Main walk 17.1km (10.7 miles)
a) Short walk to Gomshall 10.9km (6.8 miles)
c) Longer route to Gomshall 19.0km (11.8 miles
Difficulty 5/10
“We are stardust, we are golden, and we’ve got to get ourselves back to the garden”
Forget Woodstock. I bet when Joni Mitchell penned those lines, she was really thinking about Gomshall and the garden of the Compasses Inn. I’ve had a request for a walk ending there to coincide with "Gomstock" (a mini festival organised by the pub).
This walk takes you through the Surrey Hills AONB, climbing out of Guildford to the North Downs Way and on to the hilltop church of St Martha-on-the-Hill. From there you follow the Pilgrims Way down to lunch in the pretty village of Shere. Shortly after Shere, option (a) would take you directly to the Compasses Inn. Otherwise it's back up onto the downs for more of the same. Both the main walk and the longer option (c) get you to Gomshall eventually. They just take longer about it.
If you want to visit "Gomstock" (which runs from 12:15 till 9:30), tickets are £6, with proceeds going to charity. If it's "billion-year old carbon" you're after, they do have a barbecue (from 3:00).
Alternatively, you could just go straight home, happy and content with your day's walking.
Trains Get a return to Gomshall. It should specify "any permitted route" to allow travel via Guildford. (There is a cheaper ticket that's no good for Guildford).
Get the 10:00 Portsmouth Harbour train from Waterloo (10:09 Clapham Junction) arriving Guildford 10:40.
Trains back from Gomshall are
- two-hourly from Platform 1 changing at Redhill for Victoria 15:11, 17:11, 19:11, 21:11, 23:11 (GWR/Southern)
- and two hourly from Platform 2 changing at Guildford for Waterloo 16:44, 18:44, 20:44, 22:44, (GWR/SWT)
Lunch: 2 pubs and a tea room to choose from in Shere.
The White Horse, (01483 202 518) a rambling ancient inn.
The William Bray, (01483 202 044) recently refurbished as a gastro pub. Good reviews from walkers.
The Dabbling Duck, (01483 205 791).Sandwiches, cakes and drinks are available all day at this tea room and restaurant, and it has hot food at lunch time.
Tea: On the two longer options, you can call in at Abinger Hammer Tea Room, attached to the post office in the village of Abinger Hammer.
In Gomshall, the Compasses Inn (01483 202 506) will be free to enter, except for the garden (the one we have to get back to, where Gomstock is happening). You also have Tillings Tea Room, 55 Station Road, (01483 202 214) and Gomshall Mill Inn (01483 203 060)
Walk Directions here:
Best to use the on-line directions. They have been amended since the book.
T=2.13
5 comments:
Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair.
(But don't pick any you see growing by the path, because that is illegal)
Maaaaaan this looks a cool walk. Who's bringing the SWC bong?
Like a true Nature’s child, we were born, born to be wild ... err ... I meant born, born to be walkers.
Take a walk on the wild side and watch out for those big yellow taxis
n=4 on this walk, two ageing hippies, a flower child and David. The weather was w=varied_but_just_some_brief_drizzle. Stunning scenery shortly after leaving Guildford with great views from St. Martha's Church. The allotments on the approach into Shere town centre were a riot of colourful flora including some huge sunflowers.
The Lucky (now Dabbling) Duck provided great food and tea for the four. Conveniently, a major shower came and went during our visit there.
We decided on the shorter afternoon leg in case of more inclement weather (or were we just feeling lazy?)
One snatched a quick view of the "Gomstock" festival and went straight to the station while the others followed the correct route and caught the next train.
An easy and relaxing day out for all.
Gomstock was great. Didn't see anyone I knew there. I was there from about one til six thirty. The variety of the different bands I saw, about six were really good and the quality was very enjoyable. Good beer, food and a lot of people. Hope to make this in more years to come if I am not away for the ABH, Gavin
Post a Comment