'Chantries
Hill and the North Downs Way to St Martha's Church (viewpoint). Albery for
lunch, returning via mixed woods and the tranquil Wey navigation to Guildford'.
Length: 12.6
miles (main walk option)
Toughness: 4
out of 10: two extended hill climbs near the start: otherwise fairly gentle
gradients
Travel:9.55
from W’Loo; 10.05 CJ; 10.55 Woking; arrive Guildford at 11.02
Return
trains: XX.07; XX.22 and XX.55
Ticket type: Return to Guildford
This walk
takes you to the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It starts (and
ends) on the quiet River Wey Navigation, ascends the wooded Chantries Hill for fine
escarpment views at the top. Then another climb to the hilltop church of St
Martha’s, and descend from the escarpment to lunch in the pretty village of
Albury.
The
afternoon walk is through sandy heathlands and woods around the village of
Blackheath. Finally you descend by an easy track through Tangley Manor for a
further stretch along the River Wey into Guildford.
First two
thirds of the walk is sandy so drier underfoot.
Lunch: The Drummond at Albury (01483 202 039) 9.1km (5.6 miles) into the main walk
GPX, Map, Main walk directions, and other options can be found here: https://www.walkingclub.org.uk/walk/guildford-via-chantries-hill-circular/
Tea: Lots of
options back in Guildford.
t=swc.57
3 comments:
I have booked a table for 4 at the Drummond Arms Albury for 13:30 three spaces available
Thanks John. Would ove to join you.
W=Another-lovely-sunny-day. We spent a good part of it taking a scenic detour around sundry places of interest, but that was just the train journey from Waterloo, which due to engineering works was routed via Richmond, Egham and the outer reaches of the galaxy. We crossed the Thames twice. Eventually, though, we arrived at Guildford.
16 assembled on the station forecourt, but it later transpired that (despite a long wait for this very purpose) we still left one other behind in the loo. A further walker was met at St Martha’s Church, having parked in Shalford. So N=18 in all.
This modest little walk often gets overshadowed by its showier elder sisters, but was pleased to get a chance to display today. Though I say so myself (having created it), it has many pleasant charms and varied scenery.
Nearly everyone seemed to have booked a table for lunch at the Drummond in Albury, and in order to get there in time most of us did the woodland short cut after St Martha’s Hill. The intense green of the woodland floor, along with some understorey foliage on elder and honeysuckle, contrasted nicely with loads of lovely yellow celandines. I saw my only butterfly of the day here - a green-veined white - while nuthatches and chiffchaffs sang.
I calculate that about 10 ate in the Stygian gloom of the pub. Someone always has to be different, however, and today that person was me. I persuaded three others to join me outside on the terrace, where we ate in lovely SUNSHINE!!!!
In the afternoon it was up onto Blackheath and its…err…heathy landscape. The group got more strung out here. Arriving in Guildford, seven of us regrouped on the outside terrace of the White Horse, which got increasingly chilly as the sun disappeared. Faced with the prospect of the long rambling train journey home, we decided that we needed assistance from the fruit of the vine, plus the pea of the chick and the roasted ear of the maize (this simile is getting over-stretched - Ed). That gave five of us a further appetite and at Waterloo we went to Marie’s for cheap Thai. (If you know, you know…)
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