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This Week's Walks - Archive

Please see the Saturday Walker's Club This Week's Walks page.

This is an archive of walks done by the Saturday Walker's Club. You should only need to use this page if the SWC website is down.

Saturday 30 December 2017

Saturday walk - Guildford to Godalming (or Guildford Circular)

Guildford to Godalming book 2 walk 12b, with alternative ending
Length: 13km (8miles)
Toughness: 3 out of 10

Optional extension back to Shalford (17.6km/10.9 miles) or Guildford (10.4km/12.6 miles)

9.45 train from Waterloo (9.52 Clapham Junction) to Guildford, arriving 10.23. (Make sure you get this one, not the slow one at 33 past...)

Buy a day return to Godalming (or to Shalford or Guildford, if you have definitely decided to return from there: otherwise a day return to Godalming covers all eventualities)

This walk is a combination of two different walks (so two sets of instructions or GPX files needed: see below) with an optional extension along the Wey Navigation.

First you start with option b) or book 2 walk 12 Guildford to Farnham - directions here (see page 9 to start: you need pages 8-11 of this document, plus the home page for lunch and history details) GPX file here. This takes you on a steep climb up onto the Hog's Back ridge, with fine views both northwards and southwards.

After the Hog's Back section follow the Guildford Circular directions as far as the Watt's Gallery cafe or Witthies Inn - both excellent, but both popular for lunch: squeeze into them politely please: in the past poorly-behaved walkers have upset both establishments. Watt's Gallery Chapel is also worth a quick visit if you don't know it.

You could then just follow the Guildford Circular version of walk 12 back to Guildford, but my recommendation is to switch at either Watt's Gallery or the Witthies Inn to the Warnborough to Godalming walk (book 1 walk 2 - directions here, GPX here - start from the end of paragraph 8 from Watt's Gallery or from paragraph 11 for the Witthies Inn): follow this walk to its end in Godalming, making a walk from Guildford of 13km (8 miles).

Trains back from Godalming go at 25 and 53 minutes past the hour.

OPTIONAL EXTENSION

After tea, an optional extension, if there is still light, is to walk up the Wey Navigation path to Shalford or Guildford. This is an atmospheric and interesting walk, perfectly flat, easy to follow and doable in the dusk. To do this go to the far (eastern) end of Godalming high street, and follow the road as it veers left to a big road bridge over the river. At the far end of the bridge, turn right onto the riverside path.

The way is then not in doubt all the way to Guildford. After 4km (2.5 miles) you are forced to cross a main road (a busy road: not the minor road at Farncombe Lock not far beyond Godalming). If you turn right here and then veer left across the common in about 100 metres, you come in another few hundred metres to another main road, with Shalford station beyond it. Trains from here go at 03 past the hour, changing at Guildford for Waterloo. There is a pub conveniently close to the station for tea. If you end here you will have walked 17.6km (10.9 miles)

Or at the busy road crossing, simply continue onwards on the Wey path into Guildford, another 3.5km (2.2 miles), making a total Guildford circular walk of 20.4km (12.7 miles). Fast trains back to Waterloo from Guildford are every 15 minutes and there are lots of tea options, including a Costa Coffee with seating at the station itself. T=2.12b

1 comment:

JohnL said...

N=19 W=very_mild_but_overcast. An interesting variation on the various Guildford circulars. At lunch time we split about 50:50 for the Watts Gallery / Cafe / Chapel and the Withies Inn. The Withies offers two menus - light lunches in the bar area or the restaurant menu which they will also serve in the bar area. Both good but the restaurant menu is getting quite expensive. The Wey was in full flow as we went on for early tea and cake in Godalming. Some stayed on to look round the shops and I believe others walked back to Guildford or Shalford.