The Priory was built in 12th. century so is not saxon. It was used as a stopover for pilgrims on their way to Canterbury - but I'm not sure from where they were coming!
But you didn't want all that info: really, did you?
The Wey is a lovely river and this is one of the few really quiet spots as the navigation is never far from the M25 and A3 noise. It's a delight for smaller boats, so ideal nb-phobes. Although the National Trust get a lump of money from boaters they really don't want you to navigate it, the policy being to provide an environment for flora, fauna, treehuggers and walkers - from whom they get no income.
Strange innit.
Best to cruise it soon before it goes the same way as the Basingstoke.
Unlike the Wey NAvigation which is part river, part canal, the Basingstoke is entirely canal with no natural water feed other than rainwater and the state of the water table. Every time a lock is worked water is lost to the lower levelsand the upper reaches eventually lose enough water for the canal to be closed down as a result. Most years in recent times this has happened quite early in the season so the Basingstoke has been largely out of reach for visitors from otehr waterways. SOme time ago they proposed an ambitious plan involving back pumping and submitted a lottery application but it failed.
If you want to know more pay a vist by road to the visitors centre at Mytchett and see their WEBSITE
And the lowest bridge at 6'4" , by all accounts i should have hit it by 1 1/2" But the river was low and i made it /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
See this ditch crawling is scarey stuff !
If the flag staff on the pulpit rail hit i knew it was going to take the visor out so i took it very slow !
Id also talked the crew of the narrow boat behind me into adding wieght if i needed it . ( passage planning )