Carding Mill Valley Reservoir walk Shropshire 06.06.22

On 6th June 2022 Mel and I stopped off at Carding Mill Valley  at Church Stretton on our way back from Shrewsbury. Initially we only planned to have a quick look as Mel doesn't really do walking. 

A look on the information board and Mel was happy to walk the short walk up to the reservoir.

 

Carding Mill Valley is run by the National Trust and is just outside Church Stretton in Shropshire. With 10 miles of tracks and bridleways, it is the ideal place for serious hikers. Shorter walks with some accessible paths make it ideal for families as well. It has breathtaking landscape, wild ponies wandering the hillside, a small reservoir that welcomes wild swimmers and a café.

We walk a short stretch us a gentle hill up to the Reservoir, in an area known as New Hollow Pool, named after two early mill pools.

We climb the reservoir's retaining bank and cross the stile into the enclosure.

Would be nice to have a swim here, but not today.

We return back the way we came after a very short walk, just over  a mile and a half.

This is an amazing area and I have plans to return to walk the Long Mynd and then the Stiperstones the next day. Hopefully this will happen soon.

Shrewsbury,Shropshire River Walk 6th June 2022

As part of Mel and I weekend away in Ludlow Shropshire we drove to Shrewsbury to have a look about. Its somewhere we've always seen on signs on our way to North Wales and wanted to see it for ourselves.

We parked up in the Julian Friars Car Park and walked out onto Beeches Lane and the onto the A5191 and then onto Wyle Cop.

The town centre has a largely unspoilt medieval street plan and over 660 listed buildings, including several examples of timber framing from the 15th and 16th centuries. Shrewsbury Castle, a red sandstone fortification, and Shrewsbury Abbey, a former Benedictine monastery, were founded in 1074 and 1083 respectively by the Norman Earl of Shrewsbury, Roger de Montgomery. The town is the birthplace of Charles Darwin and is where he spent 27 years of his life.

9 miles (14 km) east of the Welsh border, Shrewsbury serves as the commercial centre for Shropshire and mid-Wales, with a retail output of over £299 million per year and light industry and distribution centres, such as Battlefield Enterprise Park, on the outskirts.

Up on out right we could see St Alkmunds Church, sitting behind the St Julians Centre.

At the very heart of the historic and beautiful town of Shrewsbury stands the church of St Alkmund, which celebrated its 1,100th anniversary in 2012. St. Alkmund’s was founded by Aethelfleda, Lady of the Mercians, daughter of Alfred the Great and one of the great women of the Saxon age. Hemmed in by medieval markets, mansions and bustling, narrow lanes, the church has long been an island of tranquillity and prayer at the centre of the town.

We continue on along High Street.

The town was the early capital of the Kingdom of Powys, known to the ancient Britons as Pengwern, signifying "the alder hill"; and in Old English as Scrobbesburh (dative Scrobbesbyrig), which may mean either "Scrobb's fort" or "the fortified place in the bushes" (or "shrubs", the modern derivate).This name gradually evolved in three directions, into Sciropscire, which became Shropshire; into Sloppesberie, which became Salop / Salopia (an alternative name for both town and county), and into Schrosberie, which eventually became the town's name, Shrewsbury. Its later Welsh name Amwythig means "fortified place"

Over the ages, the geographically important town has been the site of many conflicts, particularly between the English and Welsh. The Angles, under King Offa of Mercia, took possession in 778.

Nearby is the village of Wroxeter, 5 miles (8 km) to the south-east. This was once the site of Viroconium, the fourth largest cantonal capital in Roman Britain. As Caer Guricon it is a possible alternative for the Dark Age seat of the Kingdom of Powys. The importance of the Shrewsbury area in the Roman era was underlined with the discovery of the Shrewsbury Hoard in 2009.

We reach the beautiful 16th Century Square with the Old Market Hall at its centre is formed on three sides by gorgeous high-end boutiques and restaurants as well as the Shrewsbury Museum and Art Gallery.

Built in 1596, the Market Hall intended to impress with materials, style and scale. It had two storeys; the large upper room was originally used by the Shrewsbury drapers or dealers in cloth to sell Welsh wool and the lower floor was used by farmers to sell corn.

We walk through to Market Street back onto the A5191 and then down Mardol.

We stop in the Shrewsbury Hotel (A JD Wetherspoon pub) for breakfast.

We cross the A458 road after breakfast and walk along the river to see the Quantum Leap,which is a sculpture situated next to the River Severn in Shrewsbury. It was created to celebrate the bicentenary of the birth of evolutionist Charles Darwin, who was born in the town in 1809. The sculpture was unveiled on 8 October 2009 by Randal Keynes, a great-great-grandson of Darwin

Quantum Leap Sculpture.

We walk back up the river to the Welsh Bridge.

he Welsh Bridge is a masonry arch viaduct in the town of Shrewsbury, which crosses the River Severn. It connects Frankwell with the town centre. It is a Grade II listed building.

The bridge was designed and built from 1793 to 1795 by John Tilley and John Carline (whose namesake father was a mason on the English Bridge), who had built Montford Bridge for Thomas Telford. It replaced the medieval St George's Bridge. Four of the arches span 43 feet 4 inches, while the fifth and central arch is 46 feet 2 inches. The bridge is 30 feet wide, and built from Grinshill sandstone. In total it is 266 feet long. It was completed in 1795 at a cost of £8,000.

On the south end of the bridge, on the junction with Victoria Avenue, one of the parapets of the bridge has the words "Commit No Nuisance" chiselled into the stone. This is an archaic injunction not to urinate in public.

We are now walking along the river through a park known as The Quarry.

The Quarry is Shrewsbury's beautiful, 29-acre parkland, encircled by the majestic loop of the river Severn. The Quarry has been Shrewsbury's most important site for recreation since the 16th Century.

At the heart of the Quarry lies the Dingle, a floral masterpiece cultivated by world renowned gardener Percy Thrower, who served as Parks Superintendent for 28 years. Its a delightful sunken garden landscaped with alpine borders, brilliant bedding plants, shrubbery and charming water features.

In the distance we could see St Chads Church.

St Chad's Church occupies a prominent position in Shrewsbury, the county town of Shropshire. The current church building was built in 1792, and with its distinctive round shape and high tower it is a well-known landmark in the town. It faces The Quarry area of parkland, which slopes down to the River Severn.

We walk beneath the Port Hill Suspension bridge as we follow the river around.

It connects Porthill with the Quarry and the town centre. Next to it on the Porthill side is the Boathouse public house and Becks Field - both Quarry Park and Becks Field are extensive open green spaces largely preserved from building by their propensity to flood. Porthill Bridge experiences significant vibration, even when few people are crossing it - and has done since it was installed. Local pedestrians mostly accept this eccentricity as part of the bridge's charm.

A ferry operated here until the bridge was built in 1922 by David Rowell & Co. One of the posts to which the cable was attached is still visible on the north bank of the river just a few metres west of the crossing. The bridge was opened on 18 January 1923. £2,000 of the bridge's total £2,600 cost was paid for by the Shropshire Horticultural Society.

We walked on with a huge pike kept leaping from the river and crashing back down as followed the river.

We reached the English Bridge.

The English Bridge is a masonry arch viaduct, crossing the River Severn. The present bridge is a 1926 rebuilding and widening (re-using the original masonry) of John Gwynn's design, completed in 1774. A bridge is known to have stood at this spot since at least Norman times. Historically, it was known as the "Stone Bridge". It is a Grade II listed building.

The original Norman bridge consisted of five arches and a timber causeway. A large tower stood on the East bank, housing a gate and a drawbridge. The bridge also supported several shops and houses. Building work on Gwynn's replacement bridge started on 29 June 1769, and comprised seven semicircular arches, 400 feet (120 m) long. This bridge cost £16,000. The 55-foot (17 m) span central arch was built high, to provide headroom to watercraft, but this resulted in steep approaches.

As a result, a new design was put forward in 1921 by Arthur W. Ward, the Borough Surveyor. This lowered all the arches, converting the central one into a segmental arch, reducing the height of the roadway by 5 feet (1.5 m). The new bridge was to be 50 feet (15 m) wide, more than twice as wide as Gwynn's structure (of 23 and a half feet width). It cost £86,000 and was formally opened on 26 October 1927 by Queen Mary, although it had been completed the previous year. Ward's bridge reused the old masonry, each stone carefully numbered, as well as a quantity of new stonework. Concrete was used to 'saddle' the arches and in the foundations.

The bridge is one of two bridges carrying the main east-west route over the Severn as it loops around Shrewsbury; the Welsh Bridge is its counterpart on the other side of the town. Despite the names, both bridges are in England, but the Welsh Bridge is on the side closer to Wales.

Thomas Telford's Holyhead Road, dating from 1815 and connecting London to the main sea-crossing to Ireland, used the English Bridge to cross the Severn here. The road's modern successor, the A5, now bypasses Shrewsbury and the bridge's main role today is to connect the centre of Shrewsbury with the Belle Vue and Abbey Foregate areas of the town.

We continue to walk on and pass under the bridge that carries the railway over the River Severn.

Just after the bridge we take some steps that lead us up to Shrewsbury Prison.

The prison was decommissioned in March 2013, but is now open to the public.

The former prison site, on Howard Street, adjacent to Shrewsbury railway station, is near the site of the Dana Gaol, a medieval prison. The name The Dana is still often used for the prison, as well as being the name of the road to one side of the prison and the pedestrian route that runs from near the front of the prison into the town centre via a footbridge over the station.

The Victorian prison that you see today sits on top of the original Georgian prison, the remains of which are still accessible underneath the current buildings.

A bust of prison reformer John Howard is above the main entrance to the prison. The street leading up to the prison from the main road is also named after him.

We cross the tracks and over to Shrewsbury Castle.

Shrewsbury Castle is a red sandstone castle.

A castle was ordered on the site by William I c. 1067 - a very early date - but it was greatly extended under Roger de Montgomery circa 1070 as a base for operations into Wales, an administrative centre and as a defensive fortification for the town, which was otherwise protected by the loop of the river. Town walls, of which little now remains, were later added to the defences, as a response to Welsh raids and radiated out from the castle and surrounded the town; the area known as Town Walls still has a small section of them and a single tower, known as Town Walls Tower, which is in the care of the National Trust). In 1138, King Stephen successfully besieged the castle held by William FitzAlan for the Empress Maud during the period known as The Anarchy.

The castle was briefly held by Llywelyn the Great, Prince of Wales, in 1215. Parts of the original medieval structure remain largely incorporating the inner bailey of the castle; the outer bailey, which extended into the town, has long ago vanished under the encroachment of later shops and other buildings. Having fallen into decay after c. 1300 (at the end of the Welsh wars) the castle became a domestic residence during the reign of Elizabeth I and passed to the ownership of the town council c.1600. The castle was extensively repaired in 1643 during the Civil War and was briefly besieged by Parliamentary forces from Wem before its surrender. It was acquired by Sir Francis Newport in 1663. Further repairs were carried out by Thomas Telford on behalf of Sir William Pulteney, M.P. for Shrewsbury, after 1780 to the designs of the architect Robert Adam.

The Shropshire Horticultural Society purchased the castle from a private owner, then Lord Barnard, and gave it to the town in 1924 and it became the location of Shrewsbury's Borough Council chambers for over 50 years. The castle was internally restructured to become the home of the Shropshire Regimental Museum when it moved from Copthorne Barracks and other local sites in 1985. The museum was attacked by the IRA on 25 August 1992 and extensive damage to the collection and to some of the Castle resulted. The museum was officially re-opened by Princess Alexandra on 2 May 1995. In 2019 it was rebranded as the Soldiers of Shropshire Museum.

In 2019 and 2020 an archaeology project by Shropshire Council and the University of Chester undertook excavations in the castle. Work in 2019 found the remains of the original ditch surrounding the motte of c.1067, along with a range of medieval pottery and two arrow heads or crossbow-bolt heads. Excavations in 2020 failed to locate St Michael's chapel, but did recover evidence of 'high-status feasting', including the bones of a pike and possibly a swan.

I pass Shrewsbury Town Council and Library building on Castle Gates.

Shrewsbury Library is housed in a Grade I listed building situated on Castle Gates near Shrewsbury Castle. The site was the home of Shrewsbury School from 1550 until 1882. The buildings were handed over to the town in 1882 and a free library and museum were opened by the Corporation of Shrewsbury utilizing the building in 1885. The library was moved temporarily to Raven Meadows in 1976 while the site on Castle Gates underwent extensive restorations. The library was re-opened in 1983 by Princess Margaret.

Above the main entrance are two statues bearing the inscriptions "Philomathes" and "Polumathes". These represent students, one coming to learn and the other a learned scholar on leaving. The inscription below is from Isocrates and reads "If you are a lover of learning, you will become learned".

We walk up Pride Hill and back through the Old Market Hall.

We walk back the way we came and arrive back at our car, what a lovely place Shrewsbury is!

Silent Pool to Guildford Surrey Circular Walk 3rd June 2022

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On Friday the 3rd June 2022 (Bank Holiday) I drove to Silent Pool Guildford and parked in the free car park there at GU5 9BW.

I leave the car and take a path that leads me pass Sherbourne Pond and then continue along.

Silent Pool was probably an old chalk quarry fed by underground springs and would have been a precious source of pure water in days gone by. The pool and nearby Sherbourne Pond became home to many different species of aquatic life and one can often glimpse the blue flash of a kingfisher as it darts across the water.

Legend has it that this is due to the fate of a woodcutter's daughter who was surprised by a nobleman on a horse as she bathed in the pool. Having failed to lure her to the bank, he rode his horse into the water and caused the girl to move out to deeper water where she drowned. When the woodcutter returned and found her body, he also found the nobleman's hat floating on the water. It bore the crest of none other than Prince John!

The path leads me alongside Albury Vineyard.

Albury Vineyard is the result of Nick Wenman's passion for quality wine. Nick planted the vineyard in 2009 having retired from the IT industry to fulfil his dream of owning a vineyard. Nick believes that key to the sucess of the wines is the vineyard's committment to organic and biodynamic principles, together with excellent winemakers and his talented vineyard manager Alex, one of the few female vineyard managers in England. Her expertise is vital to the running of the vineyard, and her dog Attila is well loved by visitors. Albury is a family-run vineyard, with Nick's daughter Lucy now part of the team and granddaughter Poppy a regular visitor (if only to visit the bee-hives and sneak a taste of the honey!)

Albury Vineyard is situated on the southern slopes of the North Downs in the beautiful Surrey Hills, just outside Guildford on the A25 towards Dorking. The vines are the traditional Champagne varietals of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, as well as some Seyval and Pinot Gris. We are committed to producing organic fruit without the use of chemicals such as herbicides and fungicides, and produce English wine of the highest quality; a still rosé and quality sparkling wines.

The path immediately starts to climb up steeply, nothing like throwing yourself straight in without even a warmup first! (A 100 metre climb!)

I pass probably my favourite of all flowers, the Foxglove. These are just lovely!

I walk on a couple of hundred yards too far before realising and backtracking onto the North Downs Way footpath. 

I am now on the North Downs Way Footpath. The North Downs Way National Trail offers walkers 153 miles (246 km) of spectacular scenery, picturesque villages and glorious countryside, easily accessible from London.

Running from Farnham to Canterbury and the White Cliffs of Dover, the Trail passes through two Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the Surrey Hills and the Kent Downs, and along the famous Pilgrims Way (or Pilgrim’s Way) from Winchester to Canterbury – one of England’s most famous cities.

The sun is out and its a glorious day to be walking on the Drove Track in the woodland. 

A huge snail slowly makes its way across the path.

The Optohedron

By Will Nash

I stop to take pictures of the sculpture and the amazing view beyond.

Will Nash is an artist with a fascination for geometry and patterns in nature. Examining the faceted structure of an insect’s eye, Will has developed a piece called the Optohedron. This arrangement of five identical cells creates a rising curved sequence, which if you were to continue adding cells, would create a sphere. This links to the mysterious Golden Ratio geometry which continues to fascinate artists and scientists today. The name Optohedron is derived from the ancient Greek: optikos, “of seeing” and herd “raised seat.”

“The Optohedron sculpture is inspired by the act of viewing, thinking about seeing as the fundamental interface between the person and the world. Whilst exploring this idea, I investigated optics, the science of light, which took me to an ancient instrument, the Kaleidoscope.”

WILL NASH

I walk on and the path eventually give out onto the Shere Road A25. I dash across quickly here at Newlands Corner.

I am now walking on Newlands Corner above the Albury Downs.

Newlands Corner is a 103-hectare (250-acre) nature reserve east of Guildford in Surrey. It is owned by the Albury Estate and managed by the Surrey Wildlife Trust under an access agreement between the estate and Surrey County Council.

The site reaches 567 feet (173 m) with hill-grazed grass slopes below interspersed with trees. There are areas of chalk grassland and woodlands. Visible are some of the greatest prominences of the Western Greensand Ridge and the site lies on the North Downs Way. There are 129 ancient yews with a girth over 3.5m (over approx 500 years old) with some over 6m girth (probably at least 1000 years old) on the northern wooded slope.

Newlands Corner was a key location in the crime writer Agatha Christie's disappearance in December 1926. Her car was found in a bush overhanging a chalk pit at Newlands Corner, at the bottom of the south side of the hill. She was found some days later having checked in under an alias at a hotel in Harrogate. As a result, Newlands Corner is the setting of the climax of the final scene of the Doctor Who episode "The Unicorn and the Wasp".

I head downhill and pass White Lane Farm.

I follow a footpath along pass beautiful views. I see crows mobbing a Red Kite, amazing bird!

The path brings me pass Tyting Farm and I cross Ha'penny Lane and onto the footpath opposite.

This is still the North Downs Way (Eastern) and I'm walking by Farthing Copse.

I walk along Mile path, so called because its mile long I assume.

Here I see my first ever sighting on the Whitethroat bird! Lovely!

I am now walking across Pewley Down.

Pewley Down is a 9.5-hectare (23-acre) Local Nature Reserve on the southern outskirts of Guildford in Surrey. It is owned and managed by Guildford Borough Council.

This chalk grassland site has several species of rare flowering plants, including six orchids. Invertebrates include 26 species of butterflies and 119 of bees, wasps and ants.

Memorial Stone, Pewley Down

Donated by the former Friary Brewery, the memorial also commemorates the fallen of WW1. In the distance is South Warren Farm and the Chantries.

Pewley Hill was part of lands granted by William the Conqueror to the Testard family. It takes its name from the de-la-Puille family who acquired it from Richard Testard in 1255. The Puille family name was also reflected in the manor of Poyle and the Poyle Charity.

I leave Pewley Down and head off along the pavement of Pewley Hill with views of Guildford below.

Up on Stag Hill above Guildford sits Guildford Cathedral.

Richard Onslow donated the first 6 acres of land on which the cathedral stands, with Viscount Bennett, a former Prime Minister of Canada, purchasing the remaining land and donating it to the cathedral in 1947.

I walk down into Guildford for a look about, first time visiting for me.

Guildford has Saxon roots and historians attribute its location to the existence of a gap in the North Downs where the River Wey was forded by the Harrow Way. By AD 978 it was home to an early English Royal Mint. The building of the Wey Navigation and the Basingstoke Canal in the 17th and 18th centuries, respectively, connected Guildford to a network of waterways that aided its prosperity. In the 20th century, the University of Surrey and the Anglican Guildford Cathedral were added.

Guildford Guildhall Historic Clock - High Street.

The clock, which projects over the High Street from the Guildhall, and which has regularly appeared on television, proudly displays its original date of 1683.

The case is made of English oak, has a cast iron internal frame and copper dials. Conservation work included stripping off all the accumulated layers of paint, re-finishing and re-gilding with 231⁄2 carat English gold leaf. Additional repairs were made to parts of the mechanical clock movement which is a traditional two train type with recoil anchor escapement and had been cared for by Smith of Derby for many years.

The Guildhall is used for civic functions and is also available to hire. Modern facilities and historical character provide a perfect setting for events. The Guildhall can host conferences, receptions, seminars and social gatherings. The Guildhall is a 16th century building of great historic interest. It was formerly a courtroom and council chamber. It is still a thriving part of the local community. The ground floor is of Tudor origin. It has beautifully preserved panelling. The guildhall houses the civic plate and many rare items. The front of the building is dominated by a magnificent and iconic bracket clock made in 1683.

The Angel Hotel is the sole survivor of Guildford’s five large coaching inns. Established in the Middle Ages, there is Tudor or Jacobean timber-framing behind the Regency façade, and a much restored medieval undercroft.

All roads converge on the Guildford gap to pass through the Downs and so much of the traffic from London to the central south coast passed through the town. Travellers needed rest and by the 17th century Guildford had earned a good reputation for its inns – the Angel, the White Lion, the Red Lion, the White Hart and the Crown.

The inns flourished as road-travel increased, particularly when Portsmouth developed as a major naval base from Restoration times. Portsmouth was a two day journey from London, and Guildford was a convenient place to stay the night. The early 1800s saw a boom in the coaching trade. 28 services passed through Guildford, with an average of 10 coaches a day travelling in each direction, with perhaps 200 passengers.

However this all came to an end in the 1840s as the railways proved a quicker, cheaper and more comfortable way to travel. The last coach ran through Guildford in 1849, the year the railway reached Portsmouth from London.

Famous guests of the Angel include Lord Nelson, Charles Dickens, Lord Byron and Jane Austen. In 1876 the young Prince Imperial of France stayed here (later killed in the Zulu wars).

I reach the bottom of the High Street .

The Surrey Scholar Sculpture

A view of 'The Surrey Scholar' sculpture in Guildford High Street, Surrey. The bronze figure, by Allan Sly, was unveiled in May 2002 to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, and this also coincided with celebrations for the 35th anniversary of Surrey University.

I turn left up Quarry Street passing St Mary's Church Guildford with Guildford Methodist Church.

I now walk up Castle Street.

Guildford Castle is thought to have been built by William the Conqueror, or one of his barons, shortly after the Norman invasion of England in 1066. Used as a Royal Palace, a prison and a private residence, Guildford Castle and grounds was sold to the Guildford Corporation in 1885. The grounds at Guildford Castle opened as public gardens in 1888 to mark Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee in 1887.

The castle gardens are famous for their vibrant floral displays, centred on the 11th Century Castle Keep. Other attractions include a life-size statue of Alice Through the Looking Glass, a bowling green and music concerts in the bandstand. The town's war memorial stands in the grounds. Open-air theatre takes place in the summer months.

After the Battle of Hastings in 1066 William led his army to Canterbury and then sacked towns along the Pilgrims' Way, including Guildford. Later William, or one of his barons, built Guildford Castle. There is no record of it in the Domesday Book so construction probably started after 1086.

First to be built at the Castle would have been the motte (a mound) around which was a ditch and a bailey protected by a wooden palisade. The bailey's boundary would have run along Castle Street, South Hill, what is now Racks Close and parallel with Quarry Street (although slightly to the east). If it followed a typical Norman design the bailey would have been divided with a palisade, into two parts the outer and inner bail. The inner bailey would have encompassed the motte on which a wooden keep would have been built as a look-out post for the soldiers stationed there.

Late 11th or early 12th century, a wall made of Bargate stone was built around the top of the motte creating what is known as a shell keep, and then around the 1130s a keep (tower) was added, again made of Bargate stone from nearby Godalming bonded with hard and durable mortar. The keep may have been built over part of the shell keep and its foundations went down to the chalk bedrock. The general form was quadrangular, its exterior dimensions being 47 feet (14 m) by 45.5 feet (13.9 m). The walls are about 10 feet (3.0 m) thick at the base and taper towards the top.

The keep had a ground and first floor with the entrance located in the first floor to aid in defence. The keep was most likely used as a private apartment for the King. The ground floor was windowless. On the first floor there was a main chamber, a chapel, and wardrobe with latrine. A second floor was added shortly afterwards containing a two-seater latrine. The addition of the second floor made the keep over 70 feet (21 m) high. The roof of the building was made of lead and the inner walls were covered in plaster and then whitewashed.

In the 12th century the King moved to better apartments located in the bailey. The main bailey buildings would have included a great hall, apartments for the King and Queen and their chapels. The great hall is thought to have been located at the site of the two houses at the bottom of Castle Hill and was made of stone. Henry III made a number of improvements in the 13th century which resulted in the castle being known as a palace. The Queen's apartment was improved with large new windows and two marble columns were added. The great hall was decorated with coloured glass windows and paintings. King Henry had his room painted green with gold and silver stars and he also built a garden surrounded by marble columns. A fire damaged the hall in 1254 but the changes to the buildings continued.

Henry purchased some extra land in 1245 to extend the bailey so allow him to build a set of room for Edward, his son and heir to the throne, which were completed in 1246. The gate at Quarry Street was completed in 1256 which suggests that Henry made changes to the castle but no evidence of the previous gate (thought to have been opposite Tunsgate) remains.

I leave the Castle head back onto the High Street and down to cross the River Wey.

I pop into the George Abbot, "Can I help you?" asks the barmaid. A quick look at the offerings of beer (Lagers, Greene King IPA and Abbot Ale) it was a quick "No its okay thanks" and I left. Was hoping for more than just mainstream mass produced beers!

Now I walk up the River Wey, all be it the WRONG WAY!

Across the river I could see Town Wharf.

Before the railway era the Wey Navigation was at times very profitable, carrying gunpowder from the Chilworth Gunpowder works, and chalk, grain, timber, iron and coal to or from London.

Wharves, warehouses and breweries lined both sides of the canal (to the north of the town bridge). A restored treadmill crane dating from at least 1726, which was used to unload grain from barges, now stands near the site of the meal wharf.

Still walking the wrong way I pass the 1913 Electricity works on The River Wey.

The 1913 Electricity Works was built on the site of the Militia Barracks. It was superseded in 1927 by the electricity generating station in Woodbridge Road.

Several years’ campaigning by local arts groups looking for a permanent home culminated in the conversion of the building into a state-of-the-art studio theatre: The Electric Theatre opened in January 1997 and is owned, funded and managed by Guildford Borough Council.

After I while I realise I'm going the wrong way so I turn around and walk back, pass the pub and the bridge and back along the Wey the RIGHT way!

Down the Rabbit Hole

Millmead, Guildford - detail of the 'Alice in Wonderland' sculpture. Lewis Carroll, the writer, is buried in the borough.

I pass the Britannia Pub and cross the white bridge over the River Wey.

I walk along the Wey and the path is abruptly blocked by a gate, So I walk back the short distance to Millmead lock.

I cross the bridge and walk out onto Millbrook the A281and follow this busy noisy road along.

After passing the River Wey I follow on up and turn onto a footpath that leads me onto Pilgrims Way.

A short way up on my right I take the North Downs way again into Chantries Wood.

200 acres of a mixture of woodland and meadows.

I follow the path for some distance passing a Horse riding centre.

I exit from the path onto Ha'Penny Lane and again turning left and walk up a short way before taking a path that will lead me to St Marthas Hill.

The path that ascends St Martha’s Hill is quite steep and strenuous.

After much climbing I reach the top[ and St Martha's Church!

Martha's Hill stands at 573ft high and has a superb viewpoint looking out over the North Downs, Guildford, along the greensand ridge and across the Weald to the distant South Downs. This isolated hilltop church (the parish church of Chilworth) was rebuilt in 1850, partly from the stones of the original Norman church that stood on the site. It is one of the major landmarks on the North Downs Way.

It is the only church in Surrey to be on the Pilgrims’ Way and featured briefly in the 1944 film A Canterbury Tale. A 12th-century church existed here before falling into ruin by the 18th century. The church was rebuilt in 1848–50 to the designs of Henry Woodyer who incorporated many of the original 12th-century architectural features including Norman arches to the main entrance as well as zig zag moulded lancet windows on the tower. The church believes it may have been built as a landmark or beacon to assist travellers or encourage pilgrimage to Canterbury or Winchester Cathedrals.

The graveyard of the church includes a memorial to actress and singer Yvonne Arnaud, whose ashes were scattered there.

I follow along the sandy path in the hot sun, passing a Pill Box.

I cross Guildford Lane and take a footpath that is now the Pilgrims Way.

I cross Water Lane and take another path onwards.

The path eventually takes me out pass some industrial units and onto Shere Road the A25 and I walk alongside the road back to my car, A cracker of a walk!