LOVING THE MURKY WEY

The Heron guides the Wey

The Murky Wey

The waters of the River Wey are nowhere close to being clear water but it is a beautiful navigation from its mouth onto the River Thames, at Weybridge (you guessed it Weymouth, Devon, is at the mouth of the 5.5 mile R. Wey). It follows a meandering route through Guildford and  beyond to Goldalming, the end of boat navigation.  

Dunkirk Boats not in the Wey

We moored up in the free 24 hour moorings, temporarily occupied and vacated by the Dunkirk boats, the night before we went on The Wey.

We had an early start and were up and a-Wey to the Thames Lock where we were met by ‘friendlies’ of the National Trust for Historic places and Picturesque bits  who are responsible for the 20 mile River Wey navigation. A very helpful and friendly 30 minutes passed while we shared our DB info, signed an ‘I will obey’ document, handed over money to secure our passage on the Wey, and given the windlass with the long handle that will overcome any challenging lock paddle or person we will or might come across along the Wey. The windlass was loaned to me under threat of payment if we didn’t return it. I couldn’t see any reason to keep it and it was too big to lose.

The sluice is open!

Instructions on Lock operation were fore and aft ropes to be used when filling the Lock. The water enters the Lock through the sluice at high pressure. Tricky for one person to manage both ropes and winding up paddle. For the two of us it was probably easier but I needed to be in two places at once. Given that I am fit and aging, I was able to move with the flow but I do wish that natures finest natural wooden bollards had a stick-out  t  so the rope could be tied more securely, as the paddle is being raised and the rope is albeit briefly left unattended.

The long handle of the Wey windlass does give helpful leverage to wind up the ‘paddle’ but it needs a straight arm to turn it and avoid harming the sticky out bits in one’s upper torso.

Elvis sings

Weir on the Wey

There are two positives about the Lock gates

1.     1.  As a tree hugger, the wooden gates are large, smooth and not cold to get up close to. An occasional gate hug is necessary to get the open / close momentum started. If that doesn’t work there is a T handle on the end of a chain attached to the end of the gate  that can be pulled to open the gate.

2.      2. Both gates are left open when your boat leaves the Lock. I like this idea.

The River Wey is a relaxing and peaceful and the navigation snakes its way up to Guildford and beyond to Godalming. We went as far as St Catherine’s Lock and winded just before the Lock. The reason being Max Headroom was going to bother us a wee Wey beyond this Lock at Broadford Bridge which is 6’4” at normal water levels. For DB to pass under this bridge we would need to remove our roof paraphernalia, in other words 2 x Roof Boxes! No Wey we thought.

Keith's Anzac Biscuit stop.

We had Keith, our mate, aboard for a few hours so we pulled into the channel just before St Catherine’s Lock and rested with DB’s nose poking out into the river. A ‘worker’ powered dinghy went past and the chap aboard said

“In all my 30 years of working on this navigation I have never seen anyone pull in where you have. Very nice.”

“Look no ropes!” I said.

Newark Lock

Highlights on the Wey are, briefly:

 Remote few and far between moorings, friendly people walking and talking on the towpath, no boat congestion, going rope free down the Locks, the fresh bowl of free home produce with the best windfall Bramley apples.

An aWey day and more is a MUST.

                                                                   Surrey rules OK.