Guildford Ramblings: Music, Magic And Meanderings Along Rivers Wey And Thames

Published on: 4 Sep, 2015
Updated on: 4 Sep, 2015

By Kay Hiatt

Start of the walk.

Our ramble began at the Canoe Car Park in Weybridge on a beautiful early September day. As soon as we set off along the Thames path we saw an arched bridge over the river leading to a large house.

Eyot House.

Peering through some fencing we could view Eyot House, the home for many years of D’Oyly Carte, the theatrical producer and talent manager, who has been described as “the Simon Cowell of Victorian England”.

He had teamed up with William (W.S.) Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan, launched an opera company, wowed London with HMS Pinafore and The Mikado, and built The Savoy Theatre and The Savoy Hotel in The Strand.

They rehearsed here and on lovely summer evenings music and voices of actors would have floated down the river. They sometimes put on impromptu performances for local residents, who watched from the opposite river bank.

Houses and boats.

We continued along the path, viewing some lovely properties from across the river, many with boats moored alongside.

The Wey Navigation.

A few swans and assorted ducks appeared, then we found ourselves by a short stretch of the Wey Navigation canal.

Fairy rings.

Several keen-eyed walkers spotted a magical scene – Fairy rings -also known as fairy circle, elf circle, elf ring or pixie ring – naturally occurring rings of mushrooms. Fairy rings are the subject of much folklore and myths worldwide—particularly in Western Europe. While they are often seen as hazardous or dangerous places, they can sometimes be linked with good fortune.

Himilayan balsam.

Another interesting sight was that of colourful Himalayan balsam plants, tall and thick and loving the riverside habitats along large stretches of the Thames and elsewhere in the country. This is now classed as a problem weed – years after its introduction from Himalaya in 1839!

A lovely property!

Belted Galloways.

Then on past more lovely properties, a short coffee stop, across Dumsey water meadows where the Belted Galloway breed of cattle munched their way through sweet meadow grass, and then a view of a fully packed marina!.