Richard’s Wey April 2016

Published on: 25 Apr, 2016
Updated on: 25 Apr, 2016

The latest report from Richard Cant, the Stoke lengthman on the River Wey Navigations

The weather at the beginning of March didn’t feel very spring like, with wind driving rain, and hailstones thrown in for good measure!

This wasn’t ideal weather for moving work boats around, but after having sprung a leak in my punt I needed to borrow one of the newly refurbished ones from our maintenance yard at Send.

So with the help of my faithful volunteers we set out bringing the boat from Worsfold Gates to Stoke Lock, during which time it rained relentlessly from the moment we cast off until we moored up again. So I think a big thank you and sorry is in order, and I promise next time I suggest a boat trip I’ll arrange better weather.

With the continuing wintery weather I managed to complete all the jobs off my winter work programme before the nesting season.

This included finishing cutting back the low branches from the non-towpath side of the navigation between Stoke Lock and the Woking Road, as well as working with the monthly Wey Navigation Conservation Volunteers to pollard the last of the willow trees and generally tidy up at Dapdune Wharf, ready for it to open for the new season.

Thankfully the weather did improve for the second half of the month so I had a chance to start getting the locks looking spick and span for the beginning of the boating season at Easter.

My volunteers hard at work painting and mowing to make Bowers Lock look fantastic for Easter weekend.

This involved mowing both Stoke Lock and Bowers Lock, and even though Easter was early this year, the weather held just long enough to get Bowers Lock painted. Thanks once again to all my volunteers with their help in getting this work done.

Of course the weather couldn’t stay nice for Easter weekend, and overnight on Easter Sunday storm Katie hit with a vengeance. Strong winds and torrential rain caused a few trees to fall and block the navigation, which then had to be prioritised in order to get the navigation back open as soon as possible.

Richard

07786 703832

richard.cant@nationaltrust.org.uk