Dapdune Wharf

About

Simple riverside pleasures

This is a place where past meets present, rural tranquillity meets urban heritage and people meet nature.  Here history is brought to life, wildlife is truly wild and you can often expect the unexpected.

Set in four acres of grounds in the heart of Guildford, Dapdune Wharf is the historic home of the Wey barges that worked the waterways from Guildford to the Port of London in the first half of the nineteenth century.

Here, in the heart of Surrey, you can relax on a boat trip into the centre of Guildford, climb aboard a restored barge, learn how to tie a sailor’s knot or enjoy a scenic walk. The visitor centre at Dapdune Wharf in Guildford brings to life the stories of this historical waterway. You and your family can have fun at one of our many events, let the children explore, build dens on the island, or raid our dressing up box. Then after your exertions, we have a small selection of sandwiches and hot drinks in our tearoom, or you can use our picnic tables and bring your own.   If you’re feeling really energetic, you could try walking the 15 miles to Weybridge along the towpath.

The River Wey Navigations meander through 20 miles of Surrey countryside, from Godalming to Weybridge, with towpath all the way, so you can walk it in chunks, looking out for resident wildlife. Walk past Sutton Place near Jacob’s Well, where the architect of the Navigation, Sir Richard Weston, lived in 1653. Discover the gory details of his Tudor ancestors who dared to engage with Henry VIII.

From the towpath you can see the ghostly shape of the ruined Newark Abbey, abandoned during the dissolution of the monasteries. Try and guess the location of Newark Mill, a beautiful wooden five-storied mill, which burnt to the ground in an hour in December 1966. At Thames Lock in Weybridge, you can see the pound lock, which replaced an earlier flash lock, enabling boats to move from the navigation into the Thames.

Boat Trips

Boat trips run from Dapdune Wharf from Thursday to Monday during our open season. The trips take about 40 minutes, and leave at 11.00, 11.50, 12.40, 2pm, 2.50 and 3.40. You can choose whether your trip goes upstream or downstream. 

The route
Time Traveller boat trip heads into Guildford town centre looking at the history of the Wey Navigation and its' place in the development of Guildford as a leading town in Surrey, passing what used to be the manufacturing quarter, with the Electric Theatre - the former electricity works for Guildford from 1913 to 1968, and the site of Moon's timber yard - then Debenhams, about to be a building site.

River Watch trip goes downstream towards Stoke Lock.  We'll be looking out for the flash of blue as the kingfisher streams past ahead of the boat, passing lovely bankside vegetation and offering you a completely different view of Guildford and its surrounding area.

As spaces are limited (max 10 per boat) booking is essential - BOOK NOW

Visit the website for more information on visiting and events