This walk follows the Greensand Way from Witley to Hambledon where it picks up the route of the SWC Milford to Godalming walk at paragraph 19 in the walk directions. Starting from Witley avoids an exceptionally muddy enclosed path on the Milford start.
Length: 17.9km (11 miles)
Toughness: 6 out of 10
Trains: 9.45 from London Waterloo (9.52 Clapham Junction, 10.13 Woking) arriving Witley 10.42.
Return trains from Godalming: 15.12/25/49, 16.12/25/49, 17.14/24/40/51
Buy a return to Witley.
Lunch: The suggested stop for a pub lunch is the White Horse (tel 01483 208 258) in Hascombe, which serves food from midday to 9.30pm.
Past the pub, picnickers will find benches outside Hascombe church and around the small lake across the road from it.
A later lunch option is the cafe by the entrance to Winkworth Arboretum. It serves a limited selection of hot dishes and a range of sandwiches.
Tea: various options in Godalming.
Directions
To start the walk, come out of Witley station turn left to walk up to the road. Cross the road and you will see a footpath (opposite Robin Way) which is the Greensand Way. Follow this footpath to the A283 where you turn left for 30 meters, then right up a side road for 300 meters. Turn left up a sandy track. After 380 yards turn right at Moor Cottage and continue uphill. Follow the footpath around the hilltop above Hambledon Common. Pass an old seat, then turn left down to the road at Hambledon. Turn left along Malthouse Lane. Go past Woodlands Road on the right and after 100 yards turn right up some steps behind cottages. Turn right through kissing gates over fields to turn right past Hambledon Church. From here you can follow the SWC directions from Para. 19. L=1.20
There is a GPS track for the Greensand Way which you can download to use from Witley to Hambledon.
https://www.walkingclub.org.uk/long-distance-path/greensand-way/map-print.html
3 comments:
n=12 off the train set off under w=gloomy-grey-skies into an easterly wind which wasn't as bad as expected. The route to Hambledon was easy to navigate and not overly muddy. There were some muddy paths between there and Hascombe but none of it deep enough to engulf the boots. We reached Hascombe around 12.30. 9 picnicked on benches around the pond, 1 went for a pub lunch, 2 had disappeared from view.
It wasn't a day for sitting around, so 8 moved on quickly. The pub luncher also carried on after finishing his lunch and this walker, feeling oppressed by the gloom and constricted by many layers of clothing and waterproofs, decided to catch the bus to Godalming. It arrived on time and the kindly driver stopped when hailed opposite the White Horse. (The official bus stop is further down the road and the barman thought it would take more than 10 minutes to get there). Despite the pessimistic forecast, it still hadn't rained when I caught the 14.12 train. It would be good to hear how the others got on and maybe a review of the pub lunch.
Supplied by The Railwayman:
Lunch at the lunchtime pub was excellent though portions were small - (Winter two course menu). The Pub Luncher then attempted to complete the walk but without mobile coverage and with only the instructions from St. Peter's, Hambledon, had to resort to completing the walk by road. Tea in Godalming was welcome before the train (and the rain).
In the afternoon most of the picnickers followed the route directly to Godalming and I believe arrived there by about 3.15. Two of us stopped en route for a cuppa at the NT teashop in Winkworth, joining the others in the Star in Godalming at about 3.40, just as the rain started.
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