Listen to the Song – The Ancient Traveller – Brook Lamprey
The complete lyrics are included in the companion book, Our Jewels in the Water, allowing readers to follow every song while learning about Britain’s remarkable freshwater fish.
Enjoying the music?
The companion book Our Jewels in the Water includes the full lyrics, additional stories, exclusive photographs and beautiful illustrations for every species.
The River Lamprey
The Ancient Wanderer
“Long before the first angler cast a line, the Lamprey was already making its remarkable journey through Britain’s rivers.”
Behind the Song
When writing The Ancient Wanderer, I imagined a melody that felt timeless.
Gentle at first, almost mysterious, before gradually building to reflect the Lamprey’s remarkable migration.
Rather than celebrating strength or speed, the song honours endurance and survival.
For hundreds of millions of years this extraordinary creature has quietly continued its life cycle, largely unnoticed by the world above the water.
Species Profile
The River Lamprey (Lampetra fluviatilis) is one of Britain’s oldest surviving fish species. Unlike most freshwater fish, it has no jaws, no true scales and a skeleton made almost entirely of cartilage, making it a living reminder of life as it existed hundreds of millions of years ago.
Its eel-like body and circular sucker-like mouth give it a unique appearance unlike any other fish in British waters.
Although often overlooked, the River Lamprey plays an important role in our freshwater ecosystems and is considered an important indicator of healthy rivers.
Clive’s Story
As anglers, we often become familiar with the fish we catch regularly.
The River Lamprey is different.
It is a fish that many people never see, yet it has lived in our rivers long before modern civilisation existed.
The first time I learnt about the Lamprey, I was amazed that such an ancient creature was still quietly making its annual migration through British rivers.
It reminded me that beneath the surface lies a world whose history stretches back far beyond our own.
Natural History
River Lampreys spend part of their lives in the sea before returning to freshwater rivers to spawn.
After hatching, the tiny larvae bury themselves in soft river sediments where they may remain for several years, filtering microscopic food from the water.
As adults they develop their distinctive circular mouth and migrate between rivers and the sea before returning to complete their life cycle.
Following spawning, the adults die, leaving the next generation to continue this ancient cycle.
Interesting Facts
- Scientific name: Lampetra fluviatilis
- Family: Petromyzontidae
- One of Britain’s most primitive vertebrates.
- Skeleton made largely of cartilage.
- No jaws and no true scales.
- Distinctive sucker-like mouth.
- Spends part of its life in the sea and part in freshwater.
- Larvae may remain buried in river sediments for several years before transforming into adults.
- Protected in many rivers due to conservation importance
Conservation
River Lampreys depend upon clean rivers with natural gravel beds and unpolluted spawning areas.
Pollution, barriers to migration and river engineering have reduced suitable habitats in many parts of Britain.
Conservation projects aimed at restoring river connectivity benefit not only Lampreys but many other migratory fish that share their remarkable journeys.
Clive’s Reflection
Not every freshwater jewel is beautiful in the traditional sense.
Some earn our admiration through history.
The River Lamprey reminds us that Britain’s rivers are living museums, still home to creatures whose ancestors swam alongside prehistoric life.
Every time we protect a river, we protect not only today’s wildlife but millions of years of natural history.
That is why, to me, the River Lamprey will always be The Ancient Wanderer.
“To understand the future of our rivers, we must first respect the ancient lives that still flow within them.”
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