Godalming to Guildford, 10 Feb

Trains The train is slightly later than advertised in the walks programme. It starts at 9.00am from Waterloo and arrives at 9.42 at Godalming. It’s the Portsmouth Harbour train.

Lunch The pub at lunchtime is the Good Intent, Puttenham. If you wish to eat there, please look at the menu here and let the walk leader, Terry, know your choice of meal by 12 noon on Friday (non-members, email walks@morleyramblers.uk). The pub requires a pre-order for groups.
If you’re taking a picnic lunch, the recommended place is a churchyard and the church is usually open.

Summary of the Walk  This is a lovely walk through gentle rolling hills. The morning takes about 3 hours and is mostly through fields, although it starts with 45 minutes on roads, including passing through the beautiful Upper Eashing. The afternoon takes about 2.5 hours and is mostly through attractive woods, finishing with a riverside walk into Guildford town centre.
Highlights on the way include the medieval (13th C.) Eashing Bridges, a view of the Grade 1 listed Peper Harow House (built in 1765), a medieval granary on huge stilts, a Lutyens bridge and, if time allows, a visit to the Watts Cemetery Chapel which is also Grade 1 listed. 
The church at lunchtime has Norman (Romanesque) arches from 1170 along one side of the Nave and a lancet window near the door dating from the early 12th Century. Otherwise, what you see is a Victorian “restoration” of about 1860.

Warnings  The paths are mostly flat or gently undulating. However, Terry advises bringing a walking stick and wearing stout footwear with ridged soles, because there are some short steep descents and ascents which become muddy and very slippery after rain. There’s a 15 minutes uphill section at the beginning of the walk – it’s not very steep but it’s a bit of a slog.

Dropout Points  There are two dropout points. The first is at lunchtime by walking 12 minutes from the pub or church to a bus stop for the no. 65 bus, leaving at 12.57, 1.57 and 3.17pm and arriving 10 minutes later at Guildford bus station.  Let Terry know at lunchtime if you want to drop out and he’ll show you the way to the bus stop.

The second dropout point is about 45 minutes after lunch and is at the Watts Gallery, from where the no. 46 bus leaves at 3.39 and 4.39pm. You should be able to catch the 3.39 bus. It takes 13 minutes for the bus to reach Guildford bus station. It’s then a 10 minutes walk to the train station, from where there are fast trains to Waterloo about every 20 minutes.

If you decide to leave the walk to visit the Watts Gallery, take care to catch the 4.39 bus, as the Gallery closes at 5pm and the next bus after that is at 5.54pm.