About the event

Curious about creative writing and keen to explore a local chalk stream? Join us as we discover the wild and wonderful world of these incredible rivers.

We'll take a walk along the Upper Test, hearing fascinating folk tales and wildlife facts. Then, we'll learn how to turn our ideas into amazing nature writing.

If you're under 18, and use the workshop to write a poem, why not enter it into our poetry competition? You could win £75 of National Book Tokens, and have your poem published in our poetry booklet.

The walk and workshop will be led by Dawn Nelson - a performance storyteller and author based within the beautiful South Downs. Her passion is landscape, heritage and nature connection through the wonder of story, in all its forms.

This event is part of the Tales from the Riverbank Literature Festival - a celebration of how rivers inspire creativity. This festival is a collaboration between the Watercress and Winterbournes Landscape Partnership Scheme and Hampshire Library Service.

Age range: Suitable for ages 12+. All under-18s must be accompanied by a participating adult.

What to bring: Appropriate clothes for the walk (wellies and a coat if rainy, suncream and a hat if sunny), water, a notepad, and a pen.

Accessibility: This event involves around 1.2 miles of walking. Part of the route may be on wet or uneven ground. The venue has an accessible toilet.

Parking: There are a small number of spaces outside the venue. The closest car parks are London Road and Overton Hill; both are pay-and-display. Please consider coming by public transport, or on foot, where possible.