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clarcana: Walking:

Walk from Guildford to Redhill.
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Parametric data

Route name:
GuildfordR
Start point:
Guildford.
End point:
Redhill.
This route on OS maps:
https://explore.osmaps.com/route/17100086/ ...
Distance:
21.2 miles walked, 18.7 miles flown.
Duration
:
  
7.7 hours.[1]
Topology:
Point to point (Eastward).
Ascent:
500 metres (a walk record).
Stiles:
0 (zero). Gates have replaced them now.
Landmark of note:
The Optohedron. One in a sequence of public art. Apparently.
Feasible excursion:
If the North Downs way is too muddy then swing south of the woods going up to Newland's Corner.

Waypoints:
Pewley, Newland's Corner, Albury, Shere, Netley Park, Hackhurst Down, Blatchford Down, Abinger, Ranmore, Dorking, Deepdene, Pixham, Betchworth, Buckland, Reigate, Wray Common, Gatton.

Weather:
Five 'nanas awarded. Says the forecast: 17 °C,[2] 🌤️ No rain. 50% cloud cover.

Avoiding roads:
Three 'nanas awarded. White Lane, some traffic, adequate verges (but see excursion). Staple Lane, light traffic only.

Footpath construction:
One 'nanas awarded. Guildford to Dorking is mostly dirt. Dorking to home pretty much all tarmac.

Footpath condition:
Three 'nanas awarded. OK, just about. See text.
Refreshments:
Coffee from Starbucks. Packed lunch half a mile before Dorking.

Vistas:
Five 'nanas awarded. The OS marks Pewley and Ranmore as viewpoints.

Blackberries:
Four 'nanas awarded. Much of the route during season.[3]

Route map and notes.

Well, here we go. This is the big one. A twenty-one mile stroll along the downs. My previous distance record in a single day was home from East Grinstead : 13.3 miles. Two reasons mean this route is not a complete novelty. Firstly, I have already walked Guildford to Dorking (12 miles) and, also, home from Dorking (9.5 miles). You only need to string those two journeys together to make, abracadabra, this walk. Secondly, Guildford was my regular commute for 40+ years. I simply never tackled it with Shanks' Pony until now. Whilst managing to avoid the M25 is a definite plus from the transportation viewpoint, this way does have a downside: a 17:00 departure from Guildford means that I would not have arrived home before 01:00 the following morning. That would not be ideal from the sleep angle.

Easy walking? Dream on.
Photo showing a fallen tree across UE013/111/20.

All good in theory. In practice, problems still need ironing out. On a stroll of this distance what I want is easy walking: no mud, tree roots, steep gradients, loose stones, vegetation overgrowth, navigation headaches, horse manure, brambles or nettles. Followers of these sagas of perambulation during the winter months will know how many have been set in The Capital's mud-free tarmac terrain. The Strand competes with the Surrey Hills only in terms of footpath construction so, with the start of summer barely three weeks off, is it still wishful thinking to hope that the North Downs Way has dried out a bit? I'm doubly in need of easy going, having acquired a blister from the 40+ miles of Thames Path[4] that I had walked the week before.

Fear not! No bone was ever as dry as the sections now that were submerged in January. Well, for most of the NDW, that is. Parts of the middle section from, say, Hollister Farm to Landbarn Farm, include potholes apparently produced by wheeled vehicles of various sorts; logging lorries, even. The National Trust does a fine job maintaining the NDW itself but, understandably, the minor routes don't receive the same level of care. For example there's the right turn near to 51.2356,-0.386667. On my earlier attempt I missed this entirely, continuing straight on along the higher level NDW. The belated descent, in the dark, nearly cost me a broken neck. It seems, however, that you are between a rock and a hard place. Remain on the NDW and you end up too far north at Burford Bridge, looking at an ascent of Box Hill. On legs as crackered as mine? Puh-lease. However, attempt a descent towards Ashcombe and the A25 and you face the 75 foot drop typical of a downland Ankle Breaker.[5]

What's really needed is a rethink of the route. Much of its mid-section follows the NDW because I imagined that the A25 from Abinger to Westcott lacked a continuous footway. Look more closely, though, and there may be one of sorts - set back from the eastbound carriageway. It appears indistinct and neglected, and secateurs may be needed, but something is there.[6] With luck, a footway may even run from Silent Pool. I look forward to further exploration in the near future.

Back to day, however, and it's not a great start. My elderly cat is on his last legs and requires nursing. I reach the station late and the Rail app maintains I should change at Clapham Junction rather than Redhill (as normal). Is that right, Jimmie? Arriving at Guildford, I fire up the Starbucks app and pre-order some breakfast. At the High Street, however, the real Starbucks premises are shut because of some issue with one of the ovens. Rats. So much for IT.

Another delay, half way up to Pewley, after it becomes clear I need to apply sunblock; the premier walk, in fact, on which this drastic step is undertaken. Casting a clout, that's what it amounts to: hubris that will, undoubtedly, attract nemesis in the form of a downpour, or worse. This is just my natural optimism surfacing. OK, onwards and upwards, but it feels rather more upwards than onwards because, from the town centre until the summit of the downs above Abinger (around seven miles) is a climb of almost 200 metres. In a sense, it's wasted effort because, by the time Dorking is done, you shed all the altitude you sweated so hard to put on. Memories of my commuting days return when I think of the fuel required to climb Newlands Corner that would be gone for good by Gomshall. Thinks: there must be a better way.[7]

On my first attempt at Guildford to Dorking, I reached the Nature Reserve and discovered a hint of the trouble further on. Hillsides, you might suppose, would enjoy good drainage. Nope. The laws of physics do not apply to Pewley. Water does not run downhill. After the briefest of showers it just sits in the long grass for weeks afterwards, going squelch at each footfall. Well, that was winter, but summer is days away and Pewley has dried completely. O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay! He chortled in his joy.[8]

There is a footway along the northern side of White Lane that leads up to Newlands Corner. You have to look hard for it, though. There is an inconspicuous but helpful direction marker. The upper route is worth taking because it has a BLA surface and is easy walking in any weather. It just doesn't have the views downhill. Either way, you have the opportunity to view the fabulous Optohedron.

I should take a left fork round about here, but go right instead and sail into Landbarn Farm. This catastrophe somehow fails to make the main TV news on the day. That, however, is about it. Back on the right route, I take advantage of the seats provided for the weary to rest, admire the view, and polish off an adequate packed lunch before tackling the Dorking to Redhill section of the route. So I end the day having picked up nothing extra by way of blisters than what I started it with. Most gratifying. I don't, though, see myself repeating the exercise. What would be the point? Just being able to finish the job on two feet is good enough for me. [9].