Basingstoke Canal

[skeets]

Hi, we heard from a good source that the Basingstoke Canal is now open as far as Brookwood Country Park and that you can lock yourself through, opposed to having to be locked through by the rangers. Does anyone have any further information. Mike and Lorraine

[Graham and Jo]

Hi, we heard from a good source that the Basingstoke Canal is now open as far as Brookwood Country Park and that you can lock yourself through, opposed to having to be locked through by the rangers. Does anyone have any further information. Mike and Lorraine

The latest version of the Basinstoke Canal Bulletin talks about this idea and suggests the deatils have yet to be confirmed. See Bulletin

 

Cheers Graham

[WJM]

Boats currently have to be escorted through the Basingstoke Canal flights of locks by rangers, to ensure that lock gates and paddles are caulked up* after use to minimise water loss. This means that locking can be done only during certain times to coincide with the duty ranger’s working hours. It also means that, because caulking up is a relatively hazardous task it can only be done by two rangers (on safety grounds) – and with only one ranger now on duty at weekends and bank holidays, boats effectively cannot enter or leave the Canal during the potentially most busy times. As a result, and with the long- term closure of Deepcut, the Canal has not surprisingly acquired a reputation for being generally “closed for boats”.

At the last Joint Management Council meeting, it was agreed

to adopt an “Open Access” policy for the Canal, that is, to

implement a series of measures that would allow boaters to

enter and leave the Canal without the need for a ranger escort, just like on most other canals, and to re-establish the reputation of the Canal as “open and welcoming boats”. The detail of these measures is still being worked on, however a mini-trial of unaccompanied boater lock operation by a flotilla of boats visiting from the Byfleet and St Pancras Boat Clubs was conducted recently (above, having reached Bridge Barn, Woking).

There are lots of issues to be resolved to make Open Access work, not least including how licences will be distributed and checked, minimising the amount of water loss resulting from badly fitting gates or “boater error”, and dealing with house boater concerns regarding more variable water levels. Nobody, including at the BCA, is under any illusion that such a policy will not be challenging to implement. However some significant benefits to the Canal will result. For example a new “boaters guide” is being produced that will be issued with each licence; also it is hoped that an application will be successful to increase the amount of water that is allowed to be pumped back into the Woking pound by the Woodham backpumping (recycling) scheme, to replenish that lost through lockage. But most of all, the Canal will hopefully over time become a vibrant navigation again, after many years of abandonment by the boating community.

*Caulking up is the process of blocking leakages through lock gates and paddles by dropping materials such as sawdust or ash down the cracks – Ed.

[Sir Nibble]

the Canal will hopefully over time become a vibrant navigation again, after many years of abandonment by the boating community.

Unfair, the boating community has not abandoned the Basingstoke canal, the canal has abandoned the boaters.

[Lady Muck]

I've a client in Farnham and I get the train down there to work with him once a fortnight. Most of journey is spent with face pressed up against window admiring the canal.

 

It looks gorgeous and I really hope I can boat it one day.

[Fu Manchu]

 

It looks gorgeous and I really hope I can boat it one day.

 

The length of the canal in Hampshire is indeed very attractive, but the main part that you see from the train just West of Brookwood is a series of empty pounds on the Deepcut Flight, which I find rather depressing. It has been like that for nearly three years now, and although they have recently done quite a lot of work, the water shortage has meant that they have stopped working on the flight and moved to try to reduce leakage elsewhere. So it seems unlikely that the best part of the canal will be accessibly any time this year.

[mickspangle]

Unfair, the boating community has not abandoned the Basingstoke canal, the canal has abandoned the boaters.

 

I must admit that as someone who went up to Odiham and back the last time it was open for navigation the BCA do have a very mixed attitude towards boats. This was shown in one instance when the ranger locking us through Deepcut took great delight at our misfortune when we broke down. Apparently there was one ranger who didnt like boats on the canal, and this was him.

 

Having said that, there was one other ranger who had been involved with the restoration and was extremely helpful and keen to see boats using the canal.

 

The canal centre at Mytchett were also less than helpful. After getting rocks lobbed at us by the local youths in Ash, we stopped to report it at Mytchett. The lad we tried to report it to wasn't really concerned and thought it somewhat funny from what I remember.

 

Having said that, the Hampshire pound is lovely, and it is well worth visiting if it ever opens fully again. If nothing else, it needs cruising to remind people that it's there for boats.

[WJM]

As an avid collector of the little brass oval plaques, the Basingstoke is my glaring omission. I have narrowboated every inch of every connected London/SE waterway - except the Basingstoke. I have done most of it in a canoe so I know it is a lovely waterway, but the thought of crawling along under the supervision of a Ranger always put me off. I would love to see it operating like a normal canal.

Edited April 24, 2012 by WJM

[Lady Muck]

Canoe you say? <gets ideas>

[cereal tiller]

I've a client in Farnham and I get the train down there to work with him once a fortnight. Most of journey is spent with face pressed up against window admiring the canal.

 

It looks gorgeous and I really hope I can boat it one day.

It is gorgeous,we 'did' the basingstoke canal in 2001.

 

Spent 2 weeks on it,the first week we used the drydock to give our boat a good blacking it was around 14 pounds a day!,very cheap at the time.

 

The ranger who lived in the picturesque cottage next to the drydock was very helpful,i never noticed any lack of courtesy from any of the BCA staff.

 

When the canal was restored,the naturalists and eco people did not want powered boats on it at all!

[WJM]

Its a hazy memory now, but IIRC on the day it re-opened they held a canoe race which I won, greatly assisted by the date clashing with a big race elsewhere that kept the top racers away!

 

When was it re-opened? 1992? Does anyone remember the re-opening?

[Fu Manchu]

Apparently there was one ranger who didnt like boats on the canal, and this was him.

 

Having said that, there was one other ranger who had been involved with the restoration and was extremely helpful and keen to see boats using the canal.

 

 

Both of those rangers have now left, having been made (compulsorily) redundant together with two others who were also long serving. The Basingstoke Canal Authority is following the example of BW and getting rid of experienced staff and having work done by inexperienced contractors.

[WJM]

That does beg a question though - if the gates leak badly, there is nobody to keep them as watertight as possible, and this canal has no natural water supply, then wont it soon become un-navigable?

[cereal tiller]

Its a hazy memory now, but IIRC on the day it re-opened they held a canoe race which I won, greatly assisted by the date clashing with a big race elsewhere that kept the top racers away!

 

When was it re-opened? 1992? Does anyone remember the re-opening?

1992 was the year that the restored canal was first open for navigation.

 

on our 2001 trip we met one of the restoration society founders,his adolescent sons built a raft in 1962,they were unable to float it as 'the top of the canal was too close to the bottom'

 

The two lads and their friends started clearing their section of waterway and the restoration society started the following year.

[Nige123]

Hi, we heard from a good source that the Basingstoke Canal is now open as far as Brookwood Country Park and that you can lock yourself through, opposed to having to be locked through by the rangers. Does anyone have any further information. Mike and Lorraine

 

I live by the B'stoke & walk the dog along it 3 or 4 times a week, Ride bike & trap cray fish on it....

 

A few weeks back I came across 2 workmen removing weed from the river bottom & banks so stopped for a chat & asked if they knew if you could use the canal & was told no it's a water shortage problem!

 

I have been past the start of this canal a few times on the river Wey & would love to turn & go up the B'stoke as I have seen hire boats from Odium on it & some other small boats from time to time.....

 

it's not that deep in places & I think some boats using it would help it no end!

 

I would think the money from visiting boats would help pay the water bill or maybe not as it seems the price of water is going up as the city traders try to find new markets to screw normal people out of cash.....

 

I live in hope that one day I can take my boat from the K&A down the Thames & up the Wey & then turn right onto the B'stoke & moor up within walking distance of my house.....

[Canalwatcher]

I think it is meant to be fully open by this June. According to a Basingstoke canal newsletter (page 7)at

 

http://www.basingstoke-canal.org.uk/bcn/bcn233.pdf

 

We will be celebrating the 21st anniversary of the royal re-opening of the canal

as well as the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee at Frimley with as many boats as are

able to get there, one way or the other, by water or by road.

There is an application form that gives more details including lock opening times etc which is available at is available at

 

http://www.basingstoke-canal.org.uk/events/Jubilee%20Rally%20New%20Booking%20Form%202012.pdf

 

Contact details for Basingstoke canal are:

 

Basingstoke Canal Authority

Canal Centre

Mytchett Place Road

Mytchett, Surrey GU16 6DD

Tel (01252) 370073

Fax (01252) 371758

Email info@basingstoke-canal.co.uk

www.basingstoke-canal.co.uk

Edited April 25, 2012 by zodiak

[mickspangle]

And it says they're offering free licenses for boats attending the rally at Frimley. Sounds like a good deal to me (although you may have to pay for a Wey and a Thames license).

[Daftmare]

We took C'est la Vie up the Basingstoke Canal as far as Brookwood a couple of Easter's ago. The ranger(s) were very helpful and pleased to see a boat using the canal. There is a thread on this Forum somewhere, telling all about the trip. We bought our "plaque" at TLC in Byfleet on the way back.

 

Just ring and ask if they will open up!

 

Having said that, River Wey is in flood at the moment, so getting there may be tricky, but at least there should be no water shortage on the Basingstoke?

 

Jo.

[Tim]

I think it is meant to be fully open by this June. According to a Basingstoke canal newsletter (page 7)at

 

http://www.basingstoke-canal.org.uk/bcn/bcn233.pdf

 

We will be celebrating the 21st anniversary of the royal re-opening of the canal

as well as the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee at Frimley with as many boats as are

able to get there, one way or the other, by water or by road.

There is an application form that gives more details including lock opening times etc which is available at is available at

 

http://www.basingstoke-canal.org.uk/events/Jubilee%20Rally%20New%20Booking%20Form%202012.pdf

 

Contact details for Basingstoke canal are:

 

Basingstoke Canal Authority

Canal Centre

Mytchett Place Road

Mytchett, Surrey GU16 6DD

Tel (01252) 370073

Fax (01252) 371758

Email info@basingstoke-canal.co.uk

www.basingstoke-canal.co.uk

 

It's my understanding that there is not enough water to fill the Deepcut flight pounds in time for the rally.

[Hairy-Neil]

 

 

It looks gorgeous and I really hope I can boat it one day.

 

It is gorgeous and I'm really glad I cruised it, soon after it reopened, in the mid 1990s before the rot set in....

 

There was talk at the time of banning me from returning (I ignored the instruction of the jobsworth/Ranger, It's a long story.... ) but I did think it was a bit mean to shut the whole canal to enable it....

[Canalwatcher]

It's my understanding that there is not enough water to fill the Deepcut flight pounds in time for the rally.

 

Yes, I spoke to the guy at the canal centre today and he advised only the first two flights will be open, which means passages from River Wey will be limited to reaching just east of Brookwood, i.e about 7 miles from River Wey junction.

 

He said main problem is EA restictions on water to feed he summit plus more lockgate repairs so decision has been made to postpone full opening until 2013

 

Mick

[skeets]

that is great news,hopefully boaters will start using it and in so doing will keep the pressure on to reopen it in full next year.

[jelunga]

I would really love to use it. I could go shooting at Bisley and visit my son's family who live near it too. It was such a disappointment after we had bought the boat to find out it was almost derelict again!

[Tacet]

Yes, I spoke to the guy at the canal centre today and he advised only the first two flights will be open, which means passages from River Wey will be limited to reaching just east of Brookwood, i.e about 7 miles from River Wey junction.

 

Mick

 

Well, we can confirm the above having today made the trip up from the Wey to just short of Brookwood.

 

No real problems, but it is a bit of a faff having to book the rangers to open up 24 hours in advance, a 9.30 only start and rather laborious ways in which the locks must be worked and left. Also, whilst the water level is as high as it can get, there is not much depth in many places. Still, it had to be done.

 

Ian

[Morat]

When it's open, who's up for a banter at the far end?