Length: 10½ km (6½ miles). Toughness: 3/10
11:00 Portsmouth Harbour train from Waterloo, arriving Guildford at 11:32. From Clapham Jct you'll need to take the 10:53 Portsmouth & Southsea train, arriving Guildford a few minutes earlier at 11:26.
There are three fast trains back from Guildford every hour, at (roughly) xx:19, xx:35 & xx:49 in the afternoon.
It's been suggested that we could try a few short winter walks with no more than an alfresco pit stop in the middle but a choice of refreshment places at the end. It will be easier for the group to stay together and if it finishes at around 2pm you can choose whether to have a late lunch or an early tea, hit the shops or simply head for the station.
This particular short walk is similar to one of our popular summer evening walks: a steep climb (on a new route) up to Pewley Down, an undulating descent via Chantry Wood and a final leg alongside the Wey Navigation. There's the option of a more direct ending into Guildford; conversely you could easily tack on a 1½ km out-and-back extension up to St Martha-on-the-Hill. At the end of the walk in §Q note that the alternative ‘River route’ is still likely to be stymied by a missing footbridge, but the ‘Town route’ will take you past a wide choice of refreshment places on the High Street.
You'll need to bring the directions from the L=swc.185.c page. You can save paper by clicking ‘Short’ on the Walk Options heading line, which hides the directions for all the longer variations but shows both endings.
