Graham Pearcey

The Tillingbourne and Shere (7.46 miles / 12.00 km / 3.50 hours):

Please click here for a map of the route.

• Use the public car park (£6) on London Lane, Shere village, Guildford, GU5 9HF.
• Leaving the car park where you drove in, turn left onto London Lane, left again into Upper Street, right into Middle Street, and right again into Lower Street with the Tillingbourne on your right. When you arrive alongside the ford, keep straight ahead (signed Public Footpath) so that the Tillingbourne is still on your right. At a bridge marked “private” continue to keep straight ahead through a swing gate so the Tillingbourne is still on your right. At a shelter turn right to cross the Tillingbourne via a footbridge.
• Keep ahead up the lane and then in 180m at a crossing of paths, turn left through the trees up to a kissing gate, where the ground could be muddy. Continue along the left hand edge of the field to another kissing gate, then follow the woodland path to a third kissing gate. Initially keep to the left hand edge of this field, then maintain direction to find a wooden swing gate 50m to the right of the Catholic-Apostolic Church.
• Reach Albury Street alongside a post-box, and cross the road with care. Pass through another swing gate and then a newer one, and keep ahead with the fence to your right. Cross a stile and go ahead through the wood and across the track that leads to Weston Woods Sand Quarry. Keep on ahead through woods to merge with a track after 260m. Bear left alongside Timbercroft and proceed for another five to ten minutes till you reach a driveway. Take the right hand (lower) part of the driveway to reach a lane. Turn left and in 10m turn right up a steep track. Emerging from the wood, bear left to follow the clear path across the field. Go over a cross-track and keep ahead on the bridleway for 600m to reach Guildford Lane.
• Turn right a short distance to reach the Guildford Lane Car Park. Go to the top left hand corner of the car park and pass to the left of notice boards. At a T-junction turn right then reach a six-way junction of paths with a finger post, where you turn sharp left onto the narrow shady footpath that descends steeply into the valley. Merge with another track from the left half way down, continuing your descent. When there’s a fence and green field ahead of you, turn left and proceed a long distance (540m) with the Tillingbourne on your right hand side. The garden of Millstream Cottage eventually comes into view. Emerging alongside the cottage, turn right. Follow the lane as it bears right until it reaches Postford Mill Pond on your left and Bottings Corn Mill on your right.
• On crossing the bridge by the millpond sluice, immediately look for the path diagonally right in front of you signed Public Footpath. This path proceeds between two fences, right and left, and reaches a stile. Proceed on this, sometimes extremely muddy, path alongside an electric fence. You have reached the half way point of the walk.
• Cross a footbridge and a second stile, then walk over the foundations of the Admiralty Cordite Works and maintain direction to reach and cross a third (new) stile. Continue on the short well-worn path over the next field to a fourth stile. From this stile turn left along the lane to reach the A248 alongside Lockner Farm. Cross towards the bus stop and continue ahead over the railway bridge before bearing left alongside a gate beyond a cottage. This path dips then climbs to reach a squeeze stile. Here maintain direction to cross the field towards its far right hand corner.
• Pass through a kissing gate and look back to see St Martha’s Church atop a hill. Bear right to follow the line of the fences across the field. Continue up a track with a line of trees to your left to pass Postford Farm Cottages. Proceed steeply downhill following the lane, cross the stream, bear right and eventually reach a three-way junction, where you can see a railway arch to your left but you turn right. Then immediately turn left over a stile next to a metal gate. Keep ahead with the bank on your left and Bourne Stream over to your right to reach Little Ford Farmhouse.
• Go through the gate, turn left and then follow the farm lane as it goes immediately right and later swings left to lead you under a railway arch. Continue on this lane through woods until you see Albury Sports Club on your right hand side and subsequently emerge onto New Road. Across the road to your right, find Park Road clearly signed. Proceed along Park Road for 550m (although there is no obvious verge to walk along) until you reach South Lodge, where you turn left and take the middle path (i.e. go through the kissing gate to the right of the driveway) and proceed along the remnants of an avenue of chestnut trees, keeping ahead to pass to the left of a lodge. Turn right at the shelter to retrace your steps to your car.

This route was last walked on 14 June 2024, and the directions were accurate then. Please e-mail me if you find any errors, if you would like a copy in Word format, or if you would prefer a version that starts and ends at Chilworth station (add 0.50 miles/ 0.25 hours).

Return to my Surrey walks page.