01 – Guildford To Farncombe

Description

The Hills to Harbour Trail is a series of self-guided walking routes that link the stations along the railway line between Guildford and Portsmouth. You can walk between any pair of stations.

Walk 01 is 5 miles long and takes you from Guildford to Farncombe railway station. Ramble through the High Street and quiet corners of the historic town of Guildford where there are cafes and pubs for some refreshment before you set out along the picturesque River Wey valley to Farncombe.

Parts of the route in Guildford town take you through areas that may be closed during the evening and the hours of darkness. If you plan to walk ‘out of hours’, it would be wise to check the opening times for Angel Gate, the Guildford Castle Grounds and Castle Cliffe Gardens.

Start and End

Guildford/Farncombe

Distance

5 miles

Time

2 hours 45 mins

Grade

4/10 – Mostly easy. A fight of steps and some uneven paths

Accessibility

Not push/wheelchair accessible

Route Map
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Walk Instructions

  1. 1 Leave Guildford station via the main exit on platform 2b and bear right along the station approach towards the town.
  2. Cross the road (Walnut Tree Close) at the light-controlled crossing and follow the pavement on the far side to your right, signposted for pedestrians to the ‘Town Centre’.
  3. Bear left into Bridge Street and continue forward, over the river bridge, and on until you get to the light controlled pedestrian crossing.
  4. Cross at the lights and bear right along the pavement past the taxi rank.
  5. Bear left into North Street and, at a convenient point, cross to the pavement on the right-hand side of the road.
    (If you are looking for some refreshment already, there are many cafes, pubs, and restaurants between here and the Castle Grounds where we leave Guildford town.)
  6. Pass several alley ways between the shops on your right until you find the narrow, cobbled alley way, Angel Gate (unsigned). Walk up Angel Gate and through the gabled archway ahead.
  7. At the top end of Angel Gate, you will emerge onto the High Street. Turn left.
  8. Continue up the High Street towards the prominent clock that overhangs the pavement on your left. Immediately opposite the clock, is an impressive arch supported on four columns. This is Tunsgate. Go through the arch and up the pedestrianised road beyond.
  9. At the top of Tunsgate, cross the road (Castle Street) and go straight ahead to the right of the March Hare pub then, at the end of the pub wall, bear left into the Castle Grounds. Look for the bowling green, ahead.
  10. At the bowling green, bear left and skirt round the green to the far right hand corner.
  11. At the end of the far side of the bowling green, follow the path right to drop down and through an underpass to emerge at the foot of Guildford Castle.
  12. Come out of the underpass and turn left.
  13. Bear left to exit the Castle Grounds.
  14. Bear right and then cross the road (Castle Hill) to go up the steps ahead into Castle Cliffe Gardens. Take care, traffic on Castle Hill can approach quite suddenly from around the bend to your left.
  15. Exit the gardens via the path at the far corner and continue along the path.
  16. At the end of the path, descend the staircase. Bear left and up over the grass keeping the mound to your left.
  17. On the other side of the grass, go straight ahead through a gap in the trees. The gap is difficult to see until you are right in front of it . You will be able to see the path descending steeply beyond and towards a modern, white house. Follow the path beside the house to the road.
  18. At the end of the path, go up the steps and turn right along Abbot Road (unsigned). This almost immediately becomes a track. Continue along the track.
  19. At the end of the track, turn right (into Great Quarry) and descend along the pavement on the far side to the main road.
  20. Cross the main road. Take care; this is a busy road with no central refuge.
  21. On the far side of the road, take the path to your left, leading off the Guildford Rowing Club car park.
  22. In about 20 yards, turn sharp right and follow the path which will lead you to the River Wey Navigation. (Do not go through the gate into the meadow.)
  23. Continue forward along the path beside the Navigation. The path is uneven here with exposed tree routes and, occasionally, the mooring lines of boats across the path. Take care.
  24. Follow the Navigation to the end of the meadow. Go through the gate and continue through the woodland following the line of the navigation.
  25. When you catch sight of the footbridge over the navigation a short way ahead, turn left, away from the navigation.
  26. At the sports field, turn right to skirt the field keeping the woodland on your right.
  27. Join the surfaced path, bearing right into the woodland.
  28. The path emerges into a small car park.
    (There is a self-service, ‘Pilgrim Cafe’ in the Church to your left.)
    To continue, go through the car park, keeping the church on your left and the water processing plant on your right. Don’t turn left opposite the entrance to the water processing plant but keep forward to find a path that exits the car park at the far end.
  29. Follow the path for approximately 100 yards and then turn right through a metal gate and into the riverside meadow. Once through the gate, bear left to follow the path across the meadow.
    (Note: A number of paths meander through the meadow in a southerly direction following the general line of the river. It does not really matter which you take but the route described is probably the most attractive and easy going. If you get lost and find yourself at a boardwalk, turn left to follow the boardwalk.)
  30. When you emerge into a grassy area beside a bend in the river, continue forward, Ignore the path immediately on the left and, in about 20 yards, bear left to follow the path that goes slightly up hill, curving to the right between the trees.
  31. At the end of the path, turn left to ascend the steps to the metal gate at the top of the hill.
  32. At the top of the hill, go through the gate and turn right along the surfaced track.
  33. Cross the railway bridge.
    (There is a cafe and a pub in Shalford about 250 yards to your left.)
    To continue, keep forward along the track (Dagley Lane.)
  34. As you come to the end of cottages on your right, continue straight ahead along the gravel path.
  35. Turn right along Broadford Road and cross the river by the footbridge.
  36. As you come off the footbridge, turn left to cross the road and join the towpath by the navigation.
  37. Go under the former railway bridge (now carrying a footpath) and continue forward along the towpath. Pass Unstead Lock and continue along a straight section of towpath to a road.
  38. Cross the road to continue forward along the towpath. (Take care. The road is quiet, but vehicles sometimes travel quite fast.)
  39. Walk the full length of the straight section of towpath and then, just around the first bend, take the path to the right leading away from the navigation.
  40. Keep going forward here, ignoring the path merging from the left.
  41. Cross the main road via the refuge on your left and then continue forward into Broadwater Park towards the lake.
  42. Turn right and follow the path around the lakeside.
    (There is a cafe kiosk in the carpark to your right and seats at various points along the lakeside path.)
  43. As you approach the buildings on the far side of the lake, pass the tiered bank on your right and take the steps up the bank away from the lake.
  44. Cross the grass veering to the left and then follow the access road marked with ‘pedestrian/cycle shared-use’ blue signs.
  45. Keep forward to pass in front of the Leisure Centre.
  46. At Summers Road, turn left.
    (You can walk along the pavement beside the road or follow the boundary hedge just inside the park. There are plenty of access points to move between the two and, when you reach the far end of the park, make sure you are on the pavement beside the road.)
  47. Continue forward to find the approach road to Farncombe railway station on your right after about 260 yards.
    (There is a cafe and shops a little beyond the approach road.)

Safe Walking

Walking is a sociable activity so travel with someone else if you can. It’s also best for safety. Follow the usual walking guidelines about clothing, footwear, drinks, food, and first aid kit. Tell someone where you are going and when you expect to be back

Refreshments

Many stations have opportunities nearby for refreshments when you arrive. The towns have cafes and pubs, and there are some along the route as well. They may have more restricted opening than those in London, particularly for serving food, so check websites for opening times when planning.

Reporting footpath issues

The Hills to Harbour Trail crosses three counties, all of which have good, on-line facilities for reporting rights of way issues. If you find something that needs fixing, please report it on the appropriate webpage.

Search for “report rights of way” followed by the county name.