Pyrford

The River Wey

Continuing to follow my 2009 resolution, I fitted this walk in on my way to have lunch with a friend in Cobham. The walk begins at the bridge over the River Wey on the road between Ripley and Pyrford. You cross the river and commence the walk by continuing along the road to Pyrford, with water meadows on both sides. Almost immediately you see on the right the ruins of Newark Priory- my second set of abbey ruins in a few days (we saw those of Waverley Abbey on Tuesday). Pevsner explains that it was a house of Austin Canons founded in the 12th century and laments that today "its satisfactions are purely picturesque". The Austin Canons were also known apparently as the Augustinian or Black Canons, a monastic order.



Further on up the road, a steep path leads up to the pretty Norman church of St Nicholas.



The next section of the walk is less inspiring: across fields under electricity pylons and then a dog-leg route through a golf course. However, at the end you reach the Wey again at Pyford Lock. This was quite nostalgic for me as I realise that I went fishing here with my father forty-odd years ago. I vividly remember fishing into the dusk once the fish started biting.

This section of the river is known as the Wey Navigation, a canalisation of the river to take barge traffic dating from 1653.



Further along the river bank you come to Pyrford Place. It is mostly invisible, which is apparently no loss as Pevsner describes it as "a nondescript house". What you can see however is the 17th century summer house in which John Donne lived for two years with his young wife.



Next you come to Walsham Lock, which has the distinction of being the only turf-sided lock on the Wey. The change of levels is minute and perhaps this allowed a more minimal approach to lock construction.



Soon you cross to the right bank and you can now see Newark Priory more closely.



From here it is a short distance back to the start.

From: 50 walks in Surrey (AA).

Map: Explorer 145 (Guildford and Farnham).

Distance: 3.5 miles.

Rating: three and a half stars. Lots of interesting things to see, but let down by the boring middle section.


Sightings

I saw this heron in a field by the river edging its way across, leading with its head. I am not sure what it was really up to, but for a moment it looked as though it was going to make an assault on the flank of this old horse.