We got to the final lock before the Wey and found an elsan point - it's strange the things that can make you happy! What with filling up with water and fuel in the last couple of days, all we need now is a pump out and we'll be happy bunnies.
Turning off the Thames after Shepperton Lock - the Wey is down there somewhere - left and right into the lock are the instructions we had from the lock keeper.
It wasn't that left apparently and then there's a clue!
He mentioned a lot of trees and not being sure we were going the right way - so presumably we are!
This must be one of the very first locks built - apparently the navigation was started (by someone called Weston - an early ancestor?) and then halted because of the Civil War - wow - that's impressive. It used to go from Weybridge right down to Chichester Harbour, but now it's only navigable as far as Godalming - there's a section off to Basingstoke but that gets complicated and we don't want to go there anyway! They are opening up the Wey and Arun canal and in fact we have been on a boat trip years ago on the short section that was open then. Another restoration project that relies on volunteers raising funds for the materials, fighting councils and begging for grants and then doing the work themselves in most cases. I really admire them all.
We finally arrived at the first lock since Reading that we've had to do ourselves. I waited with the boat and John disappeared across the road. This is the pretty bridge that I was looking at, it crosses the actual river Wey hence the name of the town....
Next to it is the slightly less than pretty bridge that takes you onto the Navigation - do you see the two smaller concrete posts with white tops? well those indicate that you have to swing out to the left and come back to the opening on the other side of them at right angles to where the boat is so that you can get in the lock. Luckily I'd remembered how to steer the boat into locks after a break of a week so all was well.
We'd been warned that the paddles were tough on the Wey and John certainly struggled with them - he had to do a short turn and then move the windlass around to get a good enough purchase to turn them for the first few turns - still we got there in the end.
This is the huge mill next to the lock - it's actually 3 separate buildings but unlike so many of them, these are all renovated and lived in as far as we could tell - they really looked lovely and what a prime site?
We had real problems finding somewhere to moor - we tried 2 likely sites but couldn't get close enough to moor, even with a gangplank but eventually found this site - this is the view behind us and there's no-one else around - pretty idyllic we thought. We've taken Paddy out for his evening walk and discovered a pub hardly any distance away with public moorings outside - typical. There's a small marina opposite where they have an easy to access pumpout so happiness is ours!
Things I have forgotten to say in the last couple of blogs.... is it a good year for roses? or are there just lots of lovely ones around here? we have seen wonderful profusions of all colours, shapes and sizes and lots smelling properly of roses. Very nice indeed. We have also lost the red kites and the cuckoos over the last few days but on the Thames found parakeets by the hundred. Here we appear to have a resident heron in the field opposite - what patient fishers they are.
Tomorrow we will move on and hopefully moor outside the pub where we're meeting Mum and Jenny on Saturday - it may mean we have to eat there tomorrow as well but we all have to make sacrifices!
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