Today, I’m taking you on a summer day trip from London to Guildford – by public transport, of course! It was a balanced mix of a long countryside walk with nice views combined with visiting local landmarks – an art gallery, a stunning chapel, a local museum, and a castle with the most spectacular gardens. I blindly chose Guildford for my day trip without high expectations, and I was thoroughly impressed! Here is your inspo for a cosy day trip from London, off the beaten track.
Getting to Guildford
I took a direct Southwestern train from London Waterloo to Guildford. The journey time was around 35 minutes. The train was heading to Portsmouth, in the coast, and it was a hot Saturday – the train was packed! Luckily, I got to London Waterloo early and managed to secure a seat.
A countryside walk to Watt’s Gallery… don’t trust Google Maps!
I got to Guildford around 10am and started my day trip with a walk to Watt’s Gallery, about an hour west of Guildford town centre. As you do, I trusted Google Maps and followed its recommended route, along the north edge of the green fields that you can see on the map. From Guidford town centre, I turned into a road called ‘The Mount’ – a very fitting name! The small, residential road was steep, and on a hot day, it was quite a workout!
After maybe 10 minutes I reached the dead end (for cars), where the road converts into a gravel footpath with some greenery on both sides. I continued walking, and soon got a prize for the effort I made walking uphill. There was a gap in the bushes, and I got to enjoy the views of Guildford.
I continued walking, still following Google Maps. Essentially, it was supposed to be a straight line all the way to Watt’s Gallery. I enjoyed the occasional countryside views when the bushes opened up on either side of the road, accompanied by numerous butterflies. I also saw a cute fox, but it ran away before I got closer.
After around 45 minutes, I reached the end of the footpath, right next to a busy road. I had seen it on Google Maps when I started my walk, and knew that Google wanted me to walk along that road for the last 15 minutes of the journey. Well… how was I supposed to walk along a fairly busy road when there’s no pavement on either side, and thick bushes make it impossible to walk on the side?! Ridiculous!
I was really fortunate, though – there was a bus stop right where the footpath ended, and a bus was coming in 8 minutes. In a rural area, that’s really lucky. I took the bus for just one stop and got off right next to Walt’s Gallery. Seeing that the two-way road that Google Maps wanted me to walk along was barely wide enough to fit the bus itself, and there were stone walls on both sides of the road later on… deciding against walking there was definitely the right call. I found an alternative walking route for the return trip, which I’ll share later in this post.
Watt’s Gallery
Once I got to Watt’s Gallery, I headed to the visitor centre and got my ticket. Apparently, walking there made me eligible for a green journey discount, which I wasn’t expecting. Always nice to get 25% off!
I explored the historic galleries first, as they were closing in a couple of hours for a private event. I really liked the wallpaper exhibition – the meticulously painted details were impressive! I was also amazed by two huge sculptures in the workshop. Next, I got an iced coffee at the on-site café, and headed towards Watt’s Chapel – one of the two main highlights of the trip. The chapel is located in the cemetery about 5 minutes down the road from Watt’s Gallery (this time, with a pavement!). The chapel isn’t huge, but the interior design is absolutely incredible! Detailed paintings and sculptures, in vibrant colours… stunning!
Once I left Watt’s Chapel, I walked back, this time heading to Limnerlease House, which was included in Watt’s Gallery ticket. It’s a well-preserved house, where George and Mary Watts lived. It’s located in a woodland-style garden – you can sit down on one of the benches and enjoy a quick break shielded from the sun.
Finally, I returned to the welcome desk at Watt’s Gallery to have a look around the gift shop. I treated myself to some earrings (no, I did not need yet another pair of earrings, but they were so pretty!). I also got some gingerbread flapjack which caught my eye. It was time to head back to Guildford.
Walking back to Guildford (the better route)
I decided to try to walk back to Guildford, taking a slightly different path than on the way to Watt’s Gallery. This time, I chose the official North Downs way. It was sandy (I’m glad I had my walking shoes!), but it wasn’t overgrown, and it was far from any roads.
The path was essentially parallel to the one I took in the morning, running along the bottom of the hill. After about 30 minutes, I got to a crossroads where I had the option to turn left, climb the hill via an official footpath along the field, and join the path from the morning – and that’s exactly what I did. For the next 30 minutes, I walked along the gravel path I was already familiar with. I also ate the gingerbread flapjack that I’d bought. It was very sweet, but tasty.
Guildford High Street
Finally, I got back to Guildford town centre. To be specific, I ended up on the high street, which was a little underwhelming. Every time I visit a town outside of London, I get excited to explore the high street. Recently, I wrote about Rochester, which has a great high street, full of gift stores and charity shops. Guildford, on the other hand, had all the chain coffee shops, clothing, and cosmetics stores. Boring!
Guildford Castle
Luckily, my next destination wasn’t the high street, although I did grab another iced coffee (from an independent cafe!). I headed towards Guildford Castle, and I was in for a treat. The castle grounds (free to enter!) had the most stunning gardens. Just look at those neat flower beds, full of colourful flowers! I was blown away, to be honest.
As for the castle itself, it’s more of a room with a tower on top, to be honest. I paid £5 to climb to the top… I didn’t expect the viewing platform to be a metal cage of just a few square metres, to be honest. Even the view wasn’t that impressive – you couldn’t see much of the beautiful gardens, but you could see the metal roof of the lower floor. Honestly, if you visit Guildford, skip the castle tower and enjoy the free garden instead.
Guildford Museum
Usually, when I visit a new place, I try to visit the local museum. Guildford Museum was right around the corner from the castle and free to visit, so I decided to check it out. It’s pretty small, it only has a few rooms. There was a standard exhibition of artifacts found in the area, but I also learnt that glass production was a common trade in Guildford a few centuries ago.
Another successful day trip from London
Once I left the museum, I walked back to the high street, popped into a few shops, and then walked back to the train station. I’m really pleased with how the day trip worked out! I didn’t have high expectations and mainly chose Guildford because it was cheap and easy to get to. And yet, I was blown away by Watt’s Chapel, as well as the gardens of Guildford Castle. And thanks to choosing to walk to Watt’s Gallery and back, I ended up walking over 16km that day, which for me is a good balance between a long walk and educational sightseeing. I had a fantastic day, and yet again, I proved to myself that you don’t need to travel to famous landmarks to enjoy a day trip.
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