Length: 19.2km (11.9 miles), with possible short cuts of 11.7km (6.8 miles) or 17.2km (10.7 miles)
Difficulty: 5/10 for the main walk
10.00 Portsmouth Harbour train from Waterloo, calls at Woking 10.25, arriving Guildford 10.33. This train doesn't stop at Clapham Junction but the 9.57 Salisbury service from Clapham Junction gets you to Woking at 10.15 in time to join the above Guildford service on Platform 5.
Buy a day return to Gomshall. If bought at Waterloo or as a boundary zone six extension, this will automatically be "Any Permitted". If bought elsewhere, make sure this is what you are getting and not the cheaper ticket valid via Redhill only).
This walk combines some airy downland sections with fine views, bits of woodland, and often sandy soils.
Lunch is in the pretty village of Shere. There are two pubs: the White Horse and the William Bray and there now seem to be two cafes Hilly's and The Dabbling Duck. Just a mile further on is the Compasses Inn and Gomshall Mill in Gomshall (see below). It is possible to finish the walk in Gomshall (the 6.8 mile option): otherwise the afternoon route is another loop up onto the downs, with more fine escarpment views. A short cut on this trims off 1.2 miles (the 10.7 mile version of the walk), but the main version, is arguably most scenic.
You might find the Abinger Hammer tea room (attached to the post office) open. Otherwise the Compasses Inn in Gomshall or the nearby Gomshall Mill make a nice tea stop.
Trains back are almost hourly if you don't mind which route you take ie: 15.01, 17.01 etc.. to Waterloo (change at Guildord) and 15.52, 17.52 etc...to London Bridge (change at Redhill). If you just miss the train, buses go fairly regularly to Dorking or Guildford from outside the Gomshall Mill or Compasses Inn respectively.
As usual, please bring your directions, which you can dowload from L=2.13
1 comment:
N=10 at the station, 9 of whom hurtled ahead. 1 continued behind at a modest pace up that hill, not running. On he trudged up hill, down dale, with a kind word and cheery smile for everyone he met - and a pat on the head for every dog.
The weather was w=mostly-sunny-cloudy-later A nice walk, even if it was hilly. Flowers included stitchwort, cranesbill and speedwell.
Somehow 3 others were parachuted in before Shere was reached. So, n=13
Your correspondent caught up with a few there, sitting on a bench. He went for a drink and come back. Still sitting there.
The others had fshoomed ahead.
When Gomshall was reached. The back group, now down to 4 split into 1 for the final loop and 3 towards the station. 2 stopped in the Compasses on the way There was a bit of a flap about the interval between trains (were they clustered hourly or 2 hourly). ( it WAS Hourly) Anyway, 1 dashed for the station the other got the bus to Guildford.
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