If you will pardon the pun.
Earlier in the year the team that look after the Wey Navigation asked if we could spare some timber for some boat mooring bollards. I quite like the idea of some Black Down timber ending up by the side of the Navigation, after all Cotchet Valley on Black Down is the site of the source of the River Wey.
We passed on to them some nice chunky pieces of coppiced sweet chestnut. The other day Steve, the Navigation Foreman kindly sent over these pictures of them being installed. Our post hole auger runs off a tractor, but when you are looking after a navigable waterway a barge becomes the source of the horse power.
This sort of job still needs someone on a spade at some point though.
I hope the wood we provided for them does the trick, we wouldn’t want to see any barges slipping their moorings.
The Navigation opened in 1653 and was one of the first British rivers to be made navigable. In 1764 the Godalming Navigation opened, creating a 20 mile waterway running from the Thames at Weybridge to Godalming. Originally the Wey Navigations were used for transporting barge loads of heavy goods via the Thames to London. Timber, coal, corn, flour, wood and even gunpowder were regularly moved up and down the waterway. Its a lovely place for a walk, and you never know, you might even see a bit of Black Down timber by the tow path.
