Guildford to Gomshall walk

Historic Guildford, The North Downs Way and St Martha-on-the-Hill Church, picturesque Shere. Option to continue along the NDW to Dorking

History

This is a list of previous times this walk has been done by the club (since Jan 2010). For more recent events (since April 2015), full details are shown.

Date Option Post # Weather
Sun, 15-Jan-23 g Sunday Walk – Gomshall to Box Hill & Westhumble 9 sunny all day
Sat, 14-Jan-23 Saturday Walk - Guildford to Gomshall 12 mostly dry with short showers
Sat, 27-Nov-21 Saturday walk - Guildford to Gomshall - a Surrey Hills classic 21 grey
Sun, 09-May-21 Sunday Walk Guildford to Gomshall 20 warm cloudy day with bright spells
Sat, 15-Feb-20 Saturday Walk – St Martha-on-the-Hill and Surrey's prettiest village 6 the Storm of Dennis
Sat, 12-Jan-19 Saturday walk - Guildford to Gomshall - a classic walk with escarpment views 24 a cloudy mild day
Wed, 02-May-18 Wednesday walk Guildford to Boxhill via Chantries Hill and Shere 1 wet
Sat, 23-Sep-17 Guildford to Gomshall 12 dry warm sunny
Wed, 17-May-17 Wednesday Walk - from Guildford to Box Hill along the North Downs Way 5 rain for most of the day
Sun, 28-Aug-16 Sunday Walk 1: Guildford to "Gomstock" 4 varied but just some brief drizzle
Mon, 31-Aug-15 Bank Holiday Monday walk - North Downs
Sat, 27-Dec-14 Guildford to Gomshall 12
Fri, 18-Apr-14 d Guildford to Boxhill
Fri, 18-Apr-14 f Gomshall to Boxhill
Sun, 30-Mar-14 d Guildford to Boxhill 10
Sat, 15-Feb-14 Guildford to Gomshall 10
Wed, 06-Nov-13 Guildford to Gomshall
Sat, 30-Mar-13 Guildford to Gomshall 15
Wed, 13-Mar-13 d Guildford to Boxhill
Sat, 13-Oct-12 Guildford to Gomshall
Sun, 06-May-12 d Guildford to Boxhill
Sat, 24-Mar-12 Guildford to Gomshall
Sun, 01-Jan-12 Guildford to Gomshall
Sun, 01-Jan-12 a Guildford to Gomshall (short walk)
Sat, 17-Sep-11 Guildford to Gomshall
Sun, 01-May-11 Guildford to Gomshall
Sat, 15-Jan-11 Guildford to Gomshall
Sat, 25-Sep-10 Gomshall to Guildford, via Pewley Down
Sat, 08-May-10 Guildford to Gomshall, via Chantries Hill
Sat, 28-Nov-09 Guildford to Gomshall
Sat, 18-Apr-09 f Gomshall Circular
Sun, 18-Jan-09 Guildford to Gomshall
Sat, 03-May-08 d Guildford to Boxhill
Sun, 17-Feb-08 f Gomshall Circular
Sat, 15-Sep-07 d Guildford to Boxhill
Sun, 29-Apr-07 d Guildford to Boxhill
Sat, 13-Jan-07 Guildford to Gomshall
Sun, 26-Nov-06 Guildford to Gomshall
Sat, 18-Nov-06 Guildford to Gomshall
Book 2 Walk 13g - Gomshall to Box Hill & Westhumble

Length: 13.2 km (8.2 miles). Toughness: 3~4/10

Take the Thameslink train towards Three Bridges (from West Hampstead at 09:29, St Pancras 09:40, London Bridge 09:55, Norwood Jct 10:08, East Croydon 10:13, etc), changing at Redhill (arr 10:31, dep 10:43) for the GWR Reading train, arriving Gomshall at 11:04.

Trains to Gomshall are every two hours, so if this connection fails you might want to have a Plan B up your sleeve: a circular walk around Dorking, perhaps.

Trains back from Box Hill & Westhumble are at xx:10 to Waterloo via Wimbledon, xx:16 & xx:46 to London Bridge via Sutton and Mitcham. These all depart Dorking 3-4 minutes earlier, if you choose to divert there. A return to Gomshall is valid for the return journey from either of these stations.

Denbies The section of the North Downs Way (NDW) between Gomshall and Westhumble is normally done as a summer extension to the Guildford to Gomshall walk, but Book 2 includes the linking directions from Gomshall which enable this shorter variation. It essentially consists of a steady climb up onto the downs, then a long stretch along the ridge before descending to Box Hill & Westhumble station via Denbies Vineyard.

There are no pubs on this stretch of the NDW but the directions point out some places where you could stop for a few nibbles. If you don't have a long break you'll finish before 2.30pm and could reward yourself with a large tea at Denbies or even a late Sunday lunch at the Stepping Stones Inn, a five-minute walk beyond the station.

Although much of this walk is on the well-waymarked NDW you should bring the instructions from the L=2.13.g - you'll only need the directions from the last four pages of the PDF download.

  • Sun, 15-Jan-23

    9 and a small dog assembled at Gomshall. There were one or two gasps of horror as the walk’s poster reminded us there was no pub stop. We proceeded uphill at a brisk pace. Eventually, the North Downs Way was reached and we set off along that, still at a brisk pace. The mud fairies had been out, spreading their magic but, although slithery in places, I’m assured it wasn’t as bad as it could have been. Iu reached home with dry socks anyway (unlike yesterday).

    The weather was sunny all day There were two stops , the first on Blatchford Down, the second at Seers Green. This gave those prescient enough a chance to eat their sandwiches and the others a chance to watch. These stops weren’t very long as some found it a bit chilly.

    The group split at Seers Green, most, presumably, finishing as planned at Westhumble. Lured by the promise of an easy finish, your correspondent opted to follow the walk poster down a steep slope and along the old coach road to Dorking, where two parched throats were replenished.

    All in all, a pleasant day out.

PeteG
PeteG
Length: 17.2km (10.7 miles) or 19.2km (11.9 miles) T=2.13 5 out of 10 The varying distance is a choice at the end of the main walk.
Shorter option: 11km (6.8 miles) - normal morning but finishing very soon after lunch
"Two quite big hill climbs, otherwise fairly gentle".

"This walk explores the lovely ridges and valleys leading eastwards from Guildford - the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It starts with a short steep climb out of Guildford which leads straight to the dramatic viewpoint of Pewley Down. Then it joins the North Downs Way to climb to the hilltop church of St Martha-on-the-Hill. From there the route passes through follows the Pilgrims Way along the foot of the Downs to lunch in the pretty village of Shere. Climbing up onto the downland again and following first a wooded section and then a more open one, it finally descends to the valley again where you have a choice of two village tea rooms and a riverside pub to refresh you at the end of your walk.

This is a good walk at any time of year, with the sandy soils around St Martha's Hill providing a relief from mud in winter"


If you enjoyed this walk, you might like to continue it on Sunday, doing the extension to Box Hill......

Trains: Get the 0930 (Woking 0955) Portsmouth harbour train to Guildford arriving 1005. The earlier 0924 stops at Clapham 0931, arriving 0959. Return trains from Gomshall Buy an all routes return to Gomshall. Trains from Gomshall are a bit limited. 17.21 via a change in Guildford to Waterloo and 17.31 via a change in Redhill to London Bridge. The next train is 1921 via Guildford.
Lunch: In Shere, The White Horse pub (tel 01483 202518), 9.2km (5.7 miles) into the walk is a Chef & Brewer pub. Forty metres up the road is the William Bray (01483 202044, It serves food all afternoon daily. A cafe option is The Dabbling Duck, or Hilly's Tea Shop.
Tea: T he Compasses Inn and the Gomshall Mill (reopened in December according to the website)
  • Sat, 14-Jan-23

    In the end there were 12 at the White Horse. At the start there were 8 joined later by a car driver walking from Shere. At the efficient pub 3 more rolled in but only for a general fragmentation afterwards. One had a picnic and was heading to Box Hill. Two of us carried on after lunch, ending up doing the shorter ending to get the 1520, getting the third heavy shower of the day.

    mostly dry with short showers . A bit slippery with some mud, but not too bad.

Length: 19.2km (11.9 miles) T=2.13
Toughness: 5 out of 10

Shorter options of 11km (6.8 miles) or 17.2km (10.7 miles)
Longer option of 23.4km (14.5 miles)
Catch the 9.30 train from Waterloo (the fast Portsmouth Harbour train, not the stopper at 9.33) to Guildford, arriving 10.02.
From Clapham Junction get the 9.27 Exeter train and change at Woking (arriving 9.45, departing 9.55)

Buy a day return to Gomshall ("any permitted", if given a choice)

For walk directions click here, for GPX click here, for a map of the route click here.
OK, OK, I am not going to get a Grammy for original programming by choosing this walk, but it is that weekend of the year, when the autumn colour will probably be all gone, and there is nothing to do in the countryside but walk in it (most of you probably feel like this the whole year...) so I am opting for a familiar, comforting choice. If there is any leaf tint left, then this walk has plenty of opportunties to see it: otherwise it has nice views, a cosy village for lunch, some slopes to stretch those leg muscles.
I have also made a little change to the walk. Year in, year out, I advocate the beauties of the slightly longer ending via Abinger Woods, and everyone ignores me to do the "main walk". Well, now the longer ending is the main walk (this is what the pyschologists know as a "nudge" approach) . The less exciting former ending is still there as a short cut, reducing the walk to 17.2km (10.7 miles). You can also quit out of the walk just after lunch - the 11km (6.8 mile) version.
Some people might want to continue along the lovely wooded North Downs Way to Box Hill or Dorking stations. When I created this walk, back in the late Middle Ages, this 14.5 mile long option was seen as a big walk for a long spring or summer's day: but some of you are now capable of knocking it off on one of the shortest days of the year: in which case, be my guest.
I will leave you to look at the home page to disentangle the various lunch options, but note that the Lavender Goose (former Gomshall Tea Rooms) is long gone, and I have not been to the Abinger Tea Rooms since pre-Covid, so your tea option in Gomshall is probably one of the pubs. On the Box Hill extension, the Denbies Vineyard tea place shuts at 4.30pm. Pilgrim Cycles by Box Hill station (which used to do tea) no longer opens on Saturdays. So the Stepping Stones pub is your tea stop here.

Trains back from Gomshall are at 17.21 via a change in Guildford to Waterloo and 17.31 via a change in Redhill to London Bridge, both taking about 1 hour. The next train is then 19.21 via Guildford and 19.44 via Redhill, so unless you are stopping for dinner, you are getting the 17.21 or 17.31, basically.
Trains back from Dorking are at 30 past to Waterloo and 07 and 36 past to London Bridge (normally Victoria, but not this week). The 30 past and the 36 past stop at Box Hill three minutes later (so it has two trains an hour but they are within 6 minutes of each other!)
  • Sat, 27-Nov-21

    18 assembled at the Guildford station, but we acquired at least three more as we went along, so 21 on this walk. Given the weather forecast I confess I had been tempted to stay under the duvet, but actually the only rain we had was a little shower late morning (the Met Office rainfall radar showed a lot more just to the east of us). The very cruel north wind was also only rarely evident. Whether I had by chance picked a walk well-sheltered from northerlies or whether the wind was intermittent, I do not know. But the weather was mostly just grey .

    The ground was not too muddy. The scenery was nice. Still a good few leaves on the trees but lots of them dead (oak and beech can hang onto brown leaves well into the winter) so I was not sure whether one could declare leaf fall over or not. All in all, the consensus seemed to be that this made a good outing for the time of year.

    One of our number rang several of the pubs and found them full. He finally booked tables at the Compasses in Gomshall. But another walker enquiring at the William Bray in Shere found it had a large table vacant, and seven of us ate there. It is a long time since I have been to this pub and I was impressed both by its handsome furnishings and the efficiency of its staff. No complaints about the food either.

    In the afternoon we did the “new” afternoon route - ie with the former (slightly) longer ending with its lovely downland views - and we got to the Compasses Inn at 4.30pm or so. We expected to see some of the rest of the group there, but there was no sign of them. I had also looked in on the Abinger Hammer tea rooms on the way but they weren’t there either (it was heartbreakingly deserted, tables neatly laid for tea, but no customers). So they must have dashed to the 3.21 or 3.30pm trains. We got the 5.21, just one of us going to Dorking on the 5.30pm.

  • Sat, 27-Nov-21

    9 of us ate at the Compasses and were agreeably surprised at the high quality of the food and the friendliness and promptness of the service. Perhaps we should put this pub back on the list of possibles in that area. Some continued for part of the afternoon walk but planned to catch the 15.21. Two others abandoned the walk at that point and went to see their grandchildren.

  • Sat, 27-Nov-21

    The Compasses IS "on the list of possibles" in this area. It is listed as one of the possible lunch pubs for this walk!!

Sun, 09-May-21 : Sunday Walk Guildford to Gomshall 20
Wanderer
Wanderer

L=2.13

Guildford to Gomshall with options to extend or shorten the main walk

Length: Main walk: 17.2km (10.7 miles)

Short walk to Gomshall : 11km (6.8 miles)

Longer route to Gomshall : 19.2km (11.9 miles)

Ending at Boxhill station : 23.4km (14.5 miles)

Toughness: 5 out of 10

This walk explores the lovely ridges and valleys leading eastwards from Guildford - the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It starts with a short steep climb out of Guildford which leads straight to the dramatic viewpoint of Pewley Down. Then it joins the North Downs Way to climb to the hilltop church of St Martha-on-the-Hill. From there the route passes through follows the Pilgrims Way along the foot of the Downs to lunch in the pretty village of Shere. Climbing up onto the downland again and following first a wooded section and then a more open one, it finally descends to the valley again to Gomshall or stay up on the downs to continue to Dorking or Box Hill.

Trains: Catch the 9.30 train from London Waterloo (CJ 9.39, Woking 10.04), arriving Guildford 10.13).

Return from Gomshall: Trains every two hours

15.04, 17.04 and 19.04 to Waterloo via Guildford,

14 .44, 16.44, 18.44 to London Bridge via Redhill

Return from Dorking Deepdene: 15.19, 16.16, 16.52, 17.16 – change at Redhill for London Bridge

Return from Box Hill: replacement bus xx:10, to Epsom for train to Waterloo

Buy a day return to Gomshall via any route to cover all of the above journeys.

Lunch: There are lots of options in Shere but it’s likely to be very busy so best to ring and book ahead if you want a pub lunch - details in the walk directions. Otherwise bring a packed lunch.

On arrival, set off in small groups (no more than six), allowing gaps between each departure. You must provide your email address for contact tracing purposes. Please email swc.wandererAAAgmail.com {substitute @ for AAA} or register for this walk on the "events" page at https://www.lwug.co.uk/

In the event that you develop COVID symptoms in the week following the walk, please email swc.wandererAAAgmail.com or covidAAAlwug.co.uk {substitute @ for AAA}
  • Fri, 07-May-21

    Absolutely do not neglect to do the short extension to Old Simm’s Copse in the afternoon to see one of the best bluebell woods in the south east. Bracken may be starting to grow up and spoil its vast blue sea effect a bit, but otherwise it should be absolutely at its best. It can be combined with any of the walk options.

  • Anonymous
    Sat, 08-May-21

    Will start the walk at Chilworth. Same train from Waterloo, change at Guildford for 10.28 Redhill train, arrive Chilworth 10.37.

  • Sat, 08-May-21

    Yes, definitely intending to go to Old Simm's Copse. I did this walk last weekend and it was stunning.

  • Sun, 09-May-21

    20 alighted from the train in Guildford and set off for Gomshall on a warm cloudy day with bright spells . Three others took a train to Chilworth and were met later at Old Simm's Copse. A further two took a train to Gomshall to do the walk in reverse. Of the main group, some ate lunch in the churchyard in Shere. Others carried on to Gomshall in the hope of getting food at a pub there.

    Nine of the picnicers carried on with the main walk and enjoyed the sight and scent of great expanses of bluebells. Five then headed to Gomshall and four continued on to Dorking along with the Chilworth three. Five got the 5.16 train from Dorking. Others may wish to report on their adventures.

Book 2 Walk 13 – Guildford to Gomshall
Length: 17.2 km (10.7 miles), with longer or shorter options. Toughness: 5/10

09:45 Guildford train from Waterloo (Clapham Jct 09:52, Woking 10:13), arriving Guildford at 10:24 (be careful not to take one of the slower Guildford trains via Effingham Jct).

The simplest ticket is an Any Permitted return to Gomshall (the standard ticket is marked 'Not via Guildford', which is obviously no use). However, the cheapest option is to buy a Zones 1-6 Travelcard (if you need it) plus a return from Boundary Zone 6 to Gomshall: this is marked 'Any Permitted' so is valid at Guildford. By some quirk this combination is cheaper than a London-Gomshall return and covers you all the way from your local station too.

Return trains from Gomshall are effectively every two hours: at 15:51, 17:51, etc, changing at Guildford; and at 16:02, 18:02, etc, in the other direction, changing at Dorking or Redhill. If you have a long wait there are hourly buses to around 6pm (Compass 32) which you could take to either Guildford or Dorking.

We've had a request for this walk via the church of St Martha-on-the-Hill, and as its introduction promises “a relief from mud in winter” it seems like the perfect choice. You pass the hilltop church in the morning before descending to “Surrey's prettiest village” Shere, with a choice of two pubs and a tearoom for lunch.

The standard afternoon route is a loop up onto the North Downs and back down to Gomshall, but the walk document offers several alternatives; eg. a very short direct ending, or a longer loop returning via Abinger Hammer. There's a tearoom and a pub in Gomshall while you're waiting for a bus or train.

You can download the directions (in a pdf document) from the Guildford to Gomshall walk page. T=2.13
  • Anonymous
    Wed, 12-Feb-20

    hum..feel a bit guilty as i'm the one requesting this lovely walk but there appears to be another storm coming at the weekend ...crazy ..and so i may not go.. soz Sean and thankyou anyway

  • Wed, 12-Feb-20

    I am wondering if we should just roll over all this week’s walks to next week, but I suppose that would mess up the walk posting rota

  • Anonymous
    Wed, 12-Feb-20

    The weather doesn’t look good this weekend.

    An option on this walk could be to end the walk at lunchtime. It’s about 20 minutes walk along a quiet road from Shere to Gomshall.

  • Wed, 12-Feb-20

    A regular feature of Walker's post-match reports is that the weather was nothing like as bad as the BBC predicted, we all had a lovely time, why did you stay at home? etc. This time, however, I'm willing to believe that Storm Denis might turn out to be a bit more of a nuisance. I suppose if you do show up at Guildford and it's really bad, being in a large town does offer plenty of other distractions. And as someone else noted, the design of this walk offers plenty of scope for cutting it short.

    If the weekend is a washout I think the various walk posters will be sympathetic to an early repeat of any walk which has been specifically requested, especially if the (usually anonymous) requester confirms which date they'd like it to re-appear.

  • Anonymous
    Thu, 13-Feb-20

    Hi Sean, I'm the requester yes please roll this walk over to about a months time? Spring might have really sprung by then!���� cheers

  • Sandy
    Fri, 14-Feb-20

    I'm inclined to give this a go, or at least head to Guildford and do some kind of walk, armed with a proper map of the area to facilitate improvising a tactical retreat. I'd like to get a walk in this weekend and heavy rain isn't forecast till the afternoon. Also I can always get home by bus - which I appreciate won't be the case for those living further afield.

  • Fri, 14-Feb-20

    I am inclined to do so also. On this walk you are never far from transport. You can descend from St Martha's Hill to Chilworth, from where there are trains every two hours and buses hourly, and a pub to wait in. You can finish the walk early in Gomshall, just after lunch - again, two hourly trains and hourly buses and two pubs plus a tea room. There are other walks in the Guildford area. There are also three ways back from Gomshall by train - via Guildford, Dorking or Redhill, which might be useful if a line gets blocked by a falling tree.

    St Martha's Hill and Pewley Down are likely to be VERY blowy, but a fair bit of the walk is in valleys, which MIGHT - repeat MIGHT - be more sheltered. A caveat is that the Met Office has a Yellow Weather Warning for Rain to the south of London but not to the north (or did have last time I looked): this MAY just mean that because rain is forecast to persist here from Saturday into all of Sunday, that they expect flooding to be an issue. But I don't know,. I am not an expert. As with all SWC walks, it is your responsibility to route find and also to assess using the broadcast or published weather forecast whether it is or is not a good idea to venture forth. Use your own judgement! I merely provide some facts and ideas to help you make up your mind.

  • Sat, 15-Feb-20

    Sing, Bard. Tell of the heroes, of the 6 (including one Newbie!) who defied the Storm of Dennis to trek from the Gilded Ford to the Hall of Gom, thinking naught of the warnings of the mighty Yellow Wizard of Met.

    Emerged did they from the Portals of the Rail to find winds but light and no rain to speak of. Nay, earlier on their voyaging had there even been a flickering of sun. A merry band were they as they traversed the verdant summits of Pewley. True, on the Hill of Martha ‘twas a bit blowy - as had been foretold by the Oracles - but they ducked behind the ancient temple to avoid it. Not till Shere was nigh did it start to rain a bit, a refreshing shower of heaven-sent droplets.

    Fain would four of the band have dined in the back rooms of the rustic inn they found there. But all the places therein being promised to the elves and hobbits of that region, they had to nab a table in the bar, at which they perched on high stools. Hearty was the fare, and swiftly served! Many a stirring tale was exchanged over a glass of ale.

    Two had a poorer lunch of naught but scraps of bread and condiments, but all assembled as one to face whatever the afternoon would bring. Now did the storm rage! The wind howled and the rain was eager. But figuring that they would not now catch the 13.51, our heroes bravely set their faces towards the lofty heights, thinking thus to while away the six score minutes until the next departure.

    More than a little courage was needed on this trek! At times the mighty oaks and ashes did bow and sway as if they would touch the ground in their writhings. At times the rain lashed (though at other times it didn’t). Eventually, fearing to miss the train, they were led by a secret short cut (cursed be any who reveals the location of this path!!) down to the valley.

    Would the 15.51 be running? But lo! It was. At the Gilded Ford there was something of a hiatus, but the four remaining hied themselves to the Cave of Costa for tea and an enchanted toastie, which seemed to be made of ham and cheese, but yet by wizardry was actually vegan. And so to the 16.34 Waterloo, and back to the cosy comfort of Hobbitshire, with the satisfaction of a grand adventure, well accomplished.

  • Anonymous
    Sat, 15-Feb-20

    👏👏🤴

  • Anonymous
    Sat, 15-Feb-20

    Brilliant. Well done to the 6. I regret not going.

Length: 17.2km (10.7 miles)

Longer options: 19.2km (11.9 miles) or 23.4km (14.5 miles)
Shorter option: 11km (6.8 miles) - normal morning but finishing very soon after lunch

Toughness: 5 out of 10: two quite big hill climbs, otherwise fairly gentle

9.30 train from Waterloo (the Portsmouth Harbour train, not the 9.33 stopping service) to Guildford, arriving 10.03.

From Clapham Junction get the 9.27 to Woking, changing there (arrive 9.45, depart 9.55) for the above train.

Buy a day return to Gomshall, making sure it is "any permitted route" (which it should be automatically if purchased at Waterloo).

For walk directions click here. For GPX click here.

This is possibly the only walk in the SWC canon that was created specifically to be done in January. A bracing winter outing, it has the advantage of sandy soils to keep mud down (at least in places) and some invigorating climbs and views. Also an interesting hill top church, and a cosy pair of pubs (or the choice of two cafes) for lunch.

After lunch the walk also includes options to please both the "More short walks please!" and the stride-out brigade:

- Shorter ending (11km/6.8 miles): This involves ending the walk just 1.4km after lunch when the route passes close to Gomshall station (instructions given in the walk document)

- (Slightly) Longer route to Gomshall (19.2k/11.9 miles): Unless you are in a rush to get to tea, I highly recommend this 2km extra loop, which takes in a nice open section of the escarpment: it is option c) in the walk document and if you follow the walk directions you will be prompted at the appropriate point.

- Long walk to Box Hill station (23.4km/14.5 miles): If you are one of those hyper-speedy walkers who lives in dread of finishing too early, this extension along the North Downs Way should fill the hours of daylight very nicely. The last bit - the broad track down onto the Denbies Wine Estate - is very doable in the dark.

Tea options in Gomshall have changed a bit. The little tea room attached to the Abinger Hammer post office was certainly still in operation back in the summer, but the capacious Tillings Tea Room in Gomshall has now become a shop - the Lavender Goose - with a small cafe attached. Of Gomshall's two pubs, the Compasses Inn is the traditional/time warp choice, but the Gomshall Mill, mostly a table service restaurant, also has a very cosy little bar. (If walking to Box Hill, the Denbies Wine Estate self-service is open until 5pm and the Stepping Stones pub is 400 metres beyond the station).

Trains back are at 15.50 (changing at Guildford), 16.04 (changing at Redhill, ie in the opposite direction), 17.50 (via Guildford), 18.04 (via Redhill): both routes take an hour.

There are also number 32 buses from outside the Compasses Inn to Guildford at 16.19 and 17.19, taking 25 minutes. The former is useful if you just miss the 16.04 train: the 17.19 bus probably doesn't save any time compared to the 17.50 train once you have factored in the walk from the bus station to the railway station in Guildford.

Trains from Box Hill station are at 40 past the hour to Victoria: your return to Gomshall should be valid on this route (point out you can get to Gomshall by changing between the two Dorking stations). T=2.13
  • Mon, 07-Jan-19

    This is of more use to those north of the river, but it has been pointed out to me by our resident train fare expert that while a day return From Waterloo to Gomshall, any permitted, with a Network Card is £14.20, from boundary zone six it is only £4.60. If you were then able to get a six zone travelcard with a Network Card discount (which you can do at weekends), the cost would be £8.60 (£12.70 without the Network discount) + £4.60 = £13.20. This may not sound like a large reduction, but it would include your travel from your house to and from Waterloo. Depending on how much this is, you could save you several pounds.

    One snag. Buying a 1-6 travelcard with a Network Card is only possible from "normal" rail station ticket machines and ticket offices. The Undergroud ticket machines do not offer this option - or did not last time I looked - though they do offer discounted travelcards for other types of railcard (Senior, Disabled...). But if you have a normal rail station nearby - or can get to a rail station ticket office in advance or one of the machines which lets you buy tickets in advance (which the Waterloo ones do, though the function is somewhat clunky), then you could take advantage of this.

  • Anonymous
    Mon, 07-Jan-19

    Thank you to the Train Fare Expert for working out the Network Card discount, and to Walker for sharing the information.

    As a keen walker with a limited budget, the train fare advice is very much appreciated.

  • Anonymous
    Fri, 11-Jan-19

    Thinking of doing the short cut between Shere and Gomshall then continuing on to Dorking, which would make a walk of about 9.5 miles with easy trains back to London

  • Anonymous
    Fri, 11-Jan-19

    if go to Dorking, what ticket should we buy?

  • Fri, 11-Jan-19

    I think the safest ticket if you are ending at Dorking is still a Gomshall day return, valid any permitted. This is definitely valid both via Guildford and via Redhill/Dorking. You could in theory do Gomshall to Dorking Deepdene and then Dorking (main station) to London on the way back from Gomshall, so a Gomshall return is valid via Dorking or Box Hill, says I, even though this is a slightly unconventional way to do the journey.

    By contrast a Dorking return is almost certainly not valid via Guildford: I have looked in the past and found no evidence that it is, at least.

  • Sat, 12-Jan-19

    I have to correct my earlier comment: it IS now possible to buy a one day travelcard with a Network Card from an Underground ticket machine (at weekends only). I just bought one.

  • Anonymous
    Sat, 12-Jan-19

    The pub and cafe at Sheere were both full to bursting by the time that most of the walkers arrived so some of us (at least 5) lunched in Gomshall - 3 at the Gomshall Inn which was according to reports excellent

    12 of us left the walk at Gomshall on the shortcut, taking the 14.04

    This means that I got home at 16.15 - rather early really but a good mornings walk with Martha’s church offering splendid views

  • Sat, 12-Jan-19

    24 on this walk on a cloudy mild day . The group soon got a bit spread out so I am not sure what everyone did. I am surprised to see from the previous comment that 12 ended at Gomshall after 6.8 miles. I know 4 did this but for half the group to do this is unusual. I know two (or three?) did the standard main walk and one the extended loop. Four of us went on to Box Hill station.

    The White Horse and Dabbling Duck cafe in Shere were indeed both full, but a fair few did squeeze into the bar area of the pub to eat and seem to have been served very quickly. Be assured that the other pub, the William Bray, is only closed till March for refurbishment, so hopefully the lunch situation on this walk will improve then. Five of us went to the Compasses Inn in Gomshall, which was nearly empty. Do I understand from the previous comment that three went to the Gomshall Mill pub? And two elsewhere?

    The four of us who carried on along the North Downs Way to Box Hill station had a good walk, arriving at 4.30 at the Denbies Wine Estate where some had tea and some sampled the fermented grape juice. We then had a walk in the dark to the Stepping Stones pub for a cosy drink and caught the 6.40 train.

    Paths throughout the day were dry as a bone. Another week with no mud on the boots - unprecedented for this time of year.

  • Anonymous
    Sun, 13-Jan-19

    I took a low level route from Shere to Dorking, following footpaths on the map. It was a nice route with views of the north downs way across to the left and saves climbing the hills after lunch.

Book 2, Walk 13d - Guildford to Boxhill

Length: 25 km (15.5 miles). Option to end in Gomshall (7 miles or 10.7 miles)
Toughness: long walk 7 out of 10. Gomshall endings 5 out of 10

London Waterloo: 10-15 hrs Haslemere service CJ 10-22 hrs
Arrive Guildford: 10-50 hrs

Return: Gomshall to Waterloo via Guildford: 13-53, 15-53 and 16-33 hrs
Return: Boxhill to London Victoria (change at Epsom for Waterloo): 15-59, 16-28, 17-03, 17-33, 17-58, 18-28, 18-57 and 19-28 hrs

Rail ticket: if planning to end your walk in Gomshall, buy a day return to Gomshall any route permitted.
If planning to walk to Boxhill, buy a day return to Guildford. You might be asked to buy a single from Boxhill to Leatherhead, but chances are you won't.

A hybrid, mix-and-match of a walk today, encompassing the best bits of a number of walks in this area, with some good bluebell woods along the way.
Leaving Guildford you walk beside the River Wey Navigation before crossing the canal and making for Chantries Hill with nice views from on top. Up to the church of St Martha-on-the-Hill, then along the North Downs Way and down to the village of Shere, where you stop for lunch at the White Horse pub.
You can end your walk shortly after the village of Shere by heading direct to Gomshall (the 7 mile walk) or you can head up into the hills before descending to Gomshall (the 10-7 mile walk). But the suggested walk today has you up into the hills and along the ridge to Boxhill, passing some good bluebell woods along the way, and some excellent displays in Ranmoor Common towards walk-end.If you make it in time you can take tea at Denbies.
T=2.13
Main walk directions here L=2.13
For the Chantries start you will also need these directions


  • Sun, 29-Apr-18

    You almost certainly will get away with a day return to Guildford from Boxhill (clever! I hadn’t thought of that one) but a drt to Gomshall, even if you intend to walk Guildford to Boxhil, would seal the argument absolutely. Via Dorking is absolutely permissible as a way to Gomshall and Boxhill is on the way back from Dorking.

    But yes, Leatherhead is on the way to Guildford too and a drt to Guildford is cheaper. Tee hee hee. What a fascinating world we live in....

  • Mon, 30-Apr-18

    Mud warning: for those of you continuing the walk up onto the North Downs after Shere, en route to Boxhill, some paths are likely to be very muddy: best don gaiters after lunch (you should not need to wear them before).

  • Anonymous
    Tue, 01-May-18

    Anyone attending this walk? Weather slight rain till 11am and possibly cloudy and even sunny in the afternoon. I intend to do Guildford to Gomshall (10.7mls). Care to join me?

    Monica

  • Wed, 02-May-18

    Monica, some of my companions on yesterday's walk will be joining you today, plus - I expect - some other Wednesday regulars. I decided against joining you as during the coming ten days I will be doing most legs of today's walk (in either direction) on other walks.

  • Anonymous
    Wed, 02-May-18

    Marcus many thanks for your reply. Since I did not get any response earlier and as there was a walk on Tuesday guess no one will attend plus also weather wise not great. I would have love to attend yesterday's walk as I did it last year with you and few others - it was a great walk with blue bells etc. I shall be attend the May day bank holiday walk Holmwood to Gomshall.

    I am not a fan of stiles like you say knees issues. Hope there aren't too many stiles on the walk Holmwood to Gomshall.

    Regards Monica

  • Anonymous
    Sat, 05-May-18

    1, wet

  • Sun, 06-May-18

    Sorry to read that Anonymous was alone on today's wet walk. I did the walk in reverse on the following day, in fine Spring sunshine, starting at Box Hill and ending in Guildford, having followed Book 1, Walk 14, Gomshall to Guildford. A good lunch at the Compasses Inn, Gomshall, and some good displays of bluebells en route - but nothing like as good as those on our recent Shiplake and Tring walks.

Sat, 23-Sep-17 : Guildford to Gomshall 12
HollieB
HollieB
Guildford to Gomshall - Book 2 Walk 13
10.7 miles / 17.1 km (Main walk)

This walk starts with a steep climb out of Guildford up to the dramatic viewpoint of Pewley Down. It then joins the North Downs Way to climb to the hilltop church of St Martha-on-the-Hill.
Lunch is in the pretty village of Shere at the foot of the downs. After lunch the route heads back up onto the downland before descending to Gomshall.

Trains: Take the 9:35 Portsmouth Harbour train from London Waterloo to Guildford, arriving at 10:16.
Return trains from Gomshall are at 15:53, 17:53 etc to London Waterloo (changing at Guildford), or 16:04, 18:04 etc to London Bridge (changing at Redhill).
You will need a day return to Gomshall via any permitted route (to allow outward travel via Guildford).

Lunch: The White Horse (01483 202518) is a popular stop in the centre of the village, but you could also try the William Bray, a gastro pub 40m further up the road, or the Dabbling Duck tea room and restaurant.

The Compasses Inn in Gomshall is the recommended place to wait for the next train..

Click here for full walk details - including some ways you can lengthen or shorten the route

T=2.13
  • Anonymous
    Sun, 24-Sep-17

    I think we were 12 and the weather was dry warm sunny . I thought it was a lovely walk and a nice day out in good company.

Book 2, Walk 13d: Guildford to Boxhill, via Chantries Hill, Shere, Gomshall and Ranmore Common

Length: full walk: 22.5 km (14 miles).
Ending in Gomshall: 13.7 km (8.5 miles)
Toughness: 6 out of 10


London Waterloo: 10-15 hrs Haslemere train. Clapham Junction 10-22 hrs
Arrive Guildford: 10-50 hrs

Return Box Hill and Westhumble to London Victoria: 15-59, 16-28, 17-03, 17-33, 17-58, 18-28 and 18-57
Return Dorking (Main) to Waterloo: 16-04, 16-34, 17-04, 17-34 and 18-04 hrs. Change at Epsom for Victoria
Return Dorking (Main) to Victoria: 4 mins before the Box Hill to Victoria service

Return Gomshall to Waterloo: 15-53, 16-53 via Guildford.
Return Gomshall to Victoria: 14-04 and 16-04 via Dorking Deepdene and Dorking (Main)

Rail ticket: try a day return to Guildford. You may have to pay a supplement from Box Hill to Leatherhead.
If returning from Gomshall make sure your rail ticket is to Gomshall via Guildford (or Dorking Deepdene).

Hopefully we will come upon some late bluebell woods along today's route, particularly late afternoon.. If not, this is still a lovely hybrid-of-a-walk, with a mix and match of Book 2 and SWC walks.

Setting out from Guildford, we will make for the River Wey, which we soon cross to go up Chantries Hill - SWC Walk 57, with some lovely views on top. From there we head for the church of St Martha-on-the-Hill, in the middle of nowhere. Then we follow the main Book 2 walk along the North Downs Way to the village of Shere for lunch at the White Horse - best 'phone ahead with numbers, your e.t.a 1 pm - 01483-202044.
After lunch you walk uphill past the village church to Gomshall where you can conclude your walk by making for the railway station. Otherwise, it's uphill and down dale and along the North Downs Way, passing numerous WW2 pillboxes, all the way to Ranmore Common, with some good bluebell woods en route. You then head down to Denbies for tea. From the tea rooms you can head either to Box Hill and Westhumble, or Dorking (Main) stations, for your journey home.
Enjoy !
T=2.13
Walk Directions here: L=2.13

You should also bring along SWC Walk 57 (for the Chantries Hill leg) - directions here.

Next Week, Wednesday 24 May: Book 1, Walk 25 - Rye to Hastings
  • Thu, 18-May-17

    Our fair weather walking colleagues stayed in bed today, so just 3 regulars alighted from the train at Guildford, to be met by another at the station and another en route, so that's 5 . Yes - it did rain for most of the day , but our friends who stayed in bed missed a lovely morning's walk, helped by the rain refreshing the countryside. Bluebells were on their last legs, as expected, but there were plenty of other woodland flowers along the way, but no rhododendrons - now out in impressive displays on the Holmwood to Gomshall walk. All five of us enjoyed a good lunch at the White Horse in Shere - and then a bit of common sense befell us. As the rain, which had briefly relented, started up again, we decided to end the day's walk in Gomshall, instead of carrying on in the wet to Box Hill. Tea was taken at the Compasses in Gomshall as we waited for the 15-53 train to Guildford. A good connection there and we were back in Waterloo in no time. An enjoyable day in quality company - and no complaints over the rain - the South-East needs a lot more of it.

    Three from our small party of five are off to Glencoe this weekend: we hope they have a most enjoyable time - and the rain holds off up there !!.

Mr M Tiger
Mr M Tiger
Guildford to Gomshall Book 2 Walk 13
Main walk 17.1km (10.7 miles)
a) Short walk to Gomshall 10.9km (6.8 miles)
c) Longer route to Gomshall 19.0km (11.8 miles
Difficulty 5/10

“We are stardust, we are golden, and we’ve got to get ourselves back to the garden”
Forget Woodstock. I bet when Joni Mitchell penned those lines, she was really thinking about Gomshall and the garden of the Compasses Inn. I’ve had a request for a walk ending there to coincide with "Gomstock" (a mini festival organised by the pub).
This walk takes you through the Surrey Hills AONB, climbing out of Guildford to the North Downs Way and on to the hilltop church of St Martha-on-the-Hill. From there you follow the Pilgrims Way down to lunch in the pretty village of Shere. Shortly after Shere, option (a) would take you directly to the Compasses Inn. Otherwise it's back up onto the downs for more of the same. Both the main walk and the longer option (c) get you to Gomshall eventually. They just take longer about it.
If you want to visit "Gomstock" (which runs from 12:15 till 9:30), tickets are £6, with proceeds going to charity. If it's "billion-year old carbon" you're after, they do have a barbecue (from 3:00).
Alternatively, you could just go straight home, happy and content with your day's walking.
Trains Get a return to Gomshall. It should specify "any permitted route" to allow travel via Guildford. (There is a cheaper ticket that's no good for Guildford).
Get the 10:00 Portsmouth Harbour train from Waterloo (10:09 Clapham Junction) arriving Guildford 10:40.
Trains back from Gomshall are
  • two-hourly from Platform 1 changing at Redhill for Victoria 15:11, 17:11, 19:11, 21:11, 23:11 (GWR/Southern)
  • and two hourly from Platform 2 changing at Guildford for Waterloo 16:44, 18:44, 20:44, 22:44, (GWR/SWT)
Note the long interval between the xx:11 and the next xx:44.

Lunch: 2 pubs and a tea room to choose from in Shere.
The White Horse, (01483 202 518) a rambling ancient inn.
The William Bray, (01483 202 044) recently refurbished as a gastro pub. Good reviews from walkers.
The Dabbling Duck, (01483 205 791).Sandwiches, cakes and drinks are available all day at this tea room and restaurant, and it has hot food at lunch time.

Tea: On the two longer options, you can call in at Abinger Hammer Tea Room, attached to the post office in the village of Abinger Hammer.
In Gomshall, the Compasses Inn (01483 202 506) will be free to enter, except for the garden (the one we have to get back to, where Gomstock is happening). You also have Tillings Tea Room, 55 Station Road, (01483 202 214) and Gomshall Mill Inn (01483 203 060)
Walk Directions here:
Best to use the on-line directions. They have been amended since the book.

T=2.13
  • Sun, 21-Aug-16

    Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair.

    (But don't pick any you see growing by the path, because that is illegal)

  • Wed, 24-Aug-16

    Maaaaaan this looks a cool walk. Who's bringing the SWC bong?

  • Anonymous
    Wed, 24-Aug-16

    Like a true Nature’s child, we were born, born to be wild ... err ... I meant born, born to be walkers.

    Take a walk on the wild side and watch out for those big yellow taxis

  • Anonymous
    Sun, 28-Aug-16

    4 on this walk, two ageing hippies, a flower child and David. The weather was varied but just some brief drizzle . Stunning scenery shortly after leaving Guildford with great views from St. Martha's Church. The allotments on the approach into Shere town centre were a riot of colourful flora including some huge sunflowers.

    The Lucky (now Dabbling) Duck provided great food and tea for the four. Conveniently, a major shower came and went during our visit there.

    We decided on the shorter afternoon leg in case of more inclement weather (or were we just feeling lazy?)

    One snatched a quick view of the "Gomstock" festival and went straight to the station while the others followed the correct route and caught the next train.

    An easy and relaxing day out for all.

  • Anonymous
    Tue, 30-Aug-16

    Gomstock was great. Didn't see anyone I knew there. I was there from about one til six thirty. The variety of the different bands I saw, about six were really good and the quality was very enjoyable. Good beer, food and a lot of people. Hope to make this in more years to come if I am not away for the ABH, Gavin

Walker
Walker
T=2.13 Book 2, Walk 13 Guildford to Gomshall
Length: 17.1 Km, 10.7 miles (with shorter and longer options - see walk description)
Toughness: 5/10

Outbound train: 09:45 Waterloo, 9.52 Clapham Junction arriving at Guildford 10:23

Return trains: 17.53, 19.53 via Guildford or 18.04, 20.04 via Redhill
Buy a day return to Gomshall (any permitted).

For walk directions click here

We asked for request from walkers for our bank holiday walks, and this North Downs outing was the first one that was picked.

Its anonymous proposer says: "I recall this as a really nice walk. It's not too far from London and has shorter and longer options. I especially like the afternoon extension into the valley after Colekitchen Farm."


  • Anonymous
    Sun, 30-Aug-15

    If the weather is unfavourable, there is an option to finish the walk at lunchtime by walking directly from Shere to Gomshall. It's about 20 minutes walk along the road.