6.5 miles 5 locks
We are off at 9:30am a rather late start for Hallmark.
As we leave New Haw lock behind we are still in the canal section of the navigation and bypasses the meanders of the original river which flows away from Walsham, much higher up, through Wisley and skirts Byfleet to rejoin the canalised section below Weybridge Town Lock.
Houses and gardens line the banks and the navigation gets busier and noisier as the M25 approaches and finally crosses the canal.
The canal cowers under massive concrete pillars holding the motorway up high.
Just before the M25 viaduct there is a junction with the Basingstoke Canal.
This section of the Wey is rather spoilt by traffic noise from the M25 which runs parallel to the canal. After Byfleet Boat House at Parvis Bridge it reduces considerably.
The scenery now changes and their are. Fields on either side which at times stretch into the distance.
There is a long curved wooden section leading up to the Anchor Inn at Pyrford and just be before is the entrance to the large marina.
Just beyond is Pyrford lock.
Next comes Walsham with it's flood gates which are left open other than in times of flood. This lock is of the few remaining turf sided lock the country.
The approach to Newark Lock is stunning especially with the ruined abbey providing the backdrop on the Surrey countryside. Only a few Walls remain of this 12th to 13th century home to Augustinian monks.
After the lock the canal becomes the river once more and seems to make an uncertain course that ends at the really pretty Papercourt Lock with it's stepped weir and cross currents.
Going into Bowers Lock is not straightforward and you could easily end up on the rivers course. The lock is a sharp turn the left just before the footbridge but it is best to moor up downstream of the footbridge to prepare the lock.
We decide not to push on to Guildford and stop just beyond the lock. It was a peaceful place far enough away from the sewage works in the next couple of miles.
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