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River Wey Walk (30th Jul 09 at 10:46am UTC) A 7 mile mini-ramble from Woking BR to West Byfleet BR via River Wey.
I did a similar but slightly longer walk last year which started from Guildford, ( see here ) that walk took in much more of the River than this one did.
From Woking it takes a bit of time to get too the River Wey Navigation - walking mainly on pavement, although the White Rose Lane Nature Reserve is a brief rest bite from the traffic. The walk really starts from Riverdale Farm across Broad Mead. Sections of this footpath gets overgrown the closer you get to the River.
The River Wey Navigation towpath is very well kept and offers easy walking conditions, which also makes it very popular with cyclists. The river and surrounding countryside is well away from main roads and therefore has good views and a very active wildlife population (I was dive bombed by huge Emperor and Hawker dragonflies on a few occasions).
Within a mile of walking on the towpath you come to the very pretty Paper Court Lock, just past here the Wey is majestic and peaceful. Their are only two roads which cross the river, one at the end by the Anchor Pub and one just after this section where you have to cross the river over a narrow single traffic lane bridge.
Just past this crossing are the ruins of Newark Priory ( see here for more info ). The ruins are located on a private island so unless your a quick swimmer I'm not sure if its possible to gain access legally? Although there are still good views.
The towpath started getting a bit busy from here with many people walking off hearty meals from the Anchor Pub at Pyford Lock. After stopping for a pint it is only a brief walk when you come to the footbridge which takes you off the towpath, alongside the golf course and back onto the mainroads and West Byfleet station.
For more info and large resource of information on all aspects of the River Wey see here For my Google map of this walk see here.
Regular Member Sex: Male Posts: 79 Joined: Status: Offline
Re: River Wey Walk (31st Jul 09 at 10:08am UTC)
Great video Paul, I love the shots of dragonfly and the swaying tall grass. It makes me wonder what other great places in Surrey I'm missing out on. I must have been along the river Wey before but probably not since I was a kid with my parents. I'll have to try one of your walks someday. Looking forward to your next post, nice work!
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