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Navigating The Wey in Surrey
Available every day (except
Mondays and Fridays) from April
to the end of October.
Adults & Seniors: £16.95
Coach Mileage: 40
A good day out should offer plenty
of variety and a change of pace,
introduce you to new places and new
ideas and ideally make you say “I’d
like to come back here another day”.
This day ticks all of these boxes.
It’s the pleasing formula of a bit on
foot, a bit on the coach and a bit on
the water that makes it such a
satisfying day out. In the company of
a friendly and informative guide you’ll
explore the old Surrey iron villages,
visit Guildford, enjoy a cruise on the
River Wey Navigation and stop for tea
at the beautiful stately home where the
Queen Mother spent her honeymoon.
We start with time to buy refreshments
together at 10.30am in the big old barn
at Bocketts Farm just off the M25 on
the edge of the North Downs, where a
massive cockerel suspended from the
ceiling is a reminder of the local Dorking
fowl beloved of Queen Victoria.
Up here in the Surrey Hills the signs
say ‘Area of Outstanding Natural
Beauty’ and they’re not wrong! We
drive through the Mole Valley (where, in
Ever Decreasing Circles, Richard Briers
worked for Mole Valley Valves) and if
the weather is on our side we can stop
for a short stroll in beautiful Shere where
a willow-fringed stream bisects the High
Street. This quintessentially dreamy
English village lends itself to romantic
movies, starring in the 1946 David Niven
film
A Matter of Life and Death
as well
as modern Hollywood blockbusters like
Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason
and
The Holiday
with Kate Winslet and
Cameron Diaz. The old forge is
a reminder of the smelting heritage of
these old “iron villages”.
There’s a lot to enjoy and hear about
during this morning’s exploration.
At Godalming in the 1680s Tsar Peter
the Great washed down a huge meal
with no less than twelve bottles of
claret. By the time you reach Guildford
for lunch you’ll find that your group
members are relaxed and happy -
beaming with pride at our lovely country.
Dickens thought Guildford High Street
to be the most beautiful in England and
there’s certainly plenty of choice for
lunch today before assembling for a
cruise along the River Wey Navigation.
This was the first English river to be
canalised for commercial navigation
some 350 years ago and it brought great
prosperity to the whole region.
The Stevens family were instrumental
in keeping the navigation open after the
coming of the railways and it was only
some 50 years ago that the last private
owner Harry Stevens entrusted its
safe-keeping in perpetuity to the National
Trust
.
Today you can enjoy a narrow
boat holiday on one of England’s most
picturesque waterways, which connects
with the non-tidal Upper Thames near
Weybridge or, like us, sample its delights
on a 45-minute jaunt travelling in a barge
named after Harry, the last owner.
To round off a memorable day out
we drive through yet more delicious
countryside to Polesden Lacey near
Leatherhead. At this beautiful country
villa, with sweeping views over the
North Downs, the Queen Mother
honeymooned as the guest of a gleaming
light of Edwardian high society. There’s
not enough time to tour the house today
(although it might seed the idea for a
future day out) but there is time to buy
tea in a fabulous setting which is also
convenient for hopping back onto the
M25 for the drive home, heading off
at 4.45pm.
City & Village Tours: 0845 812 5000