Having scoured river banks the length and breadth of the country in search of the ideal fishing hut, Jo Orchard-Lisle’s dedication and determination to seek out these buildings is manifest in her recent book ‘Fishing Huts – the angler’s sanctuary’.

The book is beautifully illustrated with mainly Jo’s own photographs. The intrepid angler has travelled across the country to capture images of famous fishing retreats such as The Dove in Derbyshire, associated with immortal anglers Izaak Walton and Charles Cotton, to the Orchy Hut in Glen Orchy, Argyll, and a remote hut by the River Helmsdale in Sutherland.

TV personality Chris Tarrant, in his foreword, recalls the hours spent in the Junction Pool at Kelso, when coffee is drunk, lunches are prepared and flies and lines discussed. He recalls old photos on the walls of anglers with great fish, flies and casts everywhere and an absurdly high flood mark when the Teviot flowed through to the very roof. But he writes that the best time of all was back in the hut at the end of the day with the wine and the whisky flowing and the whole place bouncing with laughter.

Built in 1892, and known for obvious reasons as The Hexagon, a little fishing hut on the River Aray is one of the gems of the book’s collection and is described as a captivating little building in an enchanted setting at Carlundon. It was built as one of a series of diminutive Gothic lodges with which the 6th Duke of Argyll embellished his policies. The Hexagon was designed to be a summerhouse, from which visitors could view the cascade below. The original roof was thatched and for the comfort of his friends the Duke also installed a stove.

Still in Argyll, the Orchy Hut looks like any old log cabin. The inside, however, is full of surprises, chief among them a fully plumbed in bath with a heavy wooden cover that could be laid across the rim to form a useful table. Furthest from home – furthest from anywhere – the little Barvas River runs out into the sea on the northwest corner of the Isle of Lewis, in the Outer Hebrides. Fishermen keenly value the river itself, for it yields an average annual catch of more than 170 salmon and grilse.

To Orchard-Lisle’s delight she found that Barvas boasts a fully mobile fishing hut, in the form of a green, single decker bus parked on a slight rise, from which there is a commanding view of the estuary and the sea. The vehicle has been comfortably adapted to its new role: the seats down one side have been removed to make way for kitchen units, the rear end is partitioned off and furnished with two beds, and the remaining seats have been turned to face towards the sea. Here watchers are on duty every night, keeping an eye on the pool. Here too, fishermen take refuge in bad weather and fortify themselves against the Hebridean storms, contemplating the elements through the long line of windows.

In her introduction Jo Orchard-Lisle writes that fishing huts have become a feature of our environment. She also hopes that her book, if it does nothing else, may encourage people to preserve these very unique and special huts.

Field Facts Fishing Huts – the angler’s sanctuary By Jo Orchard-Lisle. Price £25. Excellent Press, 9 Lower Raven Lane, Ludlow, Shropshire SY18 1BL www.fishing-huts.com