North Downs Way - Guildford to Farnham (★★★☆☆)

This was the final day of walking to complete both the Canterbury version of the North Downs Way and a slightly shorter walk from Rochester to Farnham. Today I had swapped out my Dad's company for my Mum's - and would be heading out from Guildford to Farnham. On the previous day I had walked from Merstham to Guildford.

The walk started exactly as the last day had ended - heading out via Pewley Downs, and along the Mile Path to rejoin the North Downs Way - and the same picture from the end of the last walk can get a second run, to show the walk out from Pewley Downs in slightly nicer weather than this morning :

View from Pewley Downs from the night before

At the base of the Mile Path from Pewley Downs we connect back up with the North Downs Way and start a pretty walk through the woods at the Chantries - with this broken up by a brief early spell spent walking in the open past horses grazing on either side. 

Just past the gap in the trees looking towards Pewley Downs

Whilst the path officially follows the primary track, which is shared by the cars accessing the horse farm - a parallel path has been created by walkers that is a slightly nicer route through the woods, and in a much better condition under foot.

In autumn this is a very pretty stretch to walk along, and it isn't a bad walk today, as we head through the woods before eventually coming out at the car park for the Chantries - and here we begin a short section of road walking.

The wider views are fairly limited during this section walking through the Chantries - but for those who don't mind going a bit off course, you can walk along the ridge on the far side of the Chantries without adding much in the way of additional distance. 

This does not complicate navigation, but at the same time you will not be disappointed by the official route -you will just miss some of the views out towards Godalming and the surrounding countryside. 

Today we are sticking to the official route (we have after all seen all those views before)  - and from the car park we follow the road, passing some large houses, and then crosses over a busy road, before heading across Shalford Park.

Once across the park we meet up with the River Wey, and immediately cross over a bridge that takes us over the river. This isn't a bad spot to stop on the sandy bank, but it is a little early in the walk to doing that today, and so we head on.

The river looking south

The river looking north towards Guildford

The River Wey is a pretty river, and one day I will look to walk it in one go and add the writeup for that onto this site, but we only get a brief glimpse at the river - and once across we head up the ridge on the far side, past some very old houses.

This takes us past St Catherine's Chapel (which you can pop up and see - there are a few old ruins and it is not a long walk up the hill). From here we are nearly past Guildford, and it is remarkable how well this route by-passes Guildford so completely.

The part of me that sees the North Downs Way as a countryside stroll likes the way the route get's past such a large urban centre without paying it a visit, but there is a slight degree to which this takes away from the Pilgrim's Way aspect of the trail - after all it seems unlikely that traveler's on foot would avoid a town that was full of coach inns.

I have tried to research how traveler's might have approached Guildford, but there isn't a wealth of information on the subject. My best guess is that they would have cut up from the river and then come back down from Pewley Downs as we did this morning, but I don't really know and there seems to be no good way to find out.

But in any case, we are definitely following an old route - and this route quickly takes us back out into the farmland on the far side of Guildford, making this very large town feel like a mere village as we put it behind us.

The path the other side of Guildford

Continuing on across the fields, we head past, but do not get any sight of, Losely Park - a large tudor manor built in 1568 (on the other side of the trees) - and then we cut in through woods just above Polsted Manor (another 16th century manor, but one that has been substantially rebuilt).

Woods past Polested Manor

From here we walk on past Watts Gallery, which has facilities available if you need to stop. And then from here we need to get beyond the path of the A3 -  but despite this being a busy road it is a relatively pleasant trip under a high and airy road bridge - giving a much better feel than many other underpasses you come across and giving off very little in the way of road noise. 

After ticking off that crossing, we pass the site of a Roman Villa on the map - and a bit of research suggests that this is a 'known presence of a Roman villa' rather than anything more substantial.

Leaving this site behind, the route then heads through Puttenham Heath, and past Puttenham golf course - which is a pretty golf course, and although you are strictly forbidden from using any of their benches, you are at least allowed to stop once you reach the cricket pitch just beyond the golf course (hurrah for the cricketers!).

From here it is a short trip into the old and relatively unchanged village of Puttenham, crossing over a very busy road, before heading into the peace and quiet of the village itself.

Church at Puttenham

Having passed through Puttenham there is a bit of road walking to be done, but on a very quiet road that don't really lead anywhere - and over time this road turns into a footpath as we pass through Little Common, and then past Long Bottom (at the top of Puttenham Common).

From this scrubland the path heads on through Totford Wood, and then runs along the edge of fields on the way into Seale (where there is a large campsite) - and then heads out beyond Seale, passing fruit farms beyond this village.

Fruit farms near Seale

From here the path continues on through fairly agricultural countryside, before we start a stretch of road walking, as we head down towards The Sands and then up towards Runfold.

Before we reach Runfold, the path turns off to the left, heading through fields and then into more open land - before meeting up with the River Wey, not too far from it's northern source up in Alton.

Having joined up with a road to cross over this river, the footpath tracks alongside the course of the river as it winds round, heading into Farnham - where the path comes out alongside a busy road.

At the side of this busy road we come across the start (or end) of the North Downs Way trail - in a spot that isn't quite as grand as you might expect from the start point of a 153 mile trail.

Despite my having completed the length of the trail, there is no sign of the local mayor and no one seems to have come out to congratulate me - instead as it starts to rain we head off to the train station to head home.

The end marker at Farnham

The final route map - they could at least have cleaned it

It is a bit of a low key finish to a trail I have really enjoyed walking - but in many ways it mirrors the opposite end of the trail at Dover, which was similarly anti-climatic. 

By this point we have gone beyond the end of the Surrey Hills - and from here any further walking towards Winchester will take us into the South Downs. 

Whilst the length of the North Downs Way is complete, I still haven't completed the entirety of the trail, and so maybe this won't be the last of my walking on this route. 

Overall though, it has been an enjoyable walk with particular highlights on the following sections:

1. Bearsted train station to Harrietsham train station
2. Merstham train station to Westhumble train station
3. Betchworth train station to Gomshall train station
4. Charing train station to Chilham train station
5. Oxted train station to Merstham train station

In addition to these I would give a special mention for the section between Chilworth train station and Guildford, which although a bit shorter is still very good. 

If you are looking for a walk to do, the North Downs Way is a very easy walk to do, and well worth having a think about doing.

Total Distance: 14.9 miles (12.2 miles on the North Downs Way)

Total Ascent: 1,221 feet (1,001 feet on the North Downs Way)

Enjoyment Rating : ⭐⭐⭐ ★ ★ / 5

To read about the walk from Rochester to Dover (walked earlier in the year) click here.

Disclaimer: This writeup provides a narrative of what to expect rather than a route guide to follow. The route is covered by the 186 OS Landranger map - while there is also a North Downs Way guidebook which includes OS mapping (links redirect to Amazon). The route is in general well way-marked.