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Comments on this trip |
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Martin Malins 27 Aug 2022 |
This is a cracking trip! I intended to start from the Anchor but it's all private parking so I put in on the river at Brooklands just South of the museum (hid the boat then a short walk to car park but an OK place under the road bridge quite an awkward portage).The section all the way up to the Thames Lock was sublime, wondering how many millions all those houses are worth! I didn't see an obvious place to take out to enter the Navigation, the wall was quite high and the bed very silted. I paddled into the lock which was 8 feet below the top and a kind couple held the boat while I climbed the ladder. Note take a short rope next time! The other locks on the Navigation were fine except for the busy road at New Haw. As others have said quite a long slog to Pyrford it's a navigation not a canal so there is a current!The Sprout portage at Walsham lock is no more gates locked, you have to retrace to just beyond the footbridge on the Navigation where it's ok to put in on the L bank of the river. Lovely passage past the golf course and back under the M25 bu at this time of year there were several sections completely covered in some weed which I can only describe as like watercress. Had to pull the boat over this by grabbing the stuff very hard work! eventually got into a wooded section and the "watercress" subsided. Awkward portage on the last weir didn't realise I was allowed to use the horse field. A lovely section after that and before long I was back at Brooklands. You would never know you had been inside the M25 it was so rural otherwise | |
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Alison Woolgar 15 Sep 2020 |
We had an issue with a fisherman at Bluegates Hole this weekend. I have reported it to BCA and am advised we are entitled to portage there. The land is owned by the Residents Association and there is access via a public footpath and the fisherman as are not permitted to intimidate or prevent put in. They also pointed me to an extract from a 1671 Navigation act confirming that this stretch of the River Wey is declared a navigable river! I hope this helps others have to endure a 1/4 mile walk and difficult put in that damaged my board! | |
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Maria 03 Sep 2018 |
I have done this route twice now and thoroughly recommend it. However, both times I have had some issues at Bluegates Hole ("Eventually you can see a fork in the river, the right hand branch goes to a weir, but you turn left and get out near a much smaller weir and portage round that. "). There are some very angry fisherman that insist that the river is private and that Canoes/kayaks are not allowed. I was with my 15 year old nephew on Saturday and the fishermen were very aggressive towards him, shouting expletives and he was left rather shaken. Has anyone else had any trouble | |
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Rob Zoe Ellen Glen 20 May 2018 |
We just did this trip today, our second trip out in inflatable kayaks (Sevylor Tahiti and Intex Explorer K2). It took us more than 7 hours it became clear to us on the navigation section that our inflatables were slower than rigid kayaks/canoes, and the 2 children were pretty much dead weights, mum and dad did practically all the paddling.Only one complete blockage in the river, just below Walsham weir, had to carry over, you'd probably would miss it if you followed the origin description, but we took the route mentioned in Sprouts comment. A few shallow sections, we gashed the bottom of one boat.Note the fork mentioned is after the M25 but well before Brooklands we weren't looking out for it and portaged round the main weir, which was awkward, on private land through a field of horses, felt like we could have been shouted at but luckily weren't.Pretty worn out by the end, but a lovely day, glad we did it. | |
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Jim Wilson 05 May 2016 |
Just done this round trip (4/5/16) on a lovely spring day with my brother in our canadian canoe and its lovely! Would strongly recommend it as a circular day trip. Description very helpful and accurate. Note that the Fork at the weirs beyond Brooklands is not very obvious. Its more of a left turn by the large house and gardens just before the main weir. We put in and ended at the Byfleet Boat Club, just of the A245. Good free parking and noted that there is also Free parking by the lock at New Haw on the A318. Timing about right. We took 6 hours but included a detour up to the Thames and back from Weybridge Town Lock. | |
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Phil Tauwhare 21 Sep 2013 |
Started the circuit at New Haw lock to break the navigation section in two. Took about 4.5 hours in inflatable Sevylor Hudson. Portage over to the river is quite overgrown and a bit of a muddy scramble down to the water. Quite a few trees down but a route has been cleared around them all. The river section is really wonderful, tranquil and we did not see another boat of any description! At the weir you need to walk about 100yds down the field to a little beach. | |
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Graham Bernadette Julian 25 Aug 2008 |
Did this route today for the first time,took about 5 hours, absolutely fantastic, a big thank you to Colin for posting it. We started and finished at the Anchor in Pyrford, which meant we had the section on the navigation, from Weybridge, which is a bit of a slog, right at the end. Next time I'll follow Colin's instructions and start at New Haw. The river section is superb in comparison to the navigation. | |
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Andrew and Kay 03 Aug 2008 |
We did this trip in our Open canoe 2 days ago ... excellent. By half way through the river return bit, it was getting hard work though (slow flow, and we were tiring ! ... getting old maybe!). We did this in 6 and half hours with a lunch stop at excellent Anchor. No obstructions en route, though scraped the bottom a few times in v shallow water on River after the Golf course. Instructions above very accurate. | |
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Keith Day 30 Jul 2007 |
When this trip was done in late July 2007 there was a tree blocking the route on the river Wey return section (See blogg). It was able to be portaged (over the tree) at this time but circumstances can be different depending on river levels. If you do this trip please update us with a comment on the current position. | |
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Sprout 20 Mar 2007 |
The trip took about about 4 or 5 hrs. It was our family's first canoe trip.
The Navigation section is a long haul and a little repetitive...............much more fun on the River section, a great selection of wildlife can be seen, the river has some good sections to practice various strokes and manoeuvres. The trip mentions getting into the river a lot earlier than I do.....You can continue on up to the weir at Walsham lock, pass the weir and then head for the bank on the left [with the weir behind you]. Portage back towards the weir, you'll find there is a track. Just to the right of the weir itself, there is a rickety wooden picket style gate through which is a 'desire-line' track disappearing into the field.....follow this and it leads back down onto the river with easy access. (see map of portage) |
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