This weekend, four of us went around a circuit from Guildford.
We started from Bowers Lock near Burpham and rode up the Wey Navigation towpath to the junction with the Basingstoke Canal (just before the Navigation passes under the M25). Having cleared the sandy stretches between Bowers and Triggs Locks, the towpath is in good condition, having dried out in the recent hot weather from the waterlogged state it attained this winter.
Then we cycled along the Basingstoke Canal towpath. (The towpath hereabouts is signed as the Saturn Trail, reflecting Woking's appearance in the War of the Worlds by H G Wells. The Martians landed on nearby Horsell Heath: we encountered none, however). Up until Woking, the towpath has been well surfaced as part of the Woking Cycling Town initiative. We stopped at the friendly Seasons cafe in St John's for a coffee break, then made good progress to the aqueduct carrying the Canal over the A331. The towpath around the Canal Centre in Mytchett was quite busy with strollers, and the bell came in handy. There is actually quite a climb in altitude from Woking: there must be some 20 locks, each of which involves cycling up a sharp slope some 10 feet high. There were one or two points where the towpath crossed sides of the canal: these are not well signed, and we had to retrace our steps a couple of times after finding the path petered out.
From the A331 aqueduct, we descended the ramp to join the Blackwater Valley path heading south to Tongham, where we passed under the A331 and picked up the Christmas Pie Trail back to Guildford. Again, this was in good condition: in winter it was a quagmire in parts. The trail has some modest downhills which make for fast riding. It was sad to see some flytipping: signs indicated that surveillance cameras had been set up to catch/deter offenders.
We entered Guildford passing the Tesco superstore, then on along the Surrey University perimeter road, and across Walnut Tree Close to pick up the Navigation towpath back to Bowers Lock (some sand around the Ladymead Retail Park).
All this took around 6 hours including stops, and we covered around 40 miles, virtually all traffic-free.
We started from Bowers Lock near Burpham and rode up the Wey Navigation towpath to the junction with the Basingstoke Canal (just before the Navigation passes under the M25). Having cleared the sandy stretches between Bowers and Triggs Locks, the towpath is in good condition, having dried out in the recent hot weather from the waterlogged state it attained this winter.
Then we cycled along the Basingstoke Canal towpath. (The towpath hereabouts is signed as the Saturn Trail, reflecting Woking's appearance in the War of the Worlds by H G Wells. The Martians landed on nearby Horsell Heath: we encountered none, however). Up until Woking, the towpath has been well surfaced as part of the Woking Cycling Town initiative. We stopped at the friendly Seasons cafe in St John's for a coffee break, then made good progress to the aqueduct carrying the Canal over the A331. The towpath around the Canal Centre in Mytchett was quite busy with strollers, and the bell came in handy. There is actually quite a climb in altitude from Woking: there must be some 20 locks, each of which involves cycling up a sharp slope some 10 feet high. There were one or two points where the towpath crossed sides of the canal: these are not well signed, and we had to retrace our steps a couple of times after finding the path petered out.
From the A331 aqueduct, we descended the ramp to join the Blackwater Valley path heading south to Tongham, where we passed under the A331 and picked up the Christmas Pie Trail back to Guildford. Again, this was in good condition: in winter it was a quagmire in parts. The trail has some modest downhills which make for fast riding. It was sad to see some flytipping: signs indicated that surveillance cameras had been set up to catch/deter offenders.
We entered Guildford passing the Tesco superstore, then on along the Surrey University perimeter road, and across Walnut Tree Close to pick up the Navigation towpath back to Bowers Lock (some sand around the Ladymead Retail Park).
All this took around 6 hours including stops, and we covered around 40 miles, virtually all traffic-free.
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| On the Wey Navigation |
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| Wey Navigation Towpath |
Just found your blog.What a treasure trove of the kind of cycling I enjoy. I pinched half this route last week( train engineering works ) because I couldnt get to Guildford from the south coast.The canal was great all the way to Fleet, only the narrow busy stetch south of Mychett might be worth avoiding. Did it backwards to avoid those lock climbs. Will try the Xmas Pie route next time the trains are running! Many Thanks.
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed it. Xmas Pie Trail can get a bit overgrown in the woods near Guildford in summer: nothing too bad, take a machete! There are more rides on my website "Cycling from Guildford"
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