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Common Mead Lane/Chantry

Common Mead Lane and Chantry make up a handy pair of River Stour stretches through Gillingham, running from Watersmeet towards Eccliffe Mill. Chantry is the tighter, more accessible section, while Common Mead Lane is a quieter roving water with fewer swims.

Run by Gillingham & District Angling Association · checked 12 Oct 2026 · boundaries only partly described by the club

River level

Measured — Environment Agency

Gillingham Le Neubourg Way gauge

Nearest EA gauge we've matched — it isn't on this stretch, so levels on your peg will differ.

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We don't publish an "ideal level" — nobody can promise one. Flood water is dangerous: if it's up and coloured, stay well back from the edge. Open River Ready

The lowdown

  • The named stretch joins Chantry and Common Mead Lane, so you’ve got two distinctly different bits of Stour to explore in one ticket.
  • Chantry starts at Watersmeet, tucked behind Waitrose in Gillingham, and runs on towards the end of the Common Mead Lane section.
  • Chantry is the narrowest part of the fishery. It also has hard gravel fishing platforms, which are suitable for wheelchair users — a proper useful touch.
  • For parking, Chantry is served by Gillingham Library Car Park. Common Mead Lane has limited parking next to Tinknell Fuels on Brickfields Industrial Estate.
  • You can also use the library car park for Common Mead Lane, but it means a long walk. Access to that section is from the back of Brickfields Industrial Estate, off New Road.
  • Common Mead Lane has relatively few swims, so it’s much more suited to roving than sitting it out in a match-style peg. Have a look, keep mobile and fish the likely bits.
  • The association recommends float-fished maggots here, while ledgered bread flake is another named approach. Nice, simple river tactics for picking off fish as you move.
  • Chantry is listed for chub, roach, bream and perch, with occasional carp and trout also named. Common Mead Lane holds chub, dace, roach and grayling, with brown trout, rainbow trout and carp included in the association’s wider species list.
  • The published river season runs from 16 June to 15 March. That gives you summer flow, autumn colour and plenty of proper winter-roving potential, subject to the river being fishable.

Methods: Float-fished maggots are recommended for Common Mead Lane, with ledgered bread flake also listed. Roving between the limited swims is the bob-on approach rather than treating it like a match length.

Access & tickets

River day ticket

Day ticket for the association’s Upper Stour stretches during the published season, 16 June to 15 March.

£6 per day (as listed 12 Oct 2026 — check before you go)

River-only annual membership

Annual membership for the Upper Stour River stretches during the published season.

£40 (as listed 12 Oct 2026 — check before you go)

Annual basic membership

Includes the association’s Upper Stour River stretches during the published season.

River day tickets are open to anyone wishing to fish the Upper Stour stretches and cost £6 per day. Buy them through G&DAA’s online booking system; a river-only annual membership costs £40, while basic annual membership also includes the river stretches.

Fish the club names

carp, bream, roach, trout, perch, chub

Key rules

  • River day tickets apply during the course-fishing season, published as 16 June to 15 March.
  • Anglers must hold a current Environment Agency Rod Licence when fishing club waters.
  • Anyone under 16 must be accompanied by an adult at all times.
  • Chantry is controlled by Gillingham Town Council.

Coarse fishing on English rivers is closed from 15 March to 15 June inclusive. That's the law for coarse fish on rivers — it's not a club rule, and game-fishing seasons work differently.

GOV.UK — Freshwater rod fishing rules: when and where you can fish

Where it is

Pins mark the access postcode each club gives, not the bank itself. Exact boundary map: see rights holder.

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