Holiday from Guildford

[Dan]

Hi Everyone

 

I've just booked 4 days from Guildford Boathouse for four days in early October.

 

Is the River Wey easy to navigate, a pretty waterway and are there any 'must do's'?

 

Also, anyone got any reviews on Guildford Boathouse as a company?

 

All the best

 

Dan

[Magpie Val]

I've never boated down the River Wey but I've walked it a few times as I live near Guildford. Can tell you all the best pubs and some beauty spots nearby...I don't know what you're into but here are some of the things I've enjoyed...

 

Must-booze pubs: White House in Guildford, the New Inn in Send, the Talbot Hotel in Ripley, the Cricketers in Farncombe and the Red Lion and the Star in Godalming.

 

Must-sees: Guildford itself is great for shopping and has a museum, castle, cinema, 2 theatres, good live music scene - and there's a 17th Centrury treadmill crane at Town wharf. Dapdune Wharf has a visitor centre - very interesting place and good to take the kids. St Martha's Hill is a good walk near Guildford - magnificent views, a very special place. The Godalming Navigation is very beautiful - Catteshall Lock, Farncombe Boat House (with horse-drawn boat Iona), Godalming museum and the beautiful medieval streets of Godalming are well worth a visit.

 

Good website: http://www.weyriver.co.uk/theriver/

 

Enjoy!

Edited January 10, 2008 by Magpie Val

[redfastlad]

I've never boated down the River Wey but I've walked it a few times as I live near Guildford. Can tell you all the best pubs and some beauty spots nearby...I don't know what you're into but here are some of the things I've enjoyed... Must-booze pubs: Six Bells at Alton, The Bull at Bentley, White House in Guildford, Mill at Elstead, Queens Head in Farnham, the Cricketers in Farncombe and the Red Lion and the Star in Godalming.Must-sees: The Alice Holt nature reserve, Frensham Ponds (the Great Pond is nearer to a lake and has it's own beach!). Farnham is a beautiful town with a huge park you can roam around, but the Castle is in private hands nowadays. The Farnham Maltings is a pretty good arts centre, and there's a good museum. Guildford itself is great for shopping and has a museum, castle, cinema, 2 theatres, good live music scene - and there's a 17th Centrury treadmill crane at Town wharf. Dapdune Wharf has a visitor centre - very interesting place and good to take the kids. The Godalming Navigation is very beautiful - Catteshall Lock, Farncombe Boat House (with horse-drawn boat Iona), Godalming museum and the beautiful medieval streets of Godalming are well worth a visit.Good website: http://www.weyriver.co.uk/theriver/Enjoy!

I travel down that way a lot with my job and i really do like the area and the people it is some of the most unspoilt countryside of England and i cannot wait to get my boat down there one day, please post a report after your cruise as for one would be very interested in your trip.

[Magpie Val]

Edited it because I didn't know if the Farnham bit was navigable

[Sir Nibble]

The Wey is a river navigation and therefore has a flow. There are weirs at the locks and some of the approaches can be a bit difficult if there has been a lot of rain and the river is high. 4 days is probably enough time to cruise the whole navigable extent of the river. It's very nice, enjoy. Avoid the temptation to turn off up the Basingstoke canal, you don't have time to get off the scummy ditch to the nice bits, nor to wait out the inevitable water shortage stoppage for 6 months.

[WJM]

The Wey is very nice - you should enjoy it. It is quite different from any other waterway I have been on. For a start it belongs to the National Trust rather than the EA or BW. This makes it much more of a living museum than a surplus commercial waterway, in fact that is my lasting impression, it is a big long outdoor museum. Be sure and stop off at Dapdune Wharf to read up on the history. The locks are very 'old looking' though they work well. The paddles are very highly geared so you need a really long windlass but that will be with the boat. They insist that you open both gates even in a narrowboat and I think if they caught you opening gates with the boat or using any other commercial operator's tricks you would get hell from the Rangers. It is a natural river for most of its length so it twists and turns all over the place which makes steering interesting. There is one bend below Guildford that I could not get around without 'three-pointing' my 58' boat and I did notice a device on the inside of the bend that I guess the old commercial boats used to use to force the turn with ropes. If you have four days you should be able to do the whole length, Thames through to Godalming, which is the most southerly point on the entire British network.

Edited January 11, 2008 by WJM

[Neildudman]

Snibble,

 

Have to massively disagree with your comment on the Basingstoke. For sure it is one of the best viewing canals around. Yes I admit there have been problems in the past with Finances (so the gates were pants) but that is being resolved as we speak. A steady period of open state and boats using it can only enhance a great asset.

 

Have you actually been on the Basingstoke?.

 

Neil (near the Basingstoke)

[WJM]

I like to cover ground, hell I have even been all the way to Slough on the GU. I have tried a couple of times to get up the Basingstoke and every time I have tried it has been closed. I am told you will be followed by a ranger as you work thru the locks - he needs to be there to caulk the locks after you (stop the leaks) - puts me off a little, dont like the idea of being followed and told what to do!

 

I have canoed the BC tho - it is very nice around Mytchet , if you dont need to use the locks

Edited January 11, 2008 by WJM

[Dan]

Hi Folks

 

Thanks for all the responses, seems like we've made a good choice.

 

i'm hoping it won't be flooded badly etc, but I guess Octobers always a bit of a gamble, though we usually get quite good weather - so fingers crossed.

 

Will look into all the suggestions, thanks again

 

Dan

[mark99]

Lovely river.

 

The locks are tricky - but manageable for first timers (was our first trip put a week on the Wey).

 

I think you are missing some nice stretches by starting at Guildford rather than Godalming, but should still be good.

 

Mark

Edited January 11, 2008 by mark99

[stickleback]

You could always start at Guildford and go towards Godalming first - moor up at Sainsbury's, walk into the town or the supermarket and stock up, then turn and go back through Guildford. It's a really beautiful stretch and well worth seeing. i've only been on a hire boat on this stretch but hope to get my boat down here sometime - I'd like to do it AFTER the Wey and Arun is re-opened though! Love to go down through Loxwood etc - but I'm not holding my breath!

 

Stickleback

[Dan]

We would have started at Godalming but their hire charge was at least £100 more for a 4 berth of no better standard, which was about 20% more in October, which just didn't seem such good value given the choice, plus a bit suprising as Guildford have Hoseasons costs to factor in which Farncombe haven't.

 

We were planning to still cruise there though, so thanks for making us now certain to do it

 

Cheers

 

Dan

Edited January 12, 2008 by Dan

[Ads]

Hi

 

I live and work on the River Wey and its a great river with decent mooring spots and some good pubs try and stop in the Anchor if you get a chance.

i find any further down than Pyrford gets abit boring so if you have time to make it to Godalming its a nice run.

 

I used to work at the Guildford boathouse and they have some nice boats there.

 

What boat do you have?

[Dan]

Hello, thanks again for all the words of encouragement, can't wait now!

 

We have booked 53ft Guildford Princess. Don't suppose you know her former name from when she was with Alvechurch Boat Centres?

 

Dan

[Stephen Sugg]

Hi

 

I live and work on the River Wey and its a great river with decent mooring spots and some good pubs try and stop in the Anchor if you get a chance.

i find any further down than Pyrford gets abit boring so if you have time to make it to Godalming its a nice run.

 

I used to work at the Guildford boathouse and they have some nice boats there.

 

What boat do you have?

My first ever boating holiday was on the Wey, in about 1979/80. We hired a widebeam from Guildford boathouse called Guildford Duchess, it was a strange beast, I'd love to know what happened to her. I really like the Wey and walk it quite often, a few (3 ) years ago we nearly bought a boat with mooring at Dapdune, but I got cold feet (a decision I don't regret since we found out a couple of months later that we were expecting our first child).

 

Nice pubs, not really "single hander" friendly IMO (especially Thames lock), but a nice waterway. The rules are a bit odd if you've boated mostly on canals (engine off in locks, must use ropes (front and back) must open both gates and some really pedantic locals (no offence to anyone on here but we met a couple a couple of years ago).

 

You will enjoy it!

[rjasmith]

My first ever boating holiday was on the Wey, in about 1979/80. We hired a widebeam from Guildford boathouse called Guildford Duchess, it was a strange beast, I'd love to know what happened to her. I really like the Wey and walk it quite often, a few (3 ) years ago we nearly bought a boat with mooring at Dapdune, but I got cold feet (a decision I don't regret since we found out a couple of months later that we were expecting our first child).

 

Nice pubs, not really "single hander" friendly IMO (especially Thames lock), but a nice waterway. The rules are a bit odd if you've boated mostly on canals (engine off in locks, must use ropes (front and back) must open both gates and some really pedantic locals (no offence to anyone on here but we met a couple a couple of years ago).

 

You will enjoy it!

 

Good Lord! We also hired Guildford Duchess in Spring 1980 for a long weekend as an intro to inland waterways. She was quite luxurious inside for those days but very odd to handle, especially for a beginner! She was a very short widebeam with a forward inside steering position (wheel) and the engine used hydraulic drive. Definitely not easy to keep in a straight line! I remember once she started swinging she kept on going unless you corrected very quickly. We ended up doing a full 360 in front of the waiting lockeeper and gongoozlers at (I think) Pyrford lock! Very embarrassing until the lockie later said that virtually everyone who hired her seemed to do it!!

 

When talking to Sam Cole (Colecraft) much more recently over the building of our new shell he admitted that they had built her in their early days!

 

We haven't been back on the Wey (apart from the odd walk) since then but it's certainly a lovely trip to do for a first time - so long as you hire a more conventional boat than we did perhaps! As soon as we get our own boat finished we'll be back!

 

Hope you have a good time

 

Richard

[Stephen Sugg]

Good Lord! We also hired Guildford Duchess in Spring 1980 for a long weekend as an intro to inland waterways. She was quite luxurious inside for those days but very odd to handle, especially for a beginner! She was a very short widebeam with a forward inside steering position (wheel) and the engine used hydraulic drive. Definitely not easy to keep in a straight line! I remember once she started swinging she kept on going unless you corrected very quickly. We ended up doing a full 360 in front of the waiting lockeeper and gongoozlers at (I think) Pyrford lock! Very embarrassing until the lockie later said that virtually everyone who hired her seemed to do it!!

Yup, we did that too! I was only a young 'un at the time and my Dad did most of the steering. My Mum hated the whole week and it took a mammoth effort to persuade her to try one of those "skinny barges" as she called them the following year. Luckily she did.

[jaygsy]

We have just got back from a trip starting in Guilford on the wey and we were very dissapointed at the lack of places to stop on this waterway the nettles must have been a couple of feet high all down the tow path!!

 

We had to motor for hours until we could find a decent spot.

 

The narrow boat we hired was a real dissapointment and not very well looked after.

 

Not sure we would do this kind og holiday again.

Edited July 1, 2008 by jaygsy

[Dan]

We have just got back from a trip starting in Guilford on the wey and we were very dissapointed at the lack of places to stop on this waterway the nettles must have been a couple of feet high all down the tow path!!

 

We had to motor for hours until we could find a decent spot.

 

The narrow boat we hired was a real dissapointment and not very well looked after.

 

Not sure we would do this kind og holiday again.

 

Oh dear, that's a real shame.

 

We'll try & plan our overnight stops each morning after your comments.

 

Which boat were you on?

 

All the best

 

Dan

[Sir Nibble]

Snibble,

 

Have to massively disagree with your comment on the Basingstoke. For sure it is one of the best viewing canals around. Yes I admit there have been problems in the past with Finances (so the gates were pants) but that is being resolved as we speak. A steady period of open state and boats using it can only enhance a great asset.

 

Have you actually been on the Basingstoke?.

Neil (near the Basingstoke)

Yes, I found the lack of any facility to get ashore at locks to be beyond inconvenient and into dangerous. My impression of the first days struggle up the waterway was as I say, a muddy ditch. The second day was the first day in the the other direction, I couldn't wait to get off. I also encountered semi submerged obstacles in the middle of the channel and feared that further up they may have gone the whole hog and sown mines.

In fairness, one of the wardens did point out that there are lock operation moorings and beat down the nettles to show me about 6' of bank with an inch of water and a concrete bollard curved from bottom to top in a scientific curve to shrug off ropes. So I was wrong about that?

I consider the lower reaches of this canal to be unnavigable without a crew ashore who have no intention of setting foot on the boat, and certainly not worth the effort. I have met plenty of boaters who have cruised the whole canal and agreed with my comments, though some of them added the stories of being held hostage for months by lack of water. I also met one boater who had been on the Basingstoke for years and looked around him with wonder at the "Different world" out in the canals with water in. All those years without leaving that one canal, perfectly happy with it, and having ventured out he couldn't believe he had spent so long in a muddy ditch. EVERYONE I have spoken to in person who has done this canal agrees, don't, it's not worth the effort.