Loxwood canal walk 23rd March 2016

Paul's very pleasant walk along part of the Wey & Arun canal, also known as London's lost route to the sea.

We heard one of the first chiffchaffs of spring singing near Devil's Hole Lock. Trust he spent a pleasant winter in the Mediterranean.

Sometimes a bit muddy but a flat 5 mile wander from Loxwood. Back to the Onslow Arms where the girl behind the bar deserved a medal as she coped with walkers and cyclists en masse.

In the 19th century it was possible to travel by boat from London to Littlehampton on the south coast of England via Weybridge, Guildford, Pulborough and Arundel. This was just part of a once-extensive system of inland waterways covering England and Wales.
The route was via the rivers Wey and Arun, linked betweenShalford in Surrey, and Pallingham in Sussex, by the 23-mile Wey and Arun Canal.

Although only one part of an extensive system, the Wey and Arun Canal formed a vital link, the only one between the south coast and the Thames, linking London and the busy river Thames with the English Channel - and beyond.

River Arun, c1900.

The river Wey was made navigable from Weybridge to Guildford in 1653, and extended to Godalming 90 years later. The Arun has existed as a tidal navigation as far inland as Pallingham Quay, near Pulborough, since 1575. Thanks to www.weyandarun.co.uk for this information