Steam All The Way On The River Wey Navigation at Dapdune Wharf

Published on: 7 Jul, 2013
Updated on: 11 Jul, 2013

This coming weekend (July 13 and 14) sees more than a dozen steamboats and launches descending on the National Trust’s Dapdune Wharf river centre behind the cricket ground in Guildford for a weekend of activity.

Steamboats like these will be at Dapdune Wharf this coming weekend.

Saturday sees ‘get to know steamboating’, an opportunity for people of all ages to spend time helping to prepare, launch, sail and recover boats and to learn about managing their fascinating coal or oil-fired steam machinery.

Boats in attendance will range from Surta a steel 40 footer down joining the party from the Thames to Aurora an elegant 18 foot launch that will have been towed all the way down from the Lake District to be there.

“It’s an opportunity to get hands a bit dirty and enjoy messing about in some really unusual heritage boats,” says steamboater, Mark Rudall. “It’ll be much more like Ratty and his friends in Wind in the Willows than like Bogart and Hepburn running the rapids aboard the African Queen.

”We want people to come along and get a feel of just how hands-on and enjoyable steamboats are and how lovely our River Wey is. There will be opportunities to learn about how these boats work and maybe catch the vision to get on the water themselves. And don’t worry, we’ll have plenty of Swarfega…

“The National Trust is hosting members of the Steamboat Association for the weekend and it’s a real privilege to go to their beautiful Dapdune Wharf centre, hidden away almost in the middle of Guildford but with great facilities for families.”

Steam all the way on the River Wey Navigation.

Dapdune Wharf will also be open on the Sunday as usual, with the steamboats still in attendance when the day will be called Puffing-a-Wey. There’s no extra charge on either day for those who wish to enjoy all the sights, smells and sounds of the visiting flotilla of steamboats on the River Wey.