Public trip from Woking in the peaceful surroundings of the Basingstoke Canal
- Departs from the Town Wharf, Woking, GU21 4LJ
- Car parking is available in the nearby Brewery Road car park or in the town centre
- You are welcome to bring your own food and drink on board
- Trips are also available at 11am and 2.45pm
- Pre-booking for this trip will close at 10pm on the day prior to travel
- If seats are still available on the day, you can buy tickets from the boat captain at the wharf
- Cruise times may be extended in low water conditions
- Dogs cannot be carried on board except assistance dogs
- There is no toilet on board. Facilities are available in the Lightbox or in the shopping centre
- Public Trips terms and conditions are here
Enjoy the exceptional local flora and fauna while taking a trip through Woking’s history. The usual trip for Kitty is east from the Town Wharf. Immediately on the right is the award-winning Lightbox Art Gallery and Museum, then we pass under a pedestrian/cycle turnover bridge. As we head out of town Horsell Common (itself partly an SSSI) is to our left. On the right, we pass the site of the old Spantons Timber Wharf, then past the old gas works winding hole on the left; the Woking gas works were on the right. At Monument Bridge we can see the base of an old crane, before heading past new apartments at Britannia Wharf on the left.
Shortly after passing Monument Bridge, on the left, we can see the walls of the Woking Peace Garden and then the start of the 1930’s Woodham Hall Estate. On the right, the mid-1940’s Sheerwater Estate comes into view, built on the site of Surrey’s largest freshwater lake – now drained. We then turn around and retrace our journey, along this quasi-urban stretch of the canal.
Natural England has designated most of the canal as a site of special scientific interest (SSSI). It serves as a local recreational amenity but is also a notable wildlife habitat.
The alkaline water from the chalk springs at the western end of the canal mix with the acidic water as the canal passes through the Surrey heathlands, giving rise to one of the largest varieties of aquatic plants and invertebrates in the United Kingdom.
As many as 25 of Britain’s 39 species of dragonflies and damselflies inhabit the canal.
Look out for kingfishers, herons, swans, ducks, geese, moorhens (often with young) and various local floras.
