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An Introduction to the This site will provide you with a great introduction to the River Wey, the Wey Navigations and the beauty of the valley all around. You'll also be introduced to its rich history and the diversity of its industry and inventiveness of its people. This site has been designed to provide a detailed resource of information to help you research more about the valley. If you're purely interested in finding out about things to do for leisure we've compiled a section to give you a starting point. Just CLICK HERE. Otherwise scroll down and read on. Here we introduce you to the Wey and its diverse and fragile wildlife habitats. |
Wey WEY DESIRABLE WEY FACTUAL WEY SISTER WEY FACTUAL It is the most wooded county in Great Britain with a coverage of 22.4% compared to a national average of 11.8%. Administratively Surrey is unique in that the county's council HQ is not in Surrey but in Greater London at Kingston-upon-Thames, and has been so since 1965. Surrey is the most densely populated shire in England. The traditional nickname for people from the county is 'Surrey Capon'. This originated in the Middle Ages when the county was where chickens were fattened up for the London meat markets. WEY EXPENSIVE WEY ADVENTUROUS The Wey Navigations are a canal; normally the preserve of narrow boats and definitely not the natural habitat of racing boats. Discovering the intercacies of steering a boat designed to go fast in a straight line, through the tight bends of a canal was somewhat interesting. There’s about 2 meters clearance on each side if you’re lucky, with plenty of tight squeezes and hairpin corners. The boat seems to have a magnetic like attraction to the reeds. Time on Wey 05:35 out 05:40 back. Blogger: Tony McRae WAH 25th May 2007 WEY WET Upper River Wey River Wey at Guildford Lower River Wey |
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The Two River Weys and The River Wey is quite unusual in that it has two sources, one in West Sussex and one in Hampshire. The two individual streams develop very quickly into fully fledged rivers both called the Wey but identified individually as the North Branch, flowing from Alton in Hampshire, and the South Branch running from Blackdown just over the West Sussex border near Haslemere. The two rivers flow into Surrey joining at the picturesque village of Tilford and remain in the county until reaching the Thames at Weybridge. The River Wey is also quite unique in that it has two man-made navigations the longest having been constructed around the time of the English Civil War 350 years ago. The canals by providing almost 20 miles (32 kilometres) of navigable water connecting the county with London, ensured that Surrey became one of the wealthiest and most influential areas in Britain. Later navigations connected to the Wey Navigations including the Basingstoke Canal and the Wey & Arun Junction Canal extended the reach of barges to waterways stretching the breadth and length of England, and also once provided a southerly route to the sea. The maintenance responsibility for the Wey Navigation and Godalming Navigation is considerable and was one of the reasons why Harry Stevens, of the Wey’s influential barge building and river transportation family, donated the Wey Navigation to the care of the National Trust in 1964. The Godalming Trust Commissioners followed suit four years later with their waterway being transferred to the National Trust via the Guildford Corporation. The two navigations have 16 locks, 12 weirs, 50 weir structures, 24 bridges, 13 cottages and 24 other buildings, together with a fleet of 11 maintenance craft to operate. A considerable responsibility, and when taken in the context of providing the manpower and finance to maintain all aspects of the waterways to ensure all-year-round navigation, it is one that represents a huge financial and legal liability. The 40 miles (64 kilometres) of river boundary running through the properties of over 2,000 land owners and across four municipal boroughs requires much attention, especially in ensuring flood control measures are in place and pollution avoidance.
In the forty years since accepting responsibility the National Trust have succeeded not just in maintaining and improving the waterways preserving them for the nation’s enjoyment, but have also provided a commercial environment ensuring that they are financially self-sufficient. The Trust has a small full-time and part-time staff supplemented by a band of regular volunteers that provide for the needs of the navigations from administration through to maintenance. The volunteers include the professions of surveyors, solicitors, valuers and wardens. In September 1989 the National Trust celebrated 25 years of ownership of the navigations and marked the milestone by sponsoring the only remaining horse-drawn narrowboat to travel the full length of the navigations from Godalming to Weybridge. The narrowboat (NB) Iona is still operated by the Godalming Packet Boat Company and continues to provide horse-drawn trips for the public along a beautiful stretch of the river. A legacy of the two navigations are the towpaths that were built for the horses, carters, and bow-haulers that used to work the river. Unlike the rest of the river the full 19 ½ length of the canals are easily and freely accessible. They are however subject to the National Trust’s by-laws which restrict access to pedestrians and cyclists. With the exception of a short stretch near Byfleet between Murray’s Bridge (GR:TQ 058603) and Dodd’s Bridge (GR:TQ052601) which is a bridleway, no horses are allowed access. That is unless you have an operators licence to haul boats along the waterway. The Wey Navigations are used by all manner of pleasure boats including canoes, skiffs, skulls, rowing boats and narrowboats. There are a number of clubs along the Navigations promoting the use of the water for sport and pleasure. Two commercial boathouses provide all manner of boats for hire short and long-term, and many other water craft visit from all around Britain using the 2,000 miles (3,200 kms) of interlinked navigable waterways.
Boats using the Wey Navigations are restricted in size by the dredged depth of water, dimensions of locks and bridge clearance providing for a maximum length of 73 ft 6 in (22.4 m), a beam of 13ft 10 in (4.2 m), a height of 7 ft (2.13 m) and draught of 3 ft (0.91 m). All boats regardless of size using the two navigations require a licence from the National Trust and the fees from issuing these provide important income to the Trust for maintaining the waterway. The Navigations and the two branches of the River Wey proper have registered angling clubs controlling fishing rights along those parts of the river with public access. Much of the River Wey upstream of the Godalming Navigation runs through private property, and where no public right of way exists visitors require permission to access the river from the landowners. A Fragile Resource Although the course of the rivers and navigations drop a mere 98 ft (30 m) over their full combined length of 87 miles (140 km), they have provided a rich wildlife habitat and stimulated ambitious human development primarily because of the dependability and strength of the water flow. The Wey has a large catchment area of 389 miles2 (1,007 km2) in a relatively well watered region that enjoys an average rainfall of 2.68 ins (681mm), and the many tributaries ensure that the waters stay flowing even at the height of a dry summer. The stretch of the river that historically has had the biggest incidence of erratic water flow is that on the upper reaches of the North Branch between Alton and Farnham. It is in part the flatness of the Wey valley combined with this large catchment area that has made the valley so prone to flooding. Over centuries various schemes were undertaken to reduce their occurrence and their effect, although it wasn’t until the 1930s Improvement Scheme that the issue was effectively addressed. There are a great many additional drainage cuts and structures including sluices and weirs that we see along the waterway today that were created during this flood prevention scheme. The Wey Navigations themselves are not immune to water shortages and do require careful water management practices to maintain water levels. In July 2005, following the driest winter in thirty years, The National Trust and the Environment Agency issued warnings of the likelihood of low water levels through the summer months. This included posting notices at all of the locks requesting that boats navigating the waterway do their utmost to wait and share the locks in order to preserve water. In July 2005 the Guildford Water Festival, an annual boat regatta held on the Wey Navigation, had to be heavily constrained to limit the events to the river between the locks. There was genuine concern that excessive use of the locks would deplete the water levels to such an extent that it would take months to recover. The Environment Agency posted this warning on their website:
From the rainfall across its catchment area, half is lost by evaporation and vegetation growth, with the balance providing the River Wey on average with 154 million gallons (700 million litres) of water per day, of which 44 million gallons (200 million litres) are withdrawn by abstraction licences issued by the Environment Agency. These licences authorise main users such as local water utility companies, agricultural concerns, golf courses, industrial and mineral processing, and cooling waters for industrial use. Over-extraction can be a problem. The Friends of the Earth cite 364 wildlife sites in the UK that are under threat from over-extraction by water companies and farmers. The River Wey at Alton is one of two rivers the organisation has highlighted as being particularly under threat.
There are at least eleven waste treatment plants discharging treated effluent directly into the river, with many more doing so via tributaries including that at Farnham. The effluent from these plants is monitored closely both by the water company and external agencies. The Environment Agency oversees water quality along the Wey and at the beginning of this decade introduced new regulations requiring that wastewater is treated to more stringent quality standards. One positive benefit has been Thames Water’s response at their Haslemere sewage treatment works (GR: SU878325), which in early 2003 had £425,000 worth of improvements applied at the plant, including new screens to filter wastewater more thoroughly. These works discharge into the Wey near Hammer. Sewage works on the Wey include Alton (GR: SU730396), Bentley (GR: SU788437), Passfield (GR: SU819346), Haslemere (GR: SU878325), Elstead (GR: SU912443), Shalford (GR: SU996455), Guildford (GR: TQ001517), Old Woking (GR: TQ027575), Ripley (GR: TQ043572), Wisley (GR: TQ059595) and Weybridge (GR: TQ067633). The welfare of wildlife along the river valley is also a concern at times when the water flow is low. The RSPB is concerned about the welfare of wading birds which along the Wey include the curlew, snipe and lapwing. These birds rely on boggy grassland and damp meadows to nest and feed. Water abstraction during dry periods has a massive impact on the river and raises concerns over improving management.
The Environment Agency has taken over from the now defunct National Rivers Authority to regularly monitor the river for pollution. The Agency is a public body for protecting and improving the environment in England and Wales and has 26 local areas working on pollution control of air, land and water and includes flood defence, water resources, conservation, fisheries management, recreation and navigation. The Agency conducts many practical projects along the Wey. One in 2003 was the construction of a rock and gravel riffle at Peper Harow near Godalming to encourage aquatic invertebrates to colonise and from which fish and other wildlife will benefit. Riffle-building involves raising the river bed by tipping gravel to provide nooks and crannies for the invertebrates, and increases the speed of water flow which they prefer. The Environment Agency actively prosecutes polluters of the Wey whether this is direct or indirect. One case in 1999 reported by the BBC involved the decommissioning of an ice cream factory in Alton, Hampshire near the source of the North Branch of the river. The contractors allowed waste ammonia to overflow into a storm drain which discharged into the River Wey polluting a 13 mile stretch of water. 6,000 fish were lost and other wildlife suffered in the incident which cost the contractors £12,000 in fines. The three-mile stretch between Alton and Bentley which was close to the factory resulted in the fish population being “completely devastated”.
Water for Wildlife is a partnership set up to co-ordinate and promote the work of the Wildlife Trusts with water companies and the Environment Agency. Its stated aim is to help protect wetland and river habitats and to reverse the decline of endangered species, one of which is the water vole. The organisation which launched in 2004 has also tasked itself with delivering local Biodiversity Action Plans. One campaign ‘All Choked Up’ targeted organisations that supply aquatic plants to discourage them from stocking non-native plants that are threatening wetland habitats. The campaign also aims to raise public awareness when buying aquatic plants from aquarium, pet and gardening outlets.
There are a good number of organisations actively promoting the careful use of British water resources and the protection of both the natural environments and the right of access along these water courses. These regularly run events to provide a practical contribution to maintaining rivers and canals and provide information on the environment, wildlife and how everyone can contribute to their welfare. Visit the websites listed for current events and campaigns. World Wetlands Day on the 2nd February annually is part of an initiative set up by Water for Wildlife to raise public awareness over the fragility and richness of wetland habitats. It marks the date of the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands on 2 February 1971, in the Iranian city of Ramsar on the shores of the Caspian Sea The Wey Fishery Action Plan (FAP) developed with the Wey Valley Fisheries Consultative and local angling clubs, will be underway in late 2005. The main areas of concern are water quality issues on the north branch of the Wey, reduced flows, loss of habitat, the build up of sand shoals and invasive weed. Locally, the FAP is being welcomed as it has given the opportunity for anglers to have a say, improved the working relationship between interested parties and helped to target funding where it is most needed. The Nature of the Valley The major tributary rivers, which deserve exploration in their own right, are the River Slea, Cranleigh Waters; the Tilling Bourne, Stanford (Hoe) Stream, and the River Bourne which meets the Wey just before its confluence with the Thames. The nature of the landscape along the valley is predominantly rural with Alton, Farnham, Godalming, Guildford, Byfleet and Weybridge being the main urban centres. The general geology, soil and topography of the Wey valley has provided, through an alluvium covered with clayey gley soils, a perfect environment for wet meadows lying alongside the river. Further out from the river terrace gravels rise up and blend with gentle sloping valley sides, which with the exception of the larger flatter plains towards the Thames has resulted in spectacularly beautiful and varied countryside. Early industries requiring a good water supply were attracted to the valley and were supported by a versatile and highly productive farming community. This combined wealth of water and fertile land ensured that the Wey became a major centre of milling of all kinds which brought considerable prosperity to the region. The valley so happened also to straddle an important economic and military thoroughfare positioned strategically as it is between London and two historically influential maritime ports, Southampton and Portsmouth. Much of the Wey Valley falls within the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding National Beauty (AONB), a conservation initiative set up to preserve the natural beauty of the landscape. And so the scene is set where the River Wey for well in excess of a millennium has influenced the course of British and regional history. Waterside Properties Not many people are lucky enough to live right alongside the River Wey or its tributaries but those who do have always been regarded as sitting on a goldmine. The Times newspaper undertook detailed research (2006) into waterside properties and discovered that homes overlooking lakes, large ponds, rivers and canals are worth 12% more than similar properties that don't. Much of this has to do with the romantic nature of waterside living that has been nurtured for centuries in the arts, and certainly makes for ease of marketing a property when it goes up for sale.
The inclusion of moorings brings with it the notion of boating along the river on balmy summer evenings and can also realise an additional investment.
Not all properties automatically have rights for moorings simply because they back on to the river. The owner of the river banks have those rights and even then its not always practical to allow a mooring.
Current concerns over global warming have thrown the threat of flooding firmly into public awareness and some owners and buyers are now debating the pros and cons of owning waterside property in the light of this.
Buyers with young families can also be discouraged from living near water for reasons of safeguarding their child's safety. Source: The Valley's ANGSt Virtually the whole course of the River Wey and its two navigations run through the western end of the county of Surrey. A study undertaken (March 2007) by the Forestry Commission and Natural England has revealed that the county is better off than most of its neighbours when it comes to access to green space. The main part of the study was based on the Accessible Natural Greenspace Standard (ANGSt) (1) which states the ideal of no person living more than 300 metres (984 ft) from an area of natural green space of at least two hectares (4.94 acres) in area. An additional proviso is that there should be at least one accessible 500 hectare (1,236 acre) site within 10 km (6.2 mi) of their home. Only sites greater than two hectares were included in the study. Guildford and Waverley within the valley provide a 100% score on accessibility to the 500 hectare site. Surrey as a whole, despite being the most populous county has 17% of households meet the full ANGSt requirements, as against 15% in Hampshire and 3% in Kent. The valley in West Surrey has a quarter of the area of outstanding natural beauty (AONB) provided by Surrey Hills as freely accessible natural green space. The South East is England's most wooded region, with 40% of the Surrey Hills classified as woodland.
The Forestry Commission is intending to use the results of this study to improve access provision and direct government grants to areas in need. (1) The concept of accessible natural greenpsace in urban areas arose from work in the early 1990s that set out to establish the importance of nature in an urban context. English Nature adopted the concept and developed it as a standard in 1995. Various government initiatives have used the ANGSt concept to introduce controls and guidelines on open space access provision. Source: SEE ALSO - HOME ON A NARROWBOAT NAVIGATE THE RIVER USING OUR INTERACTIVE MAP EXPLORE THE TWO WEY NAVIGATIONS BY MAP © Wey River 2005 - 2008 |
