Читать книгу The North Downs Way. National Trail from Farnham to Dover онлайн

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FARNHAM

Farnham is overlooked by a 12th-century castle built by Henri de Blois. Besieged by Cromwell, it belonged to the Bishops of Winchester until 1927, then the Bishop of Guildford held it until 1956. It is now a training centre, but the Norman keep is open to the public. North of the castle stretch the 300 acres of Farnham Park, while to the south, between the castle and the river, the town has some handsome Tudor and Georgian houses. In 1763 William Cobbet, politician, journalist and author of the influential Rural Rides, was born here. The Romans settled in Farnham for something like 400 years, but the town's wealth came first through the cloth trade, then via brewing. At one time Farnham had no less than five breweries. The town has B&B and hotel accommodation, pubs, restaurants and an assortment of shops. (For further information go to www.farnham.gov.uk.)

The north branch of the River Wey is little more than a stream when first seen in Farnham, but joining the south branch in Tilford, it becomes navigable from Godalming to Weybridge via Guildford. The River Wey Navigation first connected Guildford with the Thames in 1653, bringing added prosperity to the town, and in 1763 that navigation extended to Godalming. It stretched further south in 1816 as the Wey and Arun Canal, to complete a link between the Thames and the South Coast. With the coming of the railways the Canal became obsolete and finally closed in 1868. Where the North Downs Way crosses the navigable river south of Guildford, the bankside footpath forms part of the Wey-South Path – 36 miles (58km) linking Guildford with Amberley on the South Downs Way.