Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Wooded heathland surrounds the Deepcut Flight
.
It was here on Horsell Common that HG Wells would have us believe, in
The War of the
Worlds
, that the Martians landed in their invasion of Earth, watched from the protaganist's
home on Maybury Hill. These days planes flying into Gatwick are more likely to be seen
crossing the sky.
The canal is now firmly in the stockbroker belt. Houses on the canal banks are well hidden
by greenery, however, and do not intrude. There are small boats in smart gardens that back
on to the canal.
The canal's lower locks may only be used during the middle six hours of the day as a water
conservation measure. From the six locks of the Woodham Flight is an almost continuous
line of houseboats, mainly converted narrowboats but some obviously floating houses. After
a selection of more recent bridges, the last bridge on the canal is a rounded brick arch, typical
of the ones higher up. From the last lock there is a final straight to the River Wey Naviga-
tion at Woodham Junction, backed by the M25 viaduct. Beyond that are the remains of the
Brooklands race track with its banked bends still intact in places. It was 4.5km long, the fast-
est circuit in Britain from 1907 to 1939 with a record average lap speed of 200km/h, hosted
the British Grand Prix and was used for setting the last track world speed record - Guinness's
215km/h in a Sunbeam in 1922. It also had an airfield, aircraft production displacing motor
racing in 1939. Today some of the classics machines of car racing and flying are on display.
