Waking up to Woking
Basingstoke Canal
24th May 2010
A visited Woking last week to visit the head office of a major fast food chain, and finger licking good they were too.
Last time I visited I noticed that the Basingstoke Canal runs through the town to I decided to take a closer look. Now, the Basingstoke Canal is well off my beaten track, way down the Thames and up the Wey, so its not one I am likely to visit anytime soon. But if I cant get to it by water then I will take a look on foot.
In total contrast to my recent Planning - Pleasure or Pain? post a couple of days ago, I did absoliutely no planning. I just rolled up to a random bit of towpath above the town and went for a walk with my small camera.
The Basingstoke is a very quiet waterway - with no boat movements at the time of my visit and I suspect little action at any time. The canal sort of slides past the tow rather than reached into its heart, but it's tree lined route makes for a lovely walk and the paved towpath is alive with walkers, joggers and cyclists.
I picked an unremarkable length, just to the west of the town centre with a few bridges but no locks. The channel is broad, deep and very tempting. One day I will find time to travel this lonely offshoot of the system - one day. In the meantime I will take a look at other fragments as the opportunities occur.
It's on our must-cruise list, possibly for this year, but it sounds as if it's a bit of a performance to get a permit as they're restricted boat movements in the past to protect water supplies.
ReplyDeleteIt's good to hear that the section you saw looks deep - maybe there's be enough water for boating this year!
Sue, Indigo Dream