Dapdune Wharf

Boaters have enjoyed trips from Guildford to Weybridge on the River Wey since it first opened to barge traffic in 1653. Just over 100 years later, the opening of Godalming Navigation completed the current 20-mile navigable stretch. The site of peaceful narrowboat cruises today, this waterway was once considered the fastest and easiest route into London. It became a busy trade route and frequently transported merchant goods including gunpowder into the capital.

In its heyday, Dapdune Wharf was a bustling boat-building and repair yard complete with a ford, workers cottages and a hand operated crane. Today, the National Trust site in Guildford tells the detailed story of the navigations and of the people who lived and worked on them. Visitors learn how the original Wey barges were constructed and then climb aboard the 'Reliance' - one of few surviving and restored barges.

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