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Southland Lock, Wey & Arun Canal

Accessible for local, portable and trailable craft

Silver Propeller Challenge

Location

Billingshurst

Visit Southland Lock on the Wey & Arun Canal by boat or canoe.

It has been chosen as a Silver Propeller Location to encourage support for the restoration of the rest of the Wey & Arun Canal. A photo of your canoe or small portable craft in the vicinity of Southland Lock will be a good proof of your visit, or alternatively you can provide a photo of you on board the trip boat. A slipway at the Wey & Arun Canal Trust’s Canal Centre at Loxwood gives access for trailable craft to the navigable section between Drungewick Lock and Southland Lock. The Trust also runs trip boats operate along this stretch.

Complete our challenge by visiting 20 locations from our list, you will receive our exclusive plaque and goody bag.

 

About the Wey & Arun Canal

A canal to link the River Arun to the River Wey was proposed in 1810 during the Napoleonic Wars to give a safe inland transport link between London and Portsmouth.  The Wey & Arun Canal was completed in September 1816.  It was suitable for 30-ton barges and 18.5 miles (29.8 km) long with 23 locks.  Unfortunately, by this time the war with France was over, and the canal was only moderately prosperous.  It was officially abandoned in 1871 after suffering from water supply problems and later railway competition.  Restoration began a century later and continues in the hands of The Wey and Arun Canal Trust.

An isolated section of the canal has been restored to navigation in the Loxwood area. There are currently three-and-a-half miles of fully operational canal with five locks and the Trust has a Canal Centre at Loxwood, where its three excursion boats are based. Boats can use the canal between Drungewick Lock and Southland Lock, reopened in 2014, the current northern terminus. A slipway at Drungewick gives access for trailable craft.

[The photo shows Southland Lock on a wet day  –  by Wey & Arun Canal Trust]

Notes for visitors

Location

Postcode: RH14 0UJ

What3words /// sand.recliner.resold

Boat Dimensions

The maximum size of boat that can navigate this restored section of the Wey & Arun Canal is:-

Length: 72′ 0″ (21.95m)
Beam: 14′ 0″ (4.27m)
Height: Not Known
Draught: Not Known

Canoeing, Hire Boats and Boat Trips

Canoes and other small portable craft are welcome.  A licence from Wey & Arun Canal Trust is required

Please advise the Wey & Arun Canal Trust of your intended visit.

The Wey & Arun Canal Trust operate trip boats at Loxwood.  There are no hire boats on the Canal.

Challenge Location

Southland Lock

Wey & Arun Canal. Northerly limit of navigation from Loxwood. Please use the slipway at Loxwood Visitor Centre and advise Wey & Arun Canal Trust of your intended visit via their website.

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