With another warm day forecast we cast off from the meadows and went straight thru Millmead Lock. It’s only a short run to then moor up at the bottom of the high street. A lot of the buildings along this part were looking tired, but most have been done up, even the old Guildford Boathouse looks good now.

Guildford was still relatively quiet and cool this morning, so we split up in an effort to save time before losing the shade. I managed to find a Gail’s Bakery with their Pecan and Cinnamon Crumb cakes, yum, and a Hasselblad 90 degree viewfinder for one of my old cameras from the second hand camera shop. Whilst Hazel successfully negotiated a shoe shop, chemist and Mark & Spencers. Then onto Dapdune for their services and the B&Q moorings for Halfords and autoglymn polish.

Then onto Stoke Lock, which had a shady mooring for lunch and prawn sandwiches from M&S…….and very nice they were too !

This afternoon we have gone thru Bowers Lock and are now moored up downstream of Send Church Bridge. It’s a lovely shady spot with a bit of breeze to keep things cool. It’s an easy run back to the Marina tomorrow, then packing and a final meet up with Penny for a meal before flying onto Ireland.

Well they forecast a scorcher, and we’ve got one. 32 degrees at the moment, thankfully we are back in the Guildford Meadows under some shady willow trees.

Rather than just sit all day we decided to go to Godalming, hoping to get there and back before the heat of the afternoon. Unfortunately I was a bit lethargic this morning, and most of the locks were against us, so we both boiled !

It’s a pretty run up to Godalming, just 3 locks and plenty of twists and turns. At Farncombe Boat house we met up with Gareth, our mobile mechanic, thankfully no alternator break downs this year. As usual there’s a little list of “to do” jobs for him and his dad, Colin. We also topped up the diesel, ready for winterisation, on one of the hottest days !

Godalming Wharf is the southernmost point of the continuous inland water way system, so it’s always feels a job well done getting there. Thankfully it was in the shade for a while, so a bit of shopping and lunch were in order. Once that sun came round it was time to move on, and Guildford has the most shady spots, so back we go.

St Catherine’s Lock is only 3’, but was set against us and had no shade. We both wilted and struggled to push on, and were relieved to put in the mooring pins and turn the engine off. It’s not too bad sitting alongside the boat, but Hazel is being nibbled on by all sorts of insects ! An easier day tomorrow I think is in order.

I love Triggs Lock, so much so we went thru it twice today……Actually I had forgotten my wallet in the car when we went shopping yesterday, so we nipped back to the Marina to get it….

It was no great hardship, Triggs is one of the easier locks, and the reflections in the river were perfect.

It was a good thing we hadn’t done one more lock, because Bowers can be difficult going upstream with heavy gates. The ladder in the lock is well placed though, so I climbed out and gave Hazel a hand.

After Stoke we moored up on the outskirts of Guildford and re provisioned from Lidl. A lot cheaper than Marks and Spencer, and a lot easier carrying shopping back. On our return an elderly couple walking on the towpath admired our boat ad we started chatting. He was an ex Solent sailor, missing boating and intrigued by ours. As they were heading back to Dapdune I invited them onboard and we cruised to the Wharf. They thoroughly enjoyed their short trip and I could see a gleam in his eye when he stepped off !

Time for afternoon tea, really lunch, and use of their services including an excellent second hand bookshop. As it was getting in the high 20’s we pushed on thru Millmead Lock and found a lovely shady spot in the meadows. Tomorrow Godalming, and a less frantic start to the day.

It’s a beautiful sunny day at Cartbridge Basin, after 2 days looking at gardens it’s time to get back on the water.

But first there’s a few things to do…..fill up the water tank, and potable water cans, which we use to drink from. The tank is used for showers, washing up, etc. Then an engine bay check, oil and coolant levels plus a visual inspection of all ancillary components.

Then make sure all batteries are charged up before disconnecting the shoreline, ready the windlass’s and prep centerline. Finally undo mooring lines after warming up the engine and exit the Marina.

It’s a warm day already, and lots of boats with guests have left their berths, it’s going to be busy. So let’s find a shady spot for lunch, and possibly an overnight mooring. We go through Triggs Lock and find the perfect spot with tall trees either side. Only an hours cruising today, but we’ve got 4 days to get to Godalming and back. Plenty of time, and it’s supposed to be SLOW boating.

Watching Monty Dons garden design series on TV I noted his visit to Painshill in Surrey. After our visit to Wisley yesterday I checked the GPS……only 17 minute drive away ! It was actually 17 minutes to do the last 2 miles this morning ! Yes we crossed the M25 with its notorious roadworks so had to contend with feeder traffic, slip lanes, roundabouts and traffic lights.

In the midst of this chaos we discovered a little piece of paradise, designed by Charles Hamilton between 1738 and 1773. He had done 2 grand tours and wanted to recreate the romantic pictures of them at the time. This was a complete breakaway from the formal designs at that time and started a whole new garden style culminating with ‘Capability’ Brown’s masterpieces.

Walking up a hill from the entrance there is no indication of what’s ahead until reaching the top…..a long lake with gently sloping sides strewn with temples, follies and bridges. Our path was a basically a figure of 8 around it, with numerous detours.

The Gothic Temple provided panoramic views, or as Charles Hamilton wanted pictures of views like a work of art. Descendng down a zig zag track to the water a tiny bridge gave entrance to the Crystal Gotto, containing thousands of hand made crystals.

Carrying on we passed a ruined Roman Arch, a water cascade at the Lakes Head and then into woodland and a waterwheel.

The water wheel provides the power required to lift water from the River Mole running alongside and provide a gentle flow thru the lake. An elegant and cost effective solution to a problem ! Our walk now left the lake heading upwards along an Alpine Valley clothed in greensward and conifers. Around a corner now loomed the Gothic Tower, where I left Hazel and did a detour towards the Hermitage.

Apparently the resident hermit wasn’t truly committed, being spotted at the local pub, but it’s a lovely shady spot today.

The Gothic Tower was 4 stories high with an extremely steep and narrow spiral staircase. As a reward for the truly committed a small shop at the top provided refreshments, Hazel being pleased when 2 ice creams magically appeared out of my camera case when rejoining her.

Further onwards now to the Elysian Plains, with of course a Temple to Bacchus. It was amazing how the simple planting of mainly trees and shrubs gave totally different feelings to each area. Some of the trees, especially the Cedars were magnificent.

We were now on the downward leg and finally heading back. The guide book said 2 hours to do our walk, I think we were nearly 4 with a couple of refreshment stops and hundreds of photo ops !

Back now to the middle point in our figure of 8, and the horse box trailer for a cool drink, then along the lake edge again.

By now we were both sore from 2 days walking, but it’s good practice for the upcoming Irish Tours ! A great day around a magnificent property that was derelict until 1986. A lot of hard work had been put in, and I can see why Monty Don had to include it in his series. Tomorrow we will head back onto the water, for a rest and final trip to Godalming. We are due some warm weather, so shady spots will be in demand.

After a day of washing and recharging batteries we sallied forth to RHS Wisley Gardens, where I used to work. I’m glad we’ve only got a small hire car, the lanes were narrow with a few passing places, similar to the Oxford Canal but at a much higher speed !

As I gave a comprehensive walk thru last year I’ll document some of the changes we saw. After queuing for 10 minutes we made straight to the new Orchid house, located within the main glasshouse.

Most of the plants are growing in situ, with lots of ground cover and plunge pots obviously rotated thru them. A pleasing display but lacking in numbers somewhat. Bunnings sometimes have a lot more on show, even if they aren’t so well arranged !

Overall a good display, but I like to think my 3 orchid houses looked pretty good when I was running them ! The rest of the glasshouse is divided up into the traditional stove, temperate and cool sections with a cacti house as well.

After the glasshouses we wandered towards the fruit area via the recently planted Oudolf area. You could either take the straight path to the lavender hill, or meander around. Either way the beds in pastel shades provided a delightful scene to the eye, he obviously knows his stuff !

At the top of the rise was a small hill with a narrow spiral path to the top. As it was entirely planted out with various types of lavender the scent and hum of bees was overwhelming.

Overall a fantastic addition to Wisley. Next up was Hilltop, a quick bite to eat, and a wander around the ponds. The water lilies were fully out in the warmth, and surrounding beds provided strong colours after all the pastel shades of the previous section.

We headed up towards Battlestone Hill now, looking for a little shade and somewhere to sit.

One stop I always make is to visit “my” group of gumtrees. As a teenager my first summer holiday job was working at Battlestone Hill. I was allowed to plant a few Eucalyptus saplings, and after some 45+ years they are looking pretty good ! I don’t know if I’m aging as well….

We finally walked down the main herbaceous borders to our exit thru the shop, always good for a few presents to take home !

I always get nostalgic at these gardens, they are a very special place to my parents and I, thankfully most of the changes have been for the better and it copes well with the hordes of visitors. Time for a real shower, drink and watch the opening Olympics.

Yesterday Penny treated us to a delicious BBQ prepared at Dapdune Wharf. The weather Gods tried to thwart her but eventually the sun shined, the empty gas bottle was replaced and we sat outside till 10. It was great Penny’s Mark joined us as well, and we really appreciated all her effort.

Today we have spent the whole day travelling over half the distance we did yesterday. A lovely chilled day sparked by intense flora and fauna moments. Sadly the fauna ones happed so quickly I was unable to catch them with a camera.

A lovely Red Kite wheeling overhead at Dapdune signalled this mornings start of fauna, with a 3’ adder slithering past in the water as I washing the boat whilst waiting for the kettle to boil. Shock saw me jump a couple of feet backwards, and by the time I got the camera it had swam away in the riverside vegetation. In an effort to outdo her Captain the deck hand positioned her stool on top of an ants nest. Ants swarmed up the foot and leg, but fortunately didn’t get in the pants. On a roll now the fauna encounters continued with a cow standing in the river as we came around a bend, there was no moooving him so we went around.

Preparing to cast off from lunch a herd of deer jumped out of long grass in a paddock, and finally we saw an OTTER, yes the animal kind ! A beautiful sleek specimen emerging from the riverbank, our first spotting of one in the wild.

The flora had been no less spectacular, and a lot easier to photograph ! Though the flowers aboard Iris have now been identified as PLASTICUS Iris…and I’ve been thinking they were real !

We are moored just upstream of Cartbridge Basin, where we will spend the next couple of days enjoying a real shower, washing machines and flushing toilets ! But who knows what fauna will turn up tonight !

The River Wey has some of the hardest locks on the whole system, with New Haw featuring up near the top. The lock arms are low, short and canted 45 degrees, whilst the gates rub at the bottom and are incredibly heavy as the spindles aren’t vertical.

and that’s New Haw done ! Weybridge town lock is much easier, but has an obscured entrance, check nobody’s coming first.

Penny and Iris joined us last night at Worsfold Gates. Today we’ve gone past the Marina, with hot showers and flushing toilets, to Dapdune Wharf. We must be committed narrowboaters !

I spent yesterday afternoon tidying the exterior of Prime Thyme, it’s amazing how much mud the fenders can transfer. I was ably assisted by Mr Swan and family, 2 white adults, 5 grey cygnets and an adolescent black swan ! Bit of a mixed bag, must have some Aussie blood in the parents.

We snuck thru the stop gate at Thames Lock, with 24” of water over the sill and our draught of 18” we didn’t need to fill the second pound, saving time and water.

Suffice to say New Haw Lock provided Hazel with a challenge as usual. I took lots of pics as she wrestled with gates and paddles, but as the internet is slow uploading tonight I’ll save them for another time.

We are meeting Penny and Iris tonight at Walsham Gates, but had a loiter around TLC who supplied us with a fender whilst hovering mid stream, and then stopped outside the Anchor Pub at Pyrford. Time for a celebratory drink and lunch for fulfilling our goal of getting on a canal, and returning home unscathed.

We will meander upstream to Guildford and beyond over the next couple of days. Still plenty to see and do, but we are both looking forward to our upcoming cruise around Ireland.

A quick update on our days progress. We’ve made it to behind Desborough Cut, just downstream of the River Wey and Thames junction. 2 of the locks we went thru have had problems, one took a day to fix so it was great to get thru despite waiting awhile at Penton Hook Lock.

After getting water, and using the services we are ready to get back on the Wey. Manual locks going upstream will be a shock ! We have 2 weeks left before flying to Dublin and going on a cruise with something bigger than a broom closet for a bathroom, and a proper made up bed….luxury 😁