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Birtley
The Wey & Arun Canal Trust has acquired a 900-metre stretch of abandoned canal at Birtley Reach, near Bramley in Surrey, at the Northern end of the canal.
The Trust is planning to create a new circular canalside walk in this particularly stunning part of the countryside, where the walk will be flanked by the Downs Link path above and Cranleigh Waters in the valley below.
Visiting working parties and volunteers have fenced off the adjacent farmland and created an access track, along with tackling fallen trees and overgrown vegetation.
Two lift bridges will need to be built and work on the first began in earnest in Summer 2019. Three weeks of Waterway Recovery Group Summer Canal Camps in July, along with the Trust's own working parties, have meant considerable progress has made. It is hoped the first bridge will be completed by the end of the year.
Northern Working Party Group constructing temporary bridge deck
Credits: Gill Davies - 20 October 2020 |
Completed temporary bridge deck. This will be fitted in place next year
Credits: Gill Davies - 20 October 2020 |
The completed bridge base.
Credits: Gill Davies - 5 November 2019 |
Completing the brickwork and copings
Credits: . - 19 October 2019 |
The team gets to grips with Rob Nicholson's drawings.
Credits: Gill Davies - 20 August 2019 |
Birtley Bridge Summer Camp week 3: It was all hands on deck to push through in the final week.
Credits: Gill Davies - 28 July 2019 |
Birtley Bridge Summer Camp week 3: painting the blockwork was a messy task.
Credits: Julian Morgan - 26 July 2019 |
Birtley Bridge Summer Camp week 3: considerable progress has been made after three weeks of concentrated effort.
Credits: Julian Morgan - 26 July 2019 |
Birtley Bridge Summer Camp week 2: The second wave of volunteers continued the steelwork and added shuttering.
Credits: Gill Davies - 21 July 2019 |
Birtley Bridge Summer Camp week 2: the shape of the bridge can begin to be seen.
Credits: Julian Morgan - 19 July 2019 |
Birtley Bridge Summer Camp week 1: Volunteers started to put together the five and half tonnes of reinforced steel needed.
Credits: Julian Morgan - 16 July 2019 |
Birtley Bridge Summer Camp week 1: Camp members comprised students and experienced hands.
Credits: Gill Davies - 16 July 2019 |
Birtley Bridge Summer Camp week 1: The first week's camp made good headway with creating the steelwork frame.
Credits: Julian Morgan - 14 July 2019 |
Concrete needed to be poured into the base before any bridge construction could begin.
Credits: Gill Davies - 16 June 2019 |
Trust volunteers began the groundwork ready for the visiting Summer Canal Camps.
Credits: Julian Morgan - 15 June 2019 |
Birtley Path Construction
Credits: Julian Nowell - 9 February 2019 |
Birtley path construction work
Credits: Julian Nowell - 20 January 2019 |