Sunny autumn days can be sparse in England. On a beautiful Sunday in November, my friend Amy and I decided to make the most of the fantastic weather and to get out and about. This time, Amy researched a beautiful circular route for us with lots of options to shorten or extend the walk as required, starting from Guildford.
Note: The complete hike description and tips for similar, organised hikes in groups can be found on the bottom of the page.
Guildford is a picturesque market town with Saxon roots 43 km southwest of London. Famous past and current residents include Lewis Carroll (author of Alice in Wonderland) and Terry Jones (the Monty Python writer). But whilst the town is a treat in itself, once visitors leave the cobbled streets and historical buildings behind, there’s a beautiful countryside to discover as well.
I took the train from London to Guildford and met Amy at the station, from where we made our way towards the River Wey. Crossing a bridge from town at the height of Millmead Lock, we continued along the river until we reached another bridge. This one took us onto the ancient North Downs Way path and along the old Pilgrim’s way. After an ascent through the Chantries woodlands, we eached the top of the hill and the remote St. Martha’s Church. The site is thought to date back as far as 3500 BCE.
From here, views to the south are spectacular – as far as the South Downs by Brighton. Sitting on a bench on the old graveyard, Amy and I enjoyed our packed lunches in the sunshine. We didn’t linger for too long though,as with the days getting shorter, we had to hurry up to avoid having to hike in the darkness. At times, the path ahead of us was completely covered with golden sand, an odd sight for this area. This is what is thought to have given the town of Guildford its name: The old English “gylde” (meaning “golden”) and “ford”, referring to Guildford castle).
In Albury, we started to loop back westwards, following Blackheath Lane towards Blackheath and back to the River Wey. We concluded the 20 km hike back in Guildford after just over five hours.
Read the complete description of the hike here.
Similar hikes are organised by various groups on Meetup.com throughout winter, e.g.:
