Holiday boaters might be interested to know that the
Basingstoke Canal is over two hundred years old, that it was built to carry
agricultural produce to London and was later used in the construction of the
army camp at Aldershot and the railway from London to Southampton. What may
impress them more is the outstanding scenic beauty which makes it hard to
believe that the canal is not a natural part of the landscape. Out of the
hundreds of miles of canals in England these thirty two have to be among the
prettiest, with much of the route running through mature woodland. The scenery
comes right to the water's edge, creating a delightfully intimate atmosphere.
Even where the canal leaves the countryside to weave through towns and
villages, the banks are lined with elegant gardens and the occasional welcoming
pub.
The current route starts near the Eastern portal of Greywell Tunnel
which is no longer navigable but is renowned as a nationally important bat
roost. Nearby are the mysterious ruins of King John's Castle. From here, the
long pound through Hampshire consists of a series of sun dappled cuttings
spanned by mellow brick bridges. In between are embankments such as the one
which gives a splendid view across Tundry Pond or that which strides
impressively across the Blackwater Valley before crossing into Surrey over an
arching modern aqueduct. In many places, the canal widens into broad ponds or
flashes, where shoals of fish can be seen in the clear waters and a multitude
of dragonflies and damselflies, more species than anywhere else in the country,
fill the air with iridescent colour. Kingfishers and heron patrol their
territories and all the while the mirror-still waters reflect their
surroundings like a window into an alternative world.
The Canal Centre
at Mytchett provides a mine of information before the canal skirts Frimley
Lodge Park and then descends through the Deepcut Locks towards Woking and,
eventually, the River Wey. In the summertime, veritable hedges of wildflower
line the towpath while the sandy slopes of Surrey Heath are dressed in towering
conifers and the occasional grass snake cab be spotted swimming across the
canal. Wind down to the gentle pace of your narrowboat, take a stroll into the
nearest village and revel in the peace and beauty of this exquisite
waterway.
Jon Sims, Waterways Author