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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.

Wednesday 23 January 2019

Wednesday Walk Guildford Circular, with Hog's Back start - Watts Gallery, Watts Chapel, Loseley Park and the River Wey

Book 2, Walk 12b) - Guildford Circular, with Hog's Back start

Length: 13.6 km (8.5 miles)  Longer options available, finishing in Godalming or Farnham
Toughness: 6 out of 10  (one steep ascent at the start, remainder of walk 2 out of 10)

London Waterloo: 10-15 hrs   Haslemere service.    CJ 10-22 hrs, Woking 10-43 hrs
Arrive Guildford: 10-50 hrs

Return: 00, 17, 34 and 47 mins past the hour


This walk makes for a good winter's outing, with a steep hill at the start, up onto the Hog's Back, to get shot of the cobwebs, worth the effort for the spendid views, then it's downhill to a nice mixture of woods, Surrey heathland, farmland and open spaces, plus places of interest en route, namely Watts Gallery and Watts Chapel. You can have lunch in the Gallery (without, I believe, having to pay the entrance fee) but the main lunch stop for those who appreciate a good pub is the Withies Inn, in Compton. Please 'phone ahead with numbers from Guildford station, or shortly thereafter: this popular pub is busy all year round: 01483-421158  your e.t.a is 12-40 pm. Request a table in the comfy bar area - I find the restaurant, with its low ceiling, hot and a bit claustrophobic.

Post prandial, you have a pleasant walk through Loseley Park, which takes you out onto a road near the River Wey. You now head for the river for your homeward leg back to Guildford. Plenty of pubs and tea rooms await your custom before you walk to the railway station for fast trains back to London.
T=2.12
Walk Directions are here: L=2.12

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

may do this walk in the old fashioned way so maybe see you all at Watts Gallery.

jfk

Marcus said...

n=16 assembled in the concourse of Guildford's railway station before setting off on the steep climb up the minor road to the Hog's Back. This ascent gets steeper every time I try it. The views from the top made up for energy expended, made more atmospheric by the previous night's dusting of snow. The weather - mostly w=sunny-and-bright-all-day assisted - we we enjoyed near perfect winter walking conditions all day. A walk along the top and then it was downhill on a slippery, narrow path to connect up with the North Downs Way which took us to the Watts Gallery, where at least 2 in our party stopped for a visit. 2 others then set off to tackle the Farnham long walk version of our walk. Most others visited Watts Chapel before heading through farmland and woodland to the Withies Inn, where 10 dined, enjoying this pub's friendly service and cuisine - most of us enjoy our visits to the Withies.
The afternoon leg, in contrast to the morning's climbs, was pleasantly flat - Losely Park, then a walk beside the River Wey. Having set out from the pub in relays, all bar 2 of the early leavers headed straight for the station on reaching Guildford, the two stopping for tea at Debenhams. The 4 in my group took tea next door at the Yvonne Arnaud theatre - and very nice, too. On then to the railway for a fast train back to London.
I believe today's walk was enjoyed by all - for its variety and contrasts, inclines to keep a SWC walker honest, good water features, easy travel, and an excellent lunch stop - in perfect weather, to boot. It just goes to show you don't always have to trudge 15 miles to have a rewarding walk. Our 8.5 miles today with its ups and downs and sights en route methinks was just right for many of us.
I hope our 2 Farnham walkers enjoyed their day and arrived at their destination in daylight.

David M said...

The 2 Farnham walkers arrived in good time to take tea at Farnham station before heading back on the 4.58 train to Waterloo. The approach into Farnham is not the prettiest, but all in all a very nice walk and made better still by the near perfect weather.