I've swapped Wednesday walks on 09 and 16 November due to the recent posting of a walk close to the Leighton Buzzard walk.
Length: 15.6 km (9.7 miles)
Toughness: 3 out of 10
Either
London Waterloo: 10-30 hrs South Western service to Portsmouth Harbour (does NOT stop at Clapham Junction). Woking: 10-55
Arrive Guildford: 11-02 hrs Change trains
Leave Guildford: 11-13 hrs Great Western service from Reading to Redhill
Arrive Gomshall: 11-30 hrs
Or
London Victoria: 10-08 hrs Southern service to Reigate CJ 10-15; EC 10-26 hrs
Arrive Redhill: 10-46 hrs Change trains
Leave Redhill: 11-00 hrs Great Western service from Redhill to Reading
Arrive Gomshall: 11-21 hrs
Would Victorians please wait in the station car park for the Waterlooers to arrive
Return
4 fast trains an hour - South Western to Waterloo - at approx 01, 21, 34 and 49 mins past the hour, plus stopping services
Rail ticket buy a day return to Gomshall ANY ROUTE PERMITTED to be valid for journeys via Guildford or Redhill.
Leaving Gomshall you are soon in the pretty village of Shere. On through Albury Park and you come to the William 1V pub in Albury Heath, your suggested lunch stop. Best to 'phone ahead as it is a popular pub serving good beer and good food. Your e.t.a is 12-20 hrs. tel. 01483-202685.
After lunch the walk continues through the open expanses of Blackheath Common before heading into woodland until you come to the River Wey. You now follow the river into Guildford. Tea can be taken in the foyer area of the Yvonne Arnauld Theatre, or for something stronger you have a choice of pubs on the route towards the railway station.
This walk can be muddy after periods of heavy rain but that said, it makes for a delightful late autumn walk with leaf colour for you to enjoy in the woods along the route.
T=1.14
Walk Directions are here: L=1.14
1 comment:
N=22 on this walk - as far as we know. Certainly 20 met at Gomshall station, most having come via Guildford. Two had come via Redhill and we learned from them that the Victoria train had been 18 minutes late, thus missing its connection to Gomshall (our informants had come from London Bridge). Two who had been on this delayed Victoria train went to Guildford to do the walk in reverse: we met them coming the other way mid afternoon.
It was a w=lovely-sunny-day. The tree foliage was still in Titanic mode (“Why aren’t they turning?”) but there was plenty of golden light and autumn hues in the bracken and fallen leaves. We got swiftly to lunch, where one walker had booked a table for six and another added one for five. There was a separate 14-strong walking group also dining. The pub staff handled us all with great speed and efficiency.
In the afternoon, across the heaths. One dumb klutz (me) relied on his knowledge of the route and led four astray near Tangley Manor (and into a path with big puddles to boot…) but that meant that we later met up with the rest of the diners, who had previously been … ahem… lagging a bit. Flushed with the joy of our meeting, we voluntarily added a climb of Chinthurst Hill to the walk - a lovely golden view from the top.
There was worry that we might finish in the dark, but in fact we timed it perfectly, getting to Guildford as the light was dying. There is still a blockage on the Wey path (not the weir one: another) but we used the opposite bank without incident.
Approaching Guildford station, my fellow walkers stretched out like greyhounds, with no thought of tea or drinks, keen to throw themselves into the heart of the rush hour. I planned to have tea at Costa at the station, but it was shut, so I got a takeaway tea from a kiosk. I pen these lines on the (slightly delayed) 17.01 train.
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