From Skipton to Godalming in 38 weeks

Wednesday 4^th we were in Runnymede again and walked to the Airforce Memorial.  It is set at the top of a hill and is dedicated to the lives of 20,000+ airmen who lost their lives in WW2 and who have no known graves.  15,000 were British and the others were from Canadian, South African, New Zealand and a few other countries.  We also went to the Magna Carta Memorial.  I had already sketched Emmy so continuing with my resolve to paint more this year I painted the river scene with Sammy Jo in the foreground.  By the end of play on Thursday we had left the mighty Thames and joined the tranquillity of the Wey Navigations which is owned and run by the National Trust.  Although we have enjoyed the Thames it was great to be back on a little canal which was not at all busy and very peaceful.  Our intention was also to visit the Basingstoke Canal which branches off the Wey but we may just moor up and cycle along it.  One reason is that we can’t get to Basingstoke at the moment as the Deepcut Lock flight is closed until next spring, for repairs, and we were also told that we would need our weed cutting gear (for the prop) and to watch out for ‘trolley fish’ and we would have to pay £12 a day for the privilege.  I also started another sketch, this time of Coxes Mill.  Friday I finished my sketch then we moved on to ParvisWharf where we had lunch then cycled to Brooklands Museum.  Really worth a visit, very interesting with lots of racing cars, vintage cars, vintage bikes, aeroplanes including a Wellington bomber that spent 20 years in a Scottish lock.  I hadn’t realised that they built aeroplanes there.  Also Barnes Wallis of bouncing bomb fame operated from there.  Some of the banked race track still survives, it closed in 1946 I think, and nearly all the old buildings are there with exhibits in them.  The workshops, fuelling buildings, club houses and offices all to look at .  They even have the last Concorde on display and a working Concorde flight simulator that was used to train the pilots.  Saturday we had a visit from my Uncle Ron and family who only live in Woking and were keen to see the boat.  A planned afternoon visit to RHS Wisley had to be put on hold as we got slightly lost on a walk with Charlie first and ran out of time.  Sunday we were still heading for Guildford but I managed to watch the second half of the Man U - Chelsea match.  We got to Guildford just after lunch on Monday as we haven’t been hurrying but we didn’t feel the need to visit the town or the cathedral as we have been before.  By tomorrow 10/5/11 we shall be in Godalming, the furthest South that we can go at the moment until the Wey & Arun Canal is restored.  38 weeks ago we were in Skipton almost as far North as we could go, with the exception of Tewitfield in Lancashire.  So far this trip we have done 47 hours on the engine and 49 locks most of those by the ‘nice man’ on the Thames.