From brian_holt@yahoo.com Wed May 5 23:02:36 1999 Date: Sat, 18 Jul 1998 02:03:51 -0700 (PDT) From: brian holt Reply-To: canals@blacksheep.org To: NG Subject: Baisingstoke trip report LONGISH Well we finally made it to the Basingstoke Canal and I feel it was well worth the effort. I would like to thank those who replied to me with information about the Basingstoke especially Alan Saunders. We contacted the Basingstoke Canal Centre on Monday 18 May 98 and they informed us that they were fairly sure that the canal would still be open at the end of May and that they had bookings for the 29 May They said they would send us the application forms for us to return with a cheque and that they were quite happy to send the licence to Thames lock for us to pick up there as time was short They also suggested that we ring the centre when we arrived at Teddington lock and they would update us of the situation. The paperwork duly arrived but we were unable to complete it as some of the information required was on the boat at Braunston consequently the forms didn't get posted until Friday 22 May. We left Braunston complete with "Cut Web" signs in the window on Thursday evening heading for Brentford via the GU. I noticed that Raven was not at her mooring as we left, she is normally just the other side of the finger from us. So I don't know if Dave was out or she had just been put in some dark corner for the show. As we made our way out of Braunston we met a work pairing who spotted the cut web sign and gave a friendly greeting (sorry I didn't get your name). When we arrived at Stoke Bruerne there sat "Thorn" minus her rear dollies but with the name the right way round. The next boat we recognised was I think N.B. Felis Catus II but she was gone before it registered in my 4 mph. head which was well on by now. When we arrived at Teddington we duly rang Mytchett as instructed and they confirmed the canal was open and that our licence had been sent first class mail to Thames Lock for us. We entered the Wey at about 1530hrs on the 28 May to be greeted by the lock keeper who had our licence and was expecting us. We hired a windlass, paid for a transit licence and went up to New Haw lock to moor for the night. We had an excellent meal at the Italian restaurant about 70 yards from the lock which was also reasonably priced, went back to Water Witch and settled down for a good nights sleep. Next morning we set off at 0830 hrs and turned into the mouth of the Basingstoke canal at 9 o'clock just as a van arrived at the lock and a Ranger proceeded to unlock and open the gates for us. We entered the lock, tied up and went for a chat with the Ranger. We had to wait for a second boat to arrive called Silk Queen, She was a 35 ft Springer normally moored on the Thames and she turned up spot on 9-30. I found the Ranger very friendly and informative. I asked about the requirement of the Allen Key to remove the security devices on the locks and he informed me that this was no longer required and that the only locks that were secured overnight would be opened at 9 in the morning ready for us. All locks on the canal are normally left empty to prevent water being forced into the sandy soil around the chambers and causing wash outs. This means that all locks are in your favour when going up and as there was one boat leaving the canal that morning we could leave all the top gates open ready for him. This made the first days locking very easy. We passed some old boats that are now residential, a couple of these had been sheathed in building polythene in an attempt to make them water tight and one had been fitted inside a steel hull. The water here was not as clear as I expected but I was still able to watch the Pike in the shallows. The plant life was quite extensive with Water Lily and Water Hawthorn in abundance, quite a lot of Mill Foil and even Water Soldiers but not blocking the channel. In places the trees made a complete arch over the canal and it was hard to remember that we were in fact passing through a very urban area. The Ranger was waiting at St John's for us to lock up for the night and suggested that if we intended to complete the Deep Cut locks the next day before the pubs closed we should fill the locks a bit faster. The second day we tackled Deepcut locks, The ranger unlocked the first one and asked us to drain each lock after we had left it as none had booked to come down that day, again all locks were in our favour but we had to stop, close and drain them. We met another Ranger about half way up who asked if we were all ok and wished us a pleasant holiday. Half way up the flight we met a professional photographer from Bedford, I believe his name was Robin Smithet from Bedford and he'd come to photograph the flight as the weather forecast was so good, finding 2 boats going up was a bonus and he took several photos of us both. When we finally reached the top we stopped for a very late lunch. Just after we had cleared the top lock we could see the Ranger sealing the gates to stop leaks. The towpaths are well used and cycling is encouraged but it 's a pity that more boats don't use the canal. On more than one occasion we received the comment that it was nice to see boats on this stretch of canal and one lady on a cycle with her grandson said. The last time she had seen a barge on this section a horse was pulling it. There is also a lot of wild life on and around the canal and they even moor polystyrene rafts in the wider shallow parts for the Moorhens to nest on. One day I watched as a pair of Crows forced a Heron to the ground crashing through the trees, I only saw two Kingfishers which surprised me as I expected more. This canal passes through a lot of MoD property and in places there are large fences running quite close to the canal, but over the years the vegetation has taken the hard edge off things to the point you almost forget they are there. One day we were eating lunch quite close to the top of the canal, with so little traffic I just stopped the engine and we drifted for a while, when a Mink came swimming along the edge of the bank. We had Deer sitting and watching us through the hedge we as passed. We stopped at the visitor's centre at Mytchett and had a DIY pump out which was excellent value at 4 pounds, but buying diesel was another matter. No one on the canal sells diesel but we could have some in exchange for a small donation of forty pence per Litre, we decided that the 20 gallons still in the tank would get the boat back to the Thames where it was a more respectable 22p. The week before we had paid 18p on the GU. Whilst in Mytchett we saw "Nancy Bell" moored up with "Towed Haul" at their home moorings, we spent a pleasant hour talking to Nancy Larcombe and looking at her pictures. She even managed to relieve me of 6 ponds for her book; our paths crossed several times in the next few days. Some of the bridges above Mytchett are very low and we only just scraped through with the smallest of gaps above the chimney stub. At Frimley Park Country Club there is a large miniature railway system with over 2 miles of track, on the day we visited they had 7 trains running ranging from diesel electric, shuntters and steam locos. We moored a couple of times at Potters steak house at Mytchett in their private marina which has two entrances and large enough to turn a full length boat in. We were just passing the one and only boat yard when a boat called "Tanbees" passed us and stopped, as we moor next to each other in Braunston we stopped for a chat. It turned out that they had not booked their passage but met another boat on the Wye who were booked in, so they joined them at the bottom of the locks and booked a passage with the ranger on their way up the locks. As the name of our boat is "Water Witch" we made a point of visiting the Water Witch pub at Odiham . We had our second coincidence, the landlord immediately challenged me on my accent and it turned out that he came from Lowestoft as well and his wife from Norwich. The size of the meals at The Water Witch is to say the least on the large size and its all home cooking. No boil in the bag to be found there and the Steak and Kidney pie is excellent. The bar is somewhat unusual as it has a well in it, which is still in water but no longer drinkable. So don't lay the boat keys on the edge of the well as it about 90 ft deep. We went to the end of navigation and walked to the tunnel mouth, we had intended to walk over to the far end but the detail on our map was insufficient to sort out all the footpaths. We spent the night moored by the old castle. We had some good food on this trip but twice the bill was wrong, it could well have been genuine but how many people apart from my wife checks them carefully at the end of the night? The places we would recommend are The Italian restaurant at Haw lock on the Wey called San Rocco. Sorrel's at Fleet just by the bridge, both of these are quite small and give pleasant surroundings for a quiet meal. Potters steak house at Mytchett with its own mooring. The food here was not particularly cheap but the meat was some of the best I've had anywhere and I'm sure they make their own beef burgers which I had for lunch one day. Unfortunately our holiday came to an end at the Water Witch Pub where we had to swap the boat for John and Gillian's car to come home and they could have a couple of weeks pottering back down the Basingstoke and up the Thames. Brian and Di on NB Water Witch from sunny Suffolk. _________________________________________________________ DO YOU YAHOO!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com