Walk 13 : Guildford to Gomshall

Main walk: 17.1km (10.7 miles) 5 hours walking time. For the whole excursion including trains and meals, allow 8 hours 30 minutes.

Short walk to Gomshall: 10.9km (6.8 miles), 3 hours 15 minutes walking time.

Guildford to Chilworth: 6.4km (4 miles), 2 hours walking time

Longer route to Gomshall: 19.8km (12.4 miles): 6 hours walking time

Guildford to Boxhill: 20.9km (13 miles): 6 hours 30 minutes walking time

OS Landranger Maps No 186 & 187. OS Explorer Map 145

5 out of 10

Following the closure of the Rambler's Rest tea room, this walk has now been fully revised, with a new afternoon route. As before the walk starts with a steep climb out of Guildford, followed by a walk over a fine unspoiled section of the North Downs that includes Pewley Hill and the hilltop church of St Martha-on-the-Hill. From there the route passes through undulating farmland beneath the North Downs escarpment following the ancient Pilgrims Way to lunch in the cute village of Shere. In the afternoon the route continues to Gomshall, with a possible further lunchstop, and then climbs on to the Downs for a further section which has a mix of woodland (including bluebells in late April and early May) and a fine viewpoint. You then descend to the village of Abinger Hammer for tea, before looping back to Gomshall.

Directions for these options are all included at the relevant place in the revised walk directions below

Shorter Walks

• A) Short walk to Gomshall The new walk directions below now incorporate the Shortcut to Shere (option a) in the book) as part of the main walk directions. So for an early finish to the walk at Gomshall, all you need to do is turn right at point [6] in the main walk directions as indicated. This makes a walk of 10.9km (6.8 miles).
• B) Guildford to Chilworth: For an even shorter walk from Guildford, you can walk as far as St Martha-on-the-Hill church, and then take the a short cut to Chilworth, which has a railway station and buses. This route is 6.4km (4 miles) and makes a leisurely two hour stroll

Longer Walks

• C) Longer route to Gomshall. This is an extension to the afternoon route, taking in more of the North Downs Way, but still eventually looping back to Abinger Hammer and Gomshall. This extends the walk to 19.8km (12.4 miles), and, if you use option e), the bluebell diversion (see below) takes you past some wonderful bluebell woods in season.
• D) Ending at Boxhill or Dorking. This is option c) in the book. Brief directions on how to do this are contained in paragraph two of the directions for the Longer Route to Gomshall, at the end of the main walk directions. You will also need to have the directions for book two, walk 13. From Guildford, this makes a total walk of 20.9km (13.1 miles). It is also possible to do option e) the bluebell diversion (see below) on this walk.
• E) Bluebell diversion. In late April or early May it is worth making a short diversion from the main walk to visit a spectacular series of bluebell woods just behind the escarpment. This can also be combined with options c) and d) and does not add significantly the the length of either option. This diversion is only worth doing in bluebell time: otherwise the routes described are better.

Starting in Gomshall

• F) Starting in Gomshall. It is possible to start at Gomshall, and do a circular walk of either 6.2km (3.9 miles) using the main walk directions, or 8.9km (5.7 miles) using option c) the Longer route to Gomshall above: You could also walk from Gomshall to Boxhill, a walk of 14km (8.7 miles). There are no lunch stops on these walks, but each has a tea stop (the Abinger Hammer tea rooms for the circular walk, and Denbies Wine Estate visitors centre for the Boxhill ending (see walk 14 in the book)

Only a romantic ruined keep remains of Guildford Castle today, but under Henry III it was a key royal residence. After Henry's death in 1272, the castle fell into disuse, and were eventually bought in 1611 by Francis Carter, a local worthy, who used it as a private house. The ruins were bought in 1885 by Guildford Borough Council. It is now a park, open during daylight hours. From the top of the keep there is a fine view of the Wey river valley.

What looks like a trigonometry point on Pewley Down just outside Guildford in fact commerates its gift to posterity. It was bought it in 1920 by the Friary Brewery Company in memory of those who died in the First World War. Many of those unfortunates doubtless dreamed of views such as this during their ordeal in the trenches.

Positioned atop a wooded hill, St Martha on the Hill is perhaps one of the most romantically situated churches in the country. Of Norman origin, though rebuilt in 1850, it was originally a stop on the Pilgrims Way. This route ran from London and Winchester to Canterbury, and carried visitors to the shrine of Thomas à Becket, the archbishop of Canterbury murdered by four knights of Henry II, and later canonised. Though in places the route followed what is now the North Downs Way, in others it ran just below the Downs, as it does in the section of this walk between St Martha on the Hill and Shere. The church apparently had a female hermit, who lived on alms from pilgrims. There is evidence of Bronze Age settlement on the hill, so as a place of worship it may well be pre-Christian. The ashes of the actress Yvonne Arnaud are scattered nearby, as a memorial to the right of the exit gate attests.

Shere is often cited as Surrey's prettiest village, Its Church of St James, built in 1190 is a rare example of a church completely in the Early English Transitional Style. In 1329 the anchoress Christine Carpenter (an anchoress was a kind of halfway house between a lay woman and a nun) was enclosed in a cell in the north wall of the church, receiving food through a grating on the outside wall. After three years she returned to the world, but then petitioned to be re-enclosed. The bishop consented. You can still see where her cell was situated to the left of the altar.

Shere also has a Museum (tel 01483 203245) in Shere Lane, which is open Sunday to Friday, 1.00 to 5.00 pm. It is rather pleasant to wander the village, with its pretty old houses and quaint shops.

Take the train nearest to 9.30 am, before or after, from Waterloo to Guildford. Buy a day return to Gomshall.

Note that trains back from Gomshall run only every two hours. Currently Monday to Saturday trains are just before 5pm and 7pm, with no other train until 11 pm. On Sunday trains are just after 4pm, 6pm and 8pm with later ones at 9.40 and 10.40pm. You are strongly advised to check these train times for yourself, however. If you miss the Guildford train, there is usually one in the opposite direction ten minutes later. This takes you to Dorking Deepdene station, from where it is a short walk to the main Dorking station, which has trains at least hourly to London Victoria. A return ticket from London to Gomshall should be valid on this route, but take local advice about this.

Another option if you miss the train at Gomshall is to take the bus from the main road just outside the Compasses Inn to Guildford. At time of writing, these buses are surprisingly regular Monday to Saturday - half hourly until at 8pm with a later bus at 9pm. There are only five buses on Sunday, however, with the last around 6pm. Get up to date information on times on 0870 6082 608. If you are taking the Short cut from St Martha's to Chilworth, both train and bus serve it a few minutes after Gomshall.

The obvious place to park your car is in Guildford, as near as possible to the station or High Street. You can then take the train or bus back to Guildford from Gomshall.

is at the White Horse pub in Shere (tel 01483 202518), 9.2km (5.7 miles) into the walk. This rambling ancient inn has a small but charming garden out the back, and though busy at weekends is well run and efficient at serving meals from a wide menu. In theory food is served all afternoon, but if busy the pub sometimes closes to new orders at 3pm.

Forty metres further up the road is the Prince of Wales (tel 01483 203313), www.sherepub.com, which has a more traditional menu of roasts etc. It serves food 12.30 pm to 2.00 pm

An alternative to both pubs is the Lucky Duck tea room and restaurant in Shere (tel 01483 202445), which is open from 9.30am to 6.00pm (5.00pm on Sundays) for sandwiches and cakes, though hot lunch items are only available from 12.00pm to 3.00pm. In season, it has both inside and outside tables.

Shere Post Office also sells a full range of picnic items and is open till 10 pm daily.

In Gomshall, 1.8km (1.1 miles) beyond Shere, the Compasses Inn (see Tea section below for details) is another possible lunch option, as is the Bluebeckers restaurant in Gomshall Mill (a place full of noisy families at weekends). Gomshall Post Office also sells picnic items till 5.30 Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday (it is closed Wednesday and Saturday afternoons and all day Sunday).

If you are ending the walk in Chilworth, the Percy Arms (tel 01483 561765) on the main road not far from the station is a possible lunch option

The Abinger Hammber Tearooms are the recommended tea stop, just by the post office - for details see the walk directions

Otherwise, the Compasses Inn in Gomshall (tel 01483 203060) serves hot drinks, snacks and meals every day until 9pm, and which has a riverside garden.

If you are doing the shorter walk, option a) as an afternoon excursion, you can also have tea in Shere at the Lucky Duck tea room in Shere (see Lunch section above for details)

Last updated: 19 November 2009