Guildford Circular: A Walk In The North Downs

At the beginning of December 2020, as we just came out of lockdown 2.0 not knowing another one was looming around the corner, we left our beloved city of London for a walk in the Guildford area.

Guildford circular walk features picture showing the view over the North Downs valley from the top of a hill

Logistics for the Guilford circular walk

Distance: 13.4 miles (21.7km)
Total Ascent: 1243 ft (379 m)
Highest Point: 564 ft (172 m)
Lowest Point: 98 ft (30 m)
Walking Estimate: 5 hours 45 minutes
Difficulty: Intermediate

How to get there:
- Direct train from London Waterloo to Guildford. The journey takes 45 minutes
- It is a circular walk so you can book a day return ticket

What to pack:
- Comfortable footwear and clothing
- Sunscreen, sunglasses and head cover when it is sunny as the path is quite exposed
- Rain gear when it is rainy for the same reason as above
- Water (at least 2L recommended),
- Snacks & packed lunch
- Money for the pub at the end

Additional Information
- There are no public toilets on this walk

Where to eat and drink:
- The Britannia, Guildford, Surrey

Highlights of the Guildford circular walk

Guildford
St Martha’s Hill
Blackheath
Chilworth Gunpowder Factory
Lama Farm

Guildford Circular walk

Start of the walk

Fancy a trip to North Downs? You have made the right choice. This walk will take you from the charming city of Guildford to part of the Both Downs ways. It is designated an Official Area of Outstanding Beauty.

The walk starts in the picturesque city of Guildford (35 minutes from London from Waterloo Station). Its history traces back to the Bronze Age. You can admire its castle built in the twelfth century by the Normans and roam around its cobbled streets.

view from Guildford high street — The busy Guildford high street

Martha’s Hill

Then, we hike along the river to leave the city and get onto the hills, open woodland and lush green fields. We start by entering Chantry Wood and after that, we climb Martha’s Hill. Nested at the top of the hill find an ancient Church built in the XII Century. You can admire the breathtaking view and you can see as far as the sea on a clear day.

Chilworth

After Martha’s hill. we leave the woods to enter the open fields. We walk along The Roughs, and pass by Shelbourne to re-enter the woodland in Albury. Once we pass Albury, we continue our route to get to Blackheath.

Then, this hike takes you to the woods of Chilworth. Hidden in the valley, on the bank of the Tillingbourne, you will find the ruins of a gunpowder factory. It was built by the East India Company in 1626 and closed its doors after 300 years of manufacturing in 1920. Some of the buildings were demolished and some were simply in ruins. However, you can still admire the mill wheels and buildings walls of a factory that used to cover 27 acres. From Chilworth, we then walk along the TIllingbourne all the way back to Guildford and finally get back to London.

Related Content: Best Surrey Hills Walks

Other things you can see along the route

Llamas at the bottom of a hill
My favourite: a British flag, floating in the middle of a field

There is no designated place for lunch on the way, so we found a log in a clearing that we used as a bench.

View coming up to a hill, Guildford — Coming up to a hill

End of the Guildford circular walk and back to London

Once you have completed the walk back to Guilford, there are plenty of options to eat. You can also eat when you get back to London, which is what we did. You would find a food quarter walking distance from Waterloo by the London Eye. If you are really hungry and in a hurry, I would recommend that you eat at the Cote Brasserie: you can book online when you are on the train back to London and the service is quick. Bon appetit!