This section from Guilford to Westhumble is longer and a little more strenuous than the first, with more ascent, but the climbs are not steep, except in a few brief stretches.
We start at Guilford Railway station, follow the Scholar’s Trail and the Warwick’s Bench, then join the NDW, pass the Chantry Wood, walk up to the St Martha’s church where we will have splendid panoramic views across the Tillingbourne Valley towards Blackheath and the Greensand Hills, and across Guilford and the Wey Valley. We continue our NDW to the Newlands Corner and have our early lunch there and toilets are available. After lunch, we follow NDW to the Netley Park which was the WWII training ground of Canadian armed forces as they prepared for the Normandy landings of June 1944. The concrete water tanks are relics of their occupation. Along the NDW, we will pass 7 ‘Pillbox’, (may be hidden by foilage), a miniature fort as the construction is reminiscent of boxes that used to contain medicinal pills. They were used in WWI and WWII. We then pass Ranmore Common and straight to Westhumble and there is a pub nearby.
Bring packed lunch and sit mat.
Take the SWR train either at Waterloo (9:27) or at Clapham Junction (9:34) and arrive Guilford at 10:02.
The train back from Boxhill & Westhumble to Waterloo is at 35 and 46 minutes past the hour.
Buy two single tickets, one to Guildford and the other back from Boxhill & Westhumble.
For senior rail card holders, buy from Surbiton to Guildford, and Boxhill & Westhumble to Ewell West.
No booking required.
The finish time is an estimate and dependent upon the size and speed of the groups, weather and footpath conditions and the number of breaks taken.