A Century of Tarka: Heritage & Hope for the Future
Set your reminders: this Sunday, 7th September at 18:10 on BBC One, Countryfile will take us to the beating heart of our local rivers - and the people fighting to protect them. Among the highlights (I hope - as I’ve not managed to confirm what ended up on the cutting room floor!) will be a feature on someone I consider a living, breathing river hero: Mr Charles Inniss. For those who don’t know him, Charles was once the well-known owner of The Half Moon Inn at Sheepwash and still runs the fishing there.
Charles Inniss. And yes, he did return it…
This upcoming episode will take viewers behind the scenes at the volunteer-led salmon hatchery on the River Torridge, a project that doesn’t just nurture fish but safeguards a legacy. It’s the kind of work that keeps wild rivers alive and connects us to the stories - and species - that have shaped our landscape for generations.
The Countryfile team - Exploring North Devon on Sunday 7th September…
This feature couldn’t come at a better time, as we’re approaching the centenary of Henry Williamson’s classic Tarka the Otter (first published in 1927). A book that captured imaginations and etched the twin rivers Taw and Torridge into our cultural memory. For those who have walked their banks, waded their shallows, or dreamed of them through Williamson’s writing, these rivers represent more than water and stone. Like our beloved River Teign, they are threads woven through our cultural heart - places where heritage, wildlife, and human history coexist.
The Timelessness of Tarka
When Tarka the Otter was first published, Britain was a different place. The rhythms of rural life were slower, the rivers cleaner, and the vivid creatures in Williamson’s pages seemed eternal. Through Tarka’s journey, his struggles, his triumphs, his fight for survival, Williamson gave us not just a story, but a way to see the natural world through the eyes of the creatures that thrived within it.
Time to check your cupboards and lofts for a rare first edition!
But almost a century on, the reality has somewhat shifted. Pollution, habitat degredation, and barriers to migration have pushed many species to the brink. Atlantic salmon, once abundant, are in serious decline. Otters, once nearly lost, are only now beginning to make a proper comeback. Our rivers are under pressure like never before.
From Heritage to Action
However, as bad as this sounds, this is where the link between past and future becomes ever stronger. Williamson’s book is not just a book on a shelf; it is a call – even nearly a century later – to value and protect the ecosystems that inspired it.
The Countryfile feature promises to show that conservation isn’t about nostalgia - it’s about action. The Torridge salmon hatchery, championed by local heroes like Charles and a core of devoted volunteers, proves what can happen when communities unite. Every egg nurtured, every alevin and fry released is a vote of confidence in the future of our rivers.
Salmon Science in action…
TACA’s Shared Vision
At TACA, we feel this story in our bones. Our mission to improve the Teign Catchment for migratory species aligns perfectly with what is happening not only on the Torridge, but in the other river catchments that make up the South West Rivers Association. Just as the Torridge hatchery nurtures young salmon, we too are committed to breaking down barriers - both the physical and collaborative - that hinder these iconic fish from completing their life cycles. Every stretch of river we rehabilitate, every spawning ground we protect, every acre of riparian habitat we improve brings us closer to a future where salmon are not a memory, but once again a constant reality.
A Torridge Salmon leaping at the weir near the hatchery
And it’s not just about fish. Healthy rivers sustain otters, kingfishers, dippers - the full orchestra of life that makes these wild places so magical. They sustain and feed us, too, both culturally and spiritually. After all, what would Devon, let alone Dartmoor, be without its rivers, and what would our identity be without the full spectrum of wild creatures that call them home?
Be Part of This Story
So, this Sunday, 7th September at 18:10, join us in watching this special Countryfile episode. Then let’s go beyond watching - let’s act! Because in another hundred years, when someone picks up Tarka the Otter, we want them to know that the rivers in its pages are still alive and thriving as they were in 1927.
If you can’t watch live, catch up on BBC iPlayer - and join us in writing the next chapter for our rivers. This story isn’t over. It’s ours to finish… and the ending depends on what we do today.