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Basingstoke & Wey/Arun - Is It Worth It?


steve.sharratt

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The Wey is just lovely. Recommended. 

Only went as far as Woking on the Basingstoke but again, a lovely waterway. 

It was the occasion of the Basingstoke Canal people's summut anniversary and was attended in considerable numbers by the ex working boats of the Historic Narrow Boat Club. Depth and water supply on the Basingstoke can be a challenge but these deep boats managed.

No doubt more thorough advice will be along soon.

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The Basy is an astounding canal. You have to book every lock transit and they turn up and unchain it before you arrive then chain it up after you passed through. Feels creepy as fkuc to cruise through what feels like beautiful and isolated woodland and countryside knowing they are tracking you minute-by-minute in a pickup truck! 

 

Well worth the effort IMO. 

 

Agree with James too, the Wey is a wonderful trip too. 

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The Basingstoke is well worth a visit but be prepared to follow the published lock opening times which are neccessary due to water and lock control. Like the Wey they are nervous about liveaboard boaters and 48 hours in one location is the normal limit. Both waterways monitor your location so you are  always on the radar! Spring is the best time  to visit as weed can be a serious issue for some boats.

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The Wey is certainly worth an unhurried visit.  You may now even stick your nose into the start of the Wey & Arun Canal.

Only ever navigated the Basingstoke as far as Woking many years ago and there was plenty of red tape even then.  Took them 6 months to cash my licence cheque.

If you do visit the latter let us know how you get on as, hopefully, my participation in the Deepcut Dig 1977 will have been worthwhile.  

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We went all the way to King John's Castle at the end f the Basingstoke and it was well worth it my view. We then spent a week on the Wey.

 

The Basi has a very low bridge but I think the actual clearance is a little more than the guide says. however it was early summer so the level may have been down a bit. Best check your air draft but the only tunnel we could not get through according to the BW gauge was Froghall so I think most narrow boats will fit. Although nominally a wide canal there was, and probably still is, a landslip that makes the upper reaches only passable by narrow boat.

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We've just left the wey navigation. We couldn't get out for 2 days because of high water on the Thames but the Wey itself is lovely if you remember that it was never cut with straight sides like most other canals so mooring anywhere along the canal that isn't a specific mooring you will need a decent length gangplank, and a pole to get you off the mud when you move on. We spent a night moored by the Pelican, going in bow first we rode up on the silt long before we were anywhere near close to all the way in. Turning around and going in arse end first you can shift a lot of the silt with a few blasts of forward drive as you go in. 

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We launched our boat (60 ft) some considerable time ago and spent 5 years on the Wey. Hopefully you may have done some research before considering these two river / canal locations. The following is not intended to diminsh your selection but you might care to consider -

  • Being a (mostly) river navigations, there are very few 'wild' moorings available (shallow bankside)
  • There is only one hire base (subject to correction)
  • The locks are heavy and for best results need a long windlass (available for hire)
  • Facilities are sparse - but sufficient if you plan ahead
  • On a more positive side, the RHS gardens at Wisley is a centre of horticultural excellence  and both Guildford and Godalming are good to visit.
  • If you can work out how to get there on foot, Brooklands Motor museum is worth a visit ( As a school leaver I undertook a short works course in the days of the ill fated TSR2 project and the porduction of the VC10 passenger aircraft. BArnes Wallis (of bouning bomb fame) worked there and you can see his office).
  • The National Trust staff were magnificent and helpful
  • I know nothing of the Basingstoke 'canal' as the access lockks were being restored during out stay.
  • I see young Mr. Brooks has made a comment about a log bridge on the Basi: and there's a very low bridge a the beginning of the Wey - I have to duck down from the helm on our boat and remember to remove the lifebuoy before passing through.   
  • Great to cruise if you want to visit some of the 'sites' along your trip (avoiding a pun...), but as a specfic cruise, I have my doubts. Now, if it's part of a holiday on the Thames - then that's another matter....
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16 minutes ago, OldGoat said:
  • I see young Mr. Brooks has made a comment about a log bridge on the Basi: and there's a very low bridge a the beginning of the Wey - I have to duck down from the helm on our boat and remember to remove the lifebuoy before passing through. 

 

I assume that you mean the rectangular bridge that lets you onto the first canal section. The one around Aldershot on the Basi is lower than that one but I seem to remember it is a flat bridge with a slope on it so you can choose the higher end to pass under

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2 minutes ago, Tony Brooks said:

 

I assume that you mean the rectangular bridge that lets you onto the first canal section. The one around Aldershot on the Basi is lower than that one but I seem to remember it is a flat bridge with a slope on it so you can choose the higher end to pass under

Yes, indeed M'lud. I was too lazy to dig out it's name. It can be a bit of a pig to navigate as the flow from the Wey stream can pus you off course if thgere's some flow from the river.

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3 minutes ago, OldGoat said:

Yes, indeed M'lud. I was too lazy to dig out it's name. It can be a bit of a pig to navigate as the flow from the Wey stream can pus you off course if thgere's some flow from the river.

 

Not to mention getting on or off for lock working.

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1 hour ago, Tony Brooks said:

We went all the way to King John's Castle at the end f the Basingstoke and it was well worth it my view. We then spent a week on the Wey.

 

The Basi has a very low bridge but I think the actual clearance is a little more than the guide says. however it was early summer so the level may have been down a bit. Best check your air draft but the only tunnel we could not get through according to the BW gauge was Froghall so I think most narrow boats will fit. Although nominally a wide canal there was, and probably still is, a landslip that makes the upper reaches only passable by narrow boat.

Had to take the tiller pin out on our share boat

49 minutes ago, Tony Brooks said:

 t I seem to remember it is a flat bridge with a slope on it so you can choose the higher end to pass under

Thats the one that gave us problems 

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1 hour ago, Loddon said:

Reading road and Pondtail  are the lowest on tbe Basy 5ft something ;)

 

reading rd.jpg

 

Reading Road South, in Fleet.

Mooring behind the camera, very good for town centre shopping.

 

Bod.

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)In over 50 years we never managed to get to the Basingstoke until this year. We made it all the way to the navigation limit and, apart from some rather shallow sections, had no problems. Rather delightful - the navigation authority have managed to allow the vegetation just to the side of the canal to provide an effective screen so that in all but the more obvious urban bits you hardly know that there is life going on all around! Whist there are the well known water supply problems the canal is currently quite well maintained (save for dredging!) We were not conscious of being followed closely. In fact, I seem to recall from chatting to the lock keeper that he had other duties in between opening and closing times. Well worth a visit.

Edited by Mike Todd
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I bought my first nb in 1993 from Pyrford marina on the Wey. It's a TingDene marina now. 

Done the Wey a dozen or so times since then, on a visitor basis. 

 

It's a nice waterway, an interesting view into the operating model of having strictly no cc ers and also quite high costs for visitors. And only one way in/out. Could work for other canals I reckon, with toll houses. NT do a good job on the Wey. It's manicured but not extremely manicured. They do police it and have active lengthsmen which is a Good Thing. 

 

Last time we were on there was about 4 years ago on one of my boats which is 40ftx9ft and I think it was about £100 for a week. 

 

It's pretty, slightly pointless but a nice enough change from the normal waterways one sees. 

 

The low bridge is Broadford up the top end of the navigation and it's around 6ft air draft. 

 

Edited by magnetman
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42 minutes ago, magnetman said:

The low bridge is Broadford up the top end of the navigation and it's around 6ft air draft. 

6ft 4 and Parglena goes under it with ease when there is no fresh on so its a doddle for a NB.

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Thank you to all for your comments. I will check my drafts but it looks like our first canal will be Basingstoke.

 

My back story:  we are currently on the Thames on our 77ft Dutch barge on which we have cruised France and Belgium.  We have been on the Thames for a few years now and while it is a beautiful river it doesn’t really accommodate large boats and good moorings are hard to come by which takes the fun out of cruising.  We recently bought a 62 foot narrowboat and we plan to head down to a friends boatyard near Hampton Court to get the bottom cleaned and blacked as soon as the river settles this year. After that we are off for our first season of narrowboat cruising. As are near they Wey anyway, we figure that it would be a great chance to have a look and get our first experience on an actual canal before heading north to start the adventure proper…

IMG_4540.jpg

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