オッカムのおすすめランニングルート

Wait for dry weather, as this section is a swamp in the winter

Wait until it is dry, otherwise the path can turn into a swamp

Nice section of gravel along this section of the scenic River Wey Navigation Path The path is 20-mile (32 km) long altogether and is a continuous navigable route from the River Thames near Weybridge to Godalming

Very boggy today, a real effort to keep peddling

The pretty Walsham Lock and Weir have a scenic setting 1 km north of the village of Ripley in Surrey. The lock has several notable features and is surrounded by tranquil and picturesque flood meadows and by Pyrford Golf Club. These attributes make it well worth a visit. Walsham is the last surviving turf-sided lock on the Wey Navigation. This means that it operates as a flood lock and has its lock gates always open unless the River Wey is in flood. If there is a flood the lock gates are closed to force water over the nearby Walsham Weir and down along the River Wey. Two further unusual features of Walsham Lock are first that it’s situated on a slight bend such that its top and bottom lock gates do not quite align with each other. Second, its adjacent pleasant lock-keeper cottage is the last remaining fully-manned lock cottage on the Wey Navigation. The original lock-keeper cottage was built in 1653 and the current one dates from 1896. The Walsham Weir and its roaring water marks where the River Wey Navigation separates from the River Wey. The two waterways do not rejoin again downstream until Weybridge. The Walsham Weir is the main Weir on the Wey Navigation downstream of Guildford. When crossing the former horse bridge over the River Wey by the Weir you should look out for the entrance to a naturalised fish and eel pass channel route. This 170 m long channel has a reduced water flow compared to the Wier so that fish and eels can make their way upstream on the River Wey.

The Lovelace Bridges were built by William King, 1st Earl of Lovelace (1805-1893) on his estate in the 1860s. Fifteen bridges were built to facilitate the transport of timber by horse-drawn carts. The bridges were built where the tracks crossed existing bridleways or roads.

The Common is an area of historic importance dating back to medieval times. It was owned by the Lord of the Manor, but the land was unsuitable for tillage and could not be rented out profitably like other fields. Instead the Lord of the Manor allowed villagers to use the land for grazing and the collecting of fallen wood.

Pretty boggy in wet season (based on today's ride in mid Dec), just about rideable uphill (heading south) on gravel bike with knobbly tyres but hard work! Great trail for gravel bikes in dry season.