryside here at Hastingford Fishery. There are four other accessible lakes for walking around and which are away from the rest. Perfect for a wander round with or without your dog, with places to sit and enjoy the space and tranquillity with lovely views as well.
Dogs are welcomed but must be kept on leads around the lakes and farm. There is always an empty field (shown on arrival) for excercising. In addition, and for ramblers and hikers, there are several public footpaths leading to Buxted, Rotherfield and beyond.
For outside refreshment, Hadlow Down has a very good ‘locals’ drinking type pub, and Buxted has 2 very good pub/restaurants, (The White Hart and The Buxted Inn) as does High Hurstwood (The Hurstwood). In 5 Ash Down there is The Pig and Butcher and in Blackboys The Blackboys Inn. In Crowborough the nearest is The Wheatsheaf in Mount Pleasant which does good food. For those wanting ‘posh’ or just to walk, there is Buxted Park, on the outskirts of Buxted, off the A272. The Kings Arms in Rotherfield is very good. In Crowborough you have The White Hart, The Blue Anchor and The Cross (Wetherspoons), plus The Bricklayers Arms. The Crow and Gate on the edge of Ashdown Forest is excellent for dog walkers.
Lewes is just a 20 min drive; Brighton 35 mins; Eastbourne 35-40 mins and Tunbridge Wells 20 mins. For local shopping Crowborough (10 mins drive) Uckfield (10 mins) and Heathfield (10 mins) are very good. London is around 1 hour by train from Crowborough or Buxted or 45 mins from Tunbridge Wells main line station.
Summary
Overall I would rate our experience of Hastingford Fishery a 4.5/5. We really enjoyed our weekend in this peaceful complex. It was everything we needed to kick back and relax! The accomodation had everything we needed, the owners were very helpful, the fishing was good and the views were AMAZING! We liked it that much that we have booked to go back for my birthday in June.
Make sure you go and check out Hastingford Fishery!
[…] Wednesday Everyone and hope you are having a cracking week! Last week I did a review on Hastingford Fishery where I rated the owners, accomodation, fishing and the general location! If you are looking for a […]