SWC 287: Holmwood to Shamley Green, Shalford or Guildford
Distance: 11.6 miles (18.7 km), 14.5ish (23ish km) or 17.4 miles (28 km), respectively
Difficulty: 8 out of 10
Train: Take the 9:41 AM Horsham-bound train from London Bridge arriving in Holmwood at 10:47. Unless walking on to Shalford or Guilford, the return journey requires a bus from Shamley Green to Guildford (bus number 53 or 63), each bus runs hourly and takes about 10 minutes, the 53 at 51 past the hour and the 63 at 21 past the hour with the bus stop located conveniently opposite the pub! For those walking on to Shalford, trains run twice hourly around 10 and 41 past the hour (additionally the 53 and 63 buses both stop near the station). Buy a “any permitted” day return to Gomshall.
This walk provides a great early autumn outing with some invigorating hills to climb….Hopefully, there will also be some good flashes of color from the trees along the route….This is a largely map-led outing with a GPX file available for guidance. If you decide to walk to Shalford, you will need to consult the map and deviate from the GPX…it is a short diversion….. You can find more information about the walk and download the walk instructions here.
The recommended lunch stop is the Royal Oak in Holmbury St. Mary (about 5 miles/9 km into the walk). Tea or afternoon refreshments can be enjoyed at the Red Lion in Shamley Green while waiting for the bus or at the Queen Victoria in Shalford also while waiting for the bus or train.
Look forward to seeing you there!
t=swc.287
5 comments:
walk post recently updated to reflect London BRIDGE as the correct departure station.....
I have booked a table for 4 at 13:00 at The Royal Oak in Holmbury St Mary 2 taken 2 available
Catch bus from Shamley Green at Nursery Hill. Stop outside Red Lion suspended due to emergency road works.
18 emerged from the train at a rather busy Holmwood station and assembled for formalities and finalising lunch arrangements, with 2 others reporting from an earlier train, making for n=20. The main group set off under w=initially-cloudy-skies-clearing-to-warm-sunshine by the end of the walk. The tree color was very good with some vibrant yellow and reds among the more subdued yellow and brown tinting. However, the views from Leith Hill were not as good as they can be with fog and cloud obscuring the distant views in the morning. About half the group ate at the Royal Oak and most of the sandwichers joined for a drink. Group cohesion was quite good for most of the afternoon given the overall size of the group. In Shamley Green, a good number enjoyed refreshments in the front garden of the Red Lion with 5 eventually setting off to enjoy the pleasant evening with a walk to Shalford. After a second drink, the remaining 6 opted for the 18:30ish bus with one catching the 19:04 train from Guildford while the others stopped at Tescos for a few supplies and took the 19:19 for a very sociable journey back to London..... A great day out with good company!
4 of the 5 who walked to Shalford set a brisk pace, leaving one walker behind. Approaching the Wye we saw a very atmospheric mist rising over the water meadows. We had 2 rounds of drinks in the Queen Victoria where seating capacity was reduced due to the imminent arrival of a band. We fled the scene when the band started the noise. Our delayed train to Guildford was perfectly timed to see our connecting train leave the platform. One of us decided to take the slow train to London, while the remaining 3, not wanting to wait on the platform for the fast train, had 2 options: Guildford Oktoberfest (we saw numerous dirndls and Lederhosen) or The White Horse. We chose the White Horse due to lack of appropriate Oktoberfest apparel. After another round of drinks we took the 21:19 home. A great day out with an unexpected evening pub crawl.
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