Send to Godalming

Sat 20^th April Easter Saturday

Today was a beautiful day. We ended up taking lots of pictures.  We left Send, going past the National Trust workshops by Worsfold Gates, and then used Triggs Lock on our own.

Worsfold Gates

Triggs Lock

The waterway passes through lovely water meadows, and they appeared at their best today in the spring sunshine. We passed the grounds of Sutton Place, but the house is not visible from the water.

Water meadows

Rope roller near Sutton Place

Landscape near Sutton Place

We caught up with a small Sea Otter called Jacaranda, and we shared Bowers, Stoke, Millmead and St Catherine’s Locks with them.

Sharing Bowers Lock with Jacaranda

Ancient willows

Stoke Lock

Guildford warehouses

Onslow Bridge Guildford

Electric Theatre

At Millmead Lock, a Sea Otter called Kairos was entering the lock from above. We took a photo as our Canal Ministries friends Chris and Sally have a boat of the same name. Then we realised that it was Graham and Lea Wright on board. They are the first people from BCF that we met in 1996, in Weybridge, and it was through them that we became members. Their boat then was called Puddleglum. It was good to see them again, particularly at a lock when we could talk.

Kairos

Graham Hazel Lee

Millmead Lock

We left the lock, and were approaching the bend before Guildford meadows, when a rowing four came down to the corner on the wrong side and stopped, effectively blocking the river. We had to go into reverse to avoid a collision.  We then had to manoeuvre around them, as did Jacaranda who were behind us.

Rowers in the Wey!

A little further upstream, the Pilgrim’s Way crosses the river on a footbridge where there used to be a ford. There is golden sand here, and the name Guildford is derived from the words Golden Ford.

Pilgrims Way footbridge and Golden Ford

Low Bridge at Shalford

St Catherine’s Lock

Landscape near Farncombe

We had expected to go through Catteshall Lock, but we saw boat club boats moored just before, so we moored nose on to Danum, who had turned to face downstream.

Moored nose on to Danum ll at Farncombe

Later we saw the horse drawn boat go past. Also Ruby Tuesday, who we first came across in Brentford. We spent some of the afternoon making our Easter hats for the meal with Byfleet Boat Club that evening, which was good fun.

Horse drawn boat Iona

Iona

Ruby Tuesday

Easter Hats

Byfleet Boat Club members at Hector’s

6 locks, 9 miles Dep 0845 arr 1355

Sun 21^st April  Easter Sunday

We needed to leave early to get to church this morning. We discovered that Tina and James on Tristan had tied their rope to our mooring pin and had put the rope through the “D”. To retrieve our pin, we therefore had to climb onto their boat to untie the rope, and replace the pin we needed with an old one with no “D”. They weren’t up and about, so we had to leave them without saying anything.  As we left Catteshall Lock we said farewell to Mick and Rodney who were chatting by HazellNut.

Tristan

Mick and Rodney

We went to the end of the navigation, passing the most southerly point of the connected waterway system at Godalming Wharf.

Godalming Wharf

We were fortunate to find an empty mooring at the end of the private moorings. Another boater said that the berth was vacant, and it would be OK.

Moored at the end of the navigation

We went to find Godalming Baptist Church for their 1115 service. There was coffee being served between the two morning services, so we chatted to some people there before we went in for the more contemporary service.

The worship was led by a very talented pianist, with a keyboard and guitar playing as well. The lady minister was also singing. The songs were up to date, and the service was informal.

Godalming Baptist Church

Vicki and Ernon had invited us to a late lunch, joined by Sue. Ernon came to collect us from the boat and we had a tasty lasagne at their house. Sue had to depart early to go to Twickenham to help set up the room in the Cabbage Patch pub for the folk club that evening. We went along with Vicki and Ernon later, and we sang five songs, two of which were with Sue, unrehearsed, but remembered from our days together in our folk group Amberwood.

Vicki and Ernon

Sue at Twickfolk (video to come)

1 lock, 1 mile. Dep 0905 arr 0940

Next: Heading back down the Wey Navigation, seeing people as we go.