Some of the wettest weather in years didn't deter Anne Milton, MP for Guildford, from exploring the Wey & Arun Canal on a special VIP visit on 20th July. The canal's route links the River Wey at Shalford to the River Arun near Pulborough in Sussex. The Wey & Arun Canal Trust are working to restore the whole of "London's Lost Route to the Sea".

It is a priority for the Wey & Arun Canal Trust to reinstate the canal's link with the national waterways system. So it was appropriate that Anne Milton's first visit was to Bramley, very close to the junction with the River Wey. Here the Canal Trust have recently worked to clear up the area around Tannery Lane bridge and to protect the bridge itself from fast-growing ivy and encroaching vegetation. Tannery Lane bridge is the only surviving example of a "roving bridge" on the canal route - it allowed horses to cross the canal without disconnecting the towing rope.

Christopher Harrison, the Wey & Arun Canal Trust's Bramley Link Manager, welcomed Anne Milton to Bramley. He explained that in Bramley it will be necessary to find a new canal route to bypass a section where houses have been built across the original route. The Canal Trust has carried out extensive engineering studies and public consultation to identify possible route options.

Anne Milton's next stop was near Elmbridge, just outside Cranleigh and at the edge of her constituency. Working party leader Peter Jackman and Restoration Manager Turlough Bamber explained how Canal Trust volunteers are reclaiming a long hidden section of the canal's Summit Level from the undergrowth. The canal climbed up from Shalford through a series of locks to its highest level between Cranleigh and Dunsfold.

Just off the A281 between Elmbridge and Alfold is the historic Fast Bridge, fully restored by the Canal Trust in the 1990s. This is one of a number of sites tended by the Trust's "keeping up appearances" group and a working party was there to welcome Anne Milton.

Full restoration of the Surrey section of the canal is still a long-term vision, but just over the border at Loxwood in Sussex it is a reality, with boats operating regularly on a 2.5 mile section of canal. Project leader Eric Walker was on hand to explain to Anne Milton how work is well advanced on the ambitious project to reinstate the crossing under the main road and extend the navigable section towards the Surrey border.

Luckily there was a break in the rain as Anne Milton boarded the Trust's narrowboat for a short trip on the canal. Anne remarked "I am amazed at how enthusiastic everyone I have met is. Some fantastic work has already been done and I look forward to hearing about the future plans as they emerge".

Further information and photographs in the form of JPEG files can be obtained from the Wey & Arun Trust's Public Relations Officer: Sally Schupke (01483 560543): email: pr@weyandarun.co.uk

For general information on the work of the Wey and Arun Canal Trust, please telephone the Trust office on 01403 752403.