After a quiet night falling asleep to rain on the roof, we woke to a morning of uncertain weather; the world washed new and in the process of change from the bellicose cold, drizzly weeks leading us this far we faced a day in which the winds were changing direction, the clouds lifted, changing from grey to white, and the temperature was rising.
After a a hot cuppa we took a walk from our mooring on D'Oyly Carte Island over to Weybridge to look at the first lock on the River Wey.
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Behind our boat across the river is Shepperton. Also behind our boat on the towpath is... |
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...this bell, which is what the folks of Weybridge and D'Oyley Carte Island ring when they want a ride to Shepperton. Ring the bell... |
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and the Shepperton Ferry comes over and picks you up and delivers you across the Thames. £2.00 each way and £2.50 for a bike. |
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The Surrey Fire Department Water Rescue Squad took time while the rains let up to practice water rescue near the weir. |
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Man overboard! |
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This tug is pulling a long working barge loaded with heavy equipment. Both have just come down through Shepperton lock... |
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...and past us on their way to the next job. |
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A final moment of instruction from the leader... |
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and off they go! |
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We passed the Fire Crew's rig parked and waiting for them to return from their water rescue drill. |
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Off to a very unassuming right passed this pub is the Church Walk--the Weybridge town public footpath. All righty then..off we go to see where it leads. |
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Les strolls on ahead. Although he has never been on Church Walk before, a public path is as instinctive to him as roast on Sunday or a pint in a pub. |
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Bless is heart, Dear Sir is patiently waiting for his American wife to stop shooting a thousand pictures of brick walls and catch up! |
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This is the door to Lantern Cottage garage! The American thinks, "How quaint." The Englishman thinks, "Come on woman--it's a door!" |
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Across a lane and the Church Walk public Footpath continues... |
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I am learning that all villages in the UK have some kind of public right of way or footpath--a system of shortcuts which is older than the houses that press in on each side as we walk. |
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Every postage stamp size front garden has a touch of whimsy or a bit of green elegance. |
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Soon enough we come to an intersection of path and lane. We are turning right and following the pathway... |
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A row of narrow cottages present white washed faces with Wisteria fringes. |
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Looking back at the Lilliputian lane! |
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This very lovely end cottage just before the footbridge to Wittets Ait (Island). If you owned it you could live here now. It is for sale for £399,999. |
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Looking back across the footbridge to the side wall of the end cottage for sale. |
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Standing on the footbridge looking over at the back gardens of the houses which front the Church Walk footpath. One of those is for sale as well. What a lovely place to live. |
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The end of the footbridge and a green walled path leads to the only road on this island. |
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The Sky has lightened now, and a warm, western breeze is ruffling the leaves. I expect Mary Poppins to drop in any time with her parrot handled umbrella asking, "Where is tea!" |
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The path winds its way out from the small woodland and around a curved hedge... |
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and we spot a bulletin board ahead! The first lock onto the River Wey must be straight ahead. |
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Sure enough here we are in time to watch the lock keeper grab a mooring rope with his hooked gaff, from the boat in the lock. |
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The heavy lock gates on the Wey have chains to hold them open and chains on the end one can pull to exert more force opening and shutting the gates. |
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The lock keeper lifts one paddle very slowly with a special River Wey Windlass. One can purchase these quite long, straight windlasses from the lock office. Our friends Sue and Ken Deveson on NB Cleddau lent us theirs. |

Back on NB Valerie we ate lunch and readied for cruising: satellite dish folded down, we cast off and said goodbye to the Thames for now...
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Into Cox's Lock--the first on the River Wey. We will share it with a holiday boat going back up river. |
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While the lock fills we marvel at the clever design of these balconies! |
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Looking back at Cox's Lock and the redeveloped Old mill, right. Built in 1776 it now houses lovely flats (apartments). You could live here in a 2 bedroom split level apartment for £250,000. |
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Off we go into the lush green unknown! |
1 comment:
What a delightful walk at the beginning of a day. Cary on ... we follow you every step and lock along your way. Including every interesting door and balcony! :-)
Karen in Pullman
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