Time Out Country Walks near London Volume 1
Walk 12 : Farnham to Godalming
River Wey, Waverley Abbey & Peper Harrow park
| Length | 19.9km (12.3 miles), 6 hours. For the whole outing, including trains, sights and meals, allow at least 9 hours. |
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| OS Landranger Map | No.186. Farnham, map reference SU 846 465, is in Surrey, 15km west of Guildford. |
| Toughness | 6 out of 10. |
| Features | This walk starts and ends along the River Wey. In between, it passes close to the ruins of Waverley Abbey and goes through woods to the suggested lunchtime pub in Charleshill. After lunch, there are further sandy bridleways through woods, before entering the parklands of the Peper Harrow estate, which has its own church and cricket pitch. The tea place is in Godalming's ancient centre. |
| Shortening the walk | Buses run once an hour or so (Monday to Saturday only) from Tilford to destinations such as Farnham, Godalming and Haslemere. Phone Surrey Traveline on 01737 223 000 for information. |
| History |
The town of Farnham the name derives from the Saxon for 'ferny water meadows') prospered through trade in corn, wheat and hops. Its Norman castle was built by Henri de Blois, a grandson of William the Conqueror. The twelfth-century Waverley Abbey, now in ruins, was the first Cistercian monastery to be built in England. Peper Harrow estate was the home of the Earls of Midleton until the line died out. It became a home for disturbed adolescents, but is presently being converted into flats. Its Church of St Nicholas is a Norman church restored by Pugin, the Victorian architect. It contains a memorial to Vice Admiral Thomas Brodrick - he helped court-martial Admiral Byng, who, in 1757, was shot on the quarterdeck of his own ship as a scapegoat for the navy's failure to save a besieged garrison on Minorca or, as Voltaire put it, 'pour encourager les autres'. The church can only be visited by arrangement a week in advance (phone the rector on 01483 810 328, or the warden on 01483 415 702.) Godalming is thought to mean 'field (-ing) of Godhelm' (the putative first Saxon to claim the land). It was a coaching town between London and Portsmouth, and a centre of trade in wool, stone-quarrying, timber, leather, paper, corn and brewing. The High Street has many half-timbered buildings. |
| Lunch | The suggested lunch place is The Donkey pub (tel 01252 702 124) in Charleshill. It serves gourmet home-made food at reasonable prices, midday to 2pm daily; groups of more than 20 people should book. Alternatively, you could eat 2.75km (50 minutes) earlier at the Barley Mow pub (tel 01252 792 205) in Tilford, which is by the green, with a riverside garden. It serves food midday to 2pm daily; groups of more than 12 people should book. |
| Saturday Walkers Club | The Saturday Walkers Club do this walk each March. |
| Warning | This text was taken from an older edition of the book, and is a little out of date. Please check the updates for this walk. |
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Walking Instructions
For a map and detailed walking instruction, please see Time Out Country Walks near London Volume 1
