Tuesday 27 May 2014


We left Guildford on Wednesday, turning and heading back north along the River Wey back the way we had come.  Saturday morning found us starting out on the Basingstoke Canal.  This canal is run by Hampshire and Surrey county councils so we had to purchase a licence.  Also you have to book the locks.  We were luck to pair with another boat with 3 on board which meant there were 3 of us ashore to work the locks.  Saturday was 6 locks with 5 on Sunday, but yesterday was a really busy day with 17 lock in pouring rain!  All to be completed by 3pm!  These brought us through Deep Cut and we are now moored at Frimley Green.  Unfortunately we can’t go much further as there is a low bridge and we won’t fit!  So we have about 4 miles of canal to potter about in until Friday when the locks will be open again for our return trip.  The scenery around had been lovely but the canal in places is full of weed and quite shallow despite saying they take boats of 3 ft draught and we are 2ft 6 inches.  Also the lock opening times makes your journey very restricted, limiting where you can stop.  Not sure that this canal comes with our recommendation.  We did have a surprise visit on Sunday night.  Alan, Karen, Hannah and Mathew came to see us for a cuppa on their way to get the eurostar.  For those of you who don’t know Alan and Paul worked together in Safeway.  It was good to have a natter and a catch up. 

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