The Wey and beyond.

O

oldgit

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Interesting bit on our local TV tonight regards the old canal which joins the R.Wey somewhere down in deepest Sussex,fairly detailed article dealing with its history and ongoing renovation.
Did do a bit of mental navigation,but by the look of it,
A,the bridges are to low and
B,its stops short of the Solent.
Apparently it was cut to avoid using the sea route around the SE coast which was plagued with Frenchies who had a thing about nicking our cargos and sinking our boats afterwards just for fun.
Looked like tin slugs only,looking at the newly built locks.
 
Wey and Arun. One interesting bit with a NB on it near Loxley - cant get out either way though! Pub quite handily placed tho!

Also understand mucho problemo with stretches long since decayed and filled in and loads of different land owners need to be cooperative if a completely restored route is to be achieved.
 
Did get the impression that getting various permissions was not the problem merely the lack of funding,although it was mentioned that around £2Mbeen raised or promised towards project.
Having been onto ITV local newssites most of them appeared to have covered it.
 
Ooooooo thats good innit /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif Wonder when they will finish it so i can take coochie to the seaside /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
Interesting. Sorry I missed the programme. We had been contemplating a trip up the Wey, if we could make it. What would be the chances with draft of 3'9" and airdraft of 11'3" please?
 
I wouldn't hold your breath. I worked (hard) on it with the Northern Section back in the early 70's, put the first boat (a 15ft cruiser) on the dredged bit at Run Common (nr Cranleigh) in over 100 years for a publicity stunt to raise awareness, did the same thing on a section further up the other side of Cranleigh which ran through a private garden. It was right by a bridge on a bus route. It's going to take a miracle to get from Birtley (nr Bramley) down to the Wey as houses have been built on that section, in those days it was mooted that perhaps the old Birtley stream could be canalised, don't know what the idea is now. Great fun tho'. It is a "wide" canal, (14'6" locks) built together with Chichester and Arundel canal to enable cargo brigs to come from the Medina (IOW) across to Portsmouth, and then horse-hauled up a short canal to Chichester Harbour, thence to the Arun, up the Arun to Pallingham where it joined the Wey and Arun. Locks were originally "flash" locks, later being converted to pound locks due to complaints from millers, and I remember at that time at least one Wey lock being turf-sided (New Haw) but since concreted. The Wey is, I beleive, the countries oldest navigable canalised river created in the 1600's. Look for a book called "London's Lost Route to the Sea", probably out of print now and I cannot remember the author. Lots of drawings etc.
 
I Sid - max draft 3ft or so or you'll ground on the shallows, max air draft 7ft and that is sometimes a squeeze under bridges, within those parameters you can get to Shalford above Guildford, Shalford bridge has only about 6ft clearance although narrow boats can pass up as far as Godalming (head of navigation). You have no chance with the air draft mentioned but the draft issue might permit you to get as far as St Catherine's lock above Guildford with care.
 
Hmm, I wonder what percentage of the "Bank Bailout" would be required to see this project through in spades.

I suspect that a very, very tiny percentage would be required to deliver an excellent facility, importantly accessible to Londoners, providing jobs, and leisure/tourism opportunities for decades to come.
 
Things are a little tight on the Wey even for little cruisers like mine /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
I even had to drop my mast /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif


weynavigation013.jpg
 
Huh! On that bridge my pulpit scrapes (screen and mast folded down) and I have had to lay on the foredeck (with SWMBO and kids right up in the forward cabin to push the bow down a trifle) whilst I push with feet at the underside of the bridge to force the bow down enough to leg the boat under little by little. Generally I have about 3 inches with everything folded flat but if the water is a little high...........That is the lowest bridge from Thames Lock to Guildford although the road bridge at Send just before Worsfold Gates is only an inch or so higher.
Admitedly this is on an Ocean 30 where the irreduceable height is 7 feet at the top of the pulpit.

I love the Wey tho'.
 
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