Weybridge to Guildford - Surrey (17 miles linear) - W2P S3
5 people attending
10 places left
This is walk 3 (Weybridge to Guildford) of my planned set of walks from Waterloo to Portsmouth. If you haven't been on any of the previous walks - please do still feel free to join - each leg makes for a great standalone day walk.
This stage is pretty straightforward - we follow the River Wey Navigation (canal) all the way from Weybridge to Guildford - hopefully I shouldn't get lost on this one ! The Navigation does make for beautiful little stretch of water side walking. The Navigation is part man-made canal / part adapted parts of the River Wey. It opened in 1653, consisting of 12 locks, joining Guildford to the Thames - enabling the transport of heavy goods between London and Guildford. It was donated to the National Trust in 1964. For the curious there is a lot more detail here : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wey_and_Godalming_Navigations
Being a canal walk there isn't much ascent for the day - a whopping 70m over 17 miles.
NOTE : This is Eurovision day ! I'm starting the walk slightly earlier so we can finish up by 5. This should enable you to back to London Waterloo by 6pm ... or even Kennington for the ODL Eurovision social (which I plan on going to) https://www.outdoorlads.com/events/london-social-eurovision-2019-190518
Media Credits : All photos by me.
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What's the W2P S3 mean in the title ? It stands for Waterloo to Portsmouth Stage 3 - This year I decided to lead a series of 9 linear walks which will take us all the way from Waterloo to Portsmouth (W2P). Current plan is to finish up sometime early September. Each stage of the walk will pick up where the last one finished off. The walks will largely start/end at stations on the Waterloo to Portsmouth line, with most stages being 18-20 miles. If you haven't done any of the previous stages - or can't do any future ones - please still free to join. Each walk on it's own should still be a great day out.
What to bring
Water: bring a couple of litres of water
Medicines: if you have hay fever, diabetes, minor ailments etc.
Rucksack: or any other bag
Footwear: hiking boots or trail shoes. A lot of today will be on (possibly muddy) canal side paths.
Layered clothing: lets you quickly adapt to changes in the weather and body temperature. Go for a base layer (vest or t-shirt) and a mid layer (a micro fleece or shirt) and in cooler weather add an outer layer (a windproof jacket or thick fleece)
Trousers: ideally not jeans which become heavy and cold in the rain, breathable fabrics are more comfortable and dry.
Waterproof jacket: breathable fabrics are more comfortable and dry
Hat or cap: stay warm in winter and shaded in summer
Sunglasses: you never know ....
Sun cream: can be useful even on cloudy and winter days
Snacks: bring biscuits, energy bars, gels, bananas, chocolate or dried fruit for example and put them somewhere easy to get hold of
Food & drink
Bring a packed lunch and plenty of water. While not particularly remote we don't go by many shops.