DONATE
BECOME A MEMBER
BOOK A BOAT TRIP
The Basingstoke Canal Society is a registered charity and your valued donations will help us fund vital works to maintain this beautiful and valued space for us all to continue to enjoy.
Your membership will make a difference. Become a member for as little as £15 per year. Your annual donation helps us continue our work and projects to maintain the Canal.
Enjoy the Canal from a different angle. Find out more and book your tickets online to experience the Basingstoke Canal at a peaceful pace from Woking or Odiham.
DONATE
The Basingstoke Canal Society is a registered charity and your valued donations will help us fund vital works to maintain this beautiful and valued space for us all to continue to enjoy.
BECOME A MEMBER
Your membership will make a difference. Become a member for as little as £15 per year. Your annual donation helps us continue our work and projects to maintain the Canal.
BOOK A BOAT TRIP
Enjoy the Canal from a different angle. Find out more and book your tickets online to experience the Basingstoke Canal at a peaceful pace from Woking or Odiham.
Discover the Basingstoke Canal
Volunteer with us
Join over 300 other volunteers, meet new people, make friends and support this beautiful green space.
Whether you'd like to be out in the fresh air or help more behind the scenes, check out our latest openings or get in touch to find out how you could help.
Visit our online shop
If you're looking for a gift for a loved one or even yourself, take a look in our online shop for useful publications, books, tea towels, jigsaws and more!
Even better, all sales provide vital funds for us to continue our work.
Latest news
🎄 Christmas is Just Around the Corner—Shop the Basingstoke Canal Online! 🎁
Beat the high-street rush and support our historic waterway from home! From festive Christmas cards and 2027 calendars to heritage tea towels, local books, and gift packs, we’ve got something special for everyone on your list.
🛍️ Browse & Shop Online: basingstoke-canal.org.uk/shop/
#BasingstokeCanal #ChristmasShopping #ShopLocal #CanalHeritage #GiftIdeas #SupportLocalCharities
A local history page (Farnborough Nostalgia), recently shared this old photograph of one of the previous owners of our canal and has agreed that we can share it here.
Paying £5,000 in 1923 ( around £400,000 in todays money ). Alec Harmsworth was a bargeman, and a boat builder and he successfully operated the canal as a business venture until his death in 1947. The canal was then sold at auction by his family in 1949. #basingstoke_canal_society #basingstokecanal
This month you should start seeing lots of ripe elderberry bushes and trees along the towpath and in surrounding woodlands. Foraging for them can be fun. They are full of vitamins, and antioxidants. Ripe elderberries are great for making juices. Boiled up with sugar and water, elderberry syrup has been hailed as a natural remedy through the ages to treat coughs, colds and flu.
However, do not eat these raw as they contain toxins which can cause stomach troubles.
🐟 Cruise with Fish & Chips! 🍟
Looking for a delicious and relaxing afternoon out? Join us for a peaceful lunchtime cruise along the beautiful Basingstoke Canal aboard the John Pinkerton II! Enjoy fresh fish and chips delivered right to the boat while taking in the scenic views.
📅 Date: 7th October
🕐 Departure Time: 13:00
📍 Departure Location: Cold Hill Wharf, Odiham
🎟️ Cost: £22 per person
⏰ Booking Deadline: Pre-booking closes on Monday 5th October at 10:00 PM (must be booked in advance so food orders can be placed).
Organised by The Basingstoke Canal Society.
Places are limited, so don't miss out!
Book your tickets here:
This week's Friday Find It...
Where can you find this memorial plinth and what does it commemorate?
#basingstoke_canal_society #basingstokecanal
In days gone by this very long narrow boat was berthed on the Basingstoke canal at
Odiham, Hampshire.
The building by the bridge going over our canal was once called ‘The Cricketers’ and is
now a private residence.
‘The Waterwitch’ pub is just behind it and is still open for business. Don't you just love seeing old photos showing the history of our canal?
#basingstoke_canal_society #basingstokecanal
The 'King of Fishers' is usually glimpsed as a sudden flash of glistening blue. Even dedicated bird-spotters can fail to catch sight of a kingfisher until it takes flight.
There are over 80 different species around the world, but only one is native to Britain – the common kingfisher. Our kingfisher lives in dense cover near slow-flowing fresh water like our canals and rivers.
Have you ever seen one?
🦇 Discover the Nightlife on the Basingstoke Canal! 🌌
As dusk settles over the water, a whole different world comes alive along the towpath. The Basingstoke Canal isn't just a peaceful spot for daytime walks—it’s a vital highway and hunting ground for Britain's local bat species!
What to Look Out For:
Daubenton’s Bats ("Water Bats"): Watch for these acrobatics skimming just centimeters above the canal's surface, using their large feet to snatch up midges and caddisflies!
Pipistrelles: The tiny, fast-moving bats you’ll see fluttering erratically around the tree canopy along the banks.
Grey Long-eared & Natterer’s Bats: The nearby Greywell Tunnel at the western end of the canal is a site of special scientific interest (SSSI) and one of the most important bat hibernation roosts in the UK!
💡 Tips for Bat Spotting:
1. Timing: Head out during dusk on a warm, calm evening.
2. Location: Look near tree lines over the water or near quiet bridges where insects gather.
3. Listen: Bring a bat detector tuned to 45 kHz to hear the clicks and buzzes of Pipistrelles!
Have you spotted any bats along the canal lately? Drop your photos or favorite spotting spots in the comments below! 👇💬
#BasingstokeCanal #UKWildlife #BatConservation #NatureAtDusk #CanalLife #WildlifeWatching
The ever popular Chobham Talks recommence next month with the first talk of the season (October - April annually) to be held on Wednesday 21st October 2026 at 8pm at the Chobham Pavillon.
...
The guest speaker will be Jo East who is the current Basingstoke Canal Authority Operations Manager who will be talking about her role at the
BCA since joining just under a year ago.
Now she is settled into the role she will also be sharing her plans for the coming years.
The talks and parking at the Chobham Pavillon are free.
Tea/coffee/biscuits are available for purchase/ donation & provided by BCS volunteers during the interval.
All Basingstoke Canal Society members are welcome to attend these interesting Talks over the coming months.
Keep on an eye on the website for further up coming talks:
basingstoke-canal.org.uk/news-and-events/
#basingstokecanal #basingstoke_canal_society #bcs60
