Walk This Way For Guildford Walkfest 2020

Published on: 16 Aug, 2020
Updated on: 16 Aug, 2020

The popular Guildford Walkfest returns this September for its 14th year with a great selection of free walks to choose from now listed on its website.

Guildford Walkfest 2020 takes place throughout September. All pictures from Guildford Walkfest.

The month-long celebration of walking is designed to get people of all ages and abilities out and about, in and around Guildford and the surrounding countryside.

A selection of year walks include: On Tuesday, September 2, see the water and countryside that is around the village of Send, a generally flat walk mostly on footpaths including some of the Wey Navigation towpath.

On Thursday, September 3, the Surrey Hills Society is leading Railway Paths and River. An easy, fairly level walk of four miles including paths on old railway tracks, by the River Wey and through Shalford Park.

Join Guildford Walking For Health’s Whitmoor walk group on Friday, September 4, on its weekly walk from the Jolly Farmer pub in Burdenshott Road, Worplesdon for an easy walks around the common and woodland.

For the more adventurous there is a night walk on Wednesday, September 9, from Farnham to Guildford.

The Guildford Town Guides offer a number of local history walks during the festival with topics featuring Kings, Worthies and Scoundrels; Hidden Guildford and Made in Guildford.

On Thursday, September 17, the Guildford Rambling Group will be taking a pleasant morning stroll linking the history of transport in the valley through Ash.

Local historian and writer David Rose will be leading a local history and nature walk of about 3.5 miles around Pewley Down and the Chantries on Sunday, September 20.

Walkfest is a community project supported by Guildford Borough Council with a number of sponsors (see website for details).

Due to the current Covid-19 restrictions the Walkfest committee considered long and hard on whether to run the festival this year and what sort of activities would be appropriate.

The committee says it feels walking is more important than ever, during these troubled times, for everyone’s physical and mental well-being. It felt it was important to continue with the festival, but keeping strictly in line with Government guidance on hygiene and social distancing.

Therefore, walks must be safe, socially distanced and consist of up to 15 attendees plus a leader and back marker. This allows larger groups than previously anticipated but also enables each walk to easily break out three groups of five plus leader, if the guidance changes.

All participants will have to pre-book their walks and Guildford Tourist Information Centre is taking bookings for walks where specific groups do not have their own booking processes.

See walk details on the website for booking instructions.

And check back as further walks will be added.

Also check out Guildford Walkfest’s Facebook page.

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