This walk is a short exploration of the area around The Gun’s Mouth, the junction between the River Wey and the Wey & Arun Canal.
The starting point is the Gunpowder Store at Stonebridge Wharf (A), near the junction of the River Wey and the Wey & Arun Canal. Stonebridge Wharf was an important loading point for river and canal cargo, especially gunpowder from Chilworth (about 2 miles to the east). Nowadays you reach the wharf through Broadford Business Park; the entrance is by the Parrot Inn on Broadford Road (A248).Go through the Business Park entrance, turn right to the river and you will find the Gunpowder Store on your left.
To start the walk, turn left from the Gunpowder Store (assuming you are facing the river) and follow the path that leads away from the river to the old Wharf Cottages. Take the small path to the left of the cottages. Through the trees to the right you will see moored boats. These boats are on the first 400 yards of the Wey & Arun Canal, now owned by the National Trust. On the opposite side of the canal is Gun’s Mouth Island which is leased by the Wey & Arun Canal Trust. Just before you reach the A281 Horsham Road (B), look to your right and you may be able to spot the original canal bridge (Stonebridge) – the bridge arch was blocked up when the road was raised and straightened in the early 1970s; this was after floods had caused serious damage in 1968.
At the main road turn right; you are now crossing the route of the Wey & Arun Canal. After about 100 yards you cross a new bridge across the Cranleigh Waters; the previous bridge was destroyed by the 1968 floods.
As you cross the bridge, look to your right for a good view of Gun’s Mouth Island. Continue straight ahead until a wide path appears on your right; this is the Horsham-Guildford railway which closed in 1965 and is now in use as a footpath and cycle path for most of its length.
Follow the route of the old railway to cross a bridge over the River Wey (C). Immediately after the bridge (installed in 2006), go down the steps to the River Wey towpath. Turn left on the towpath to walk past the The Gun’s Mouth (the start of the Wey & Arun Canal) and the Gunpowder Store. At Broadford Road (D), carefully cross the bridge to follow the opposite bank back to the Gunpowder Store and the end of the walk.
