Walks near Farnham by train

Beginner-friendly: No coast or river to follow, but pretty straightforward long lines nonetheless, and Watt’s Chapel provides a lovely reward for reaching the midpoint of the circuit. The lunch stop is a simple café in the vicinity of Watt’s Chapel, so no messing around with booking a table in advance.

Watts Chapel: Beautiful Arts and Crafts creation of Mary Watts (1h45 in).

Watts Gallery (1h45 in)

St Catherine's Chapel Ruins (30m in)

Time: 5h (3h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)

1 lunch spot: Watts Gallery café (1h45 in)

5 end-of-walk rewards: the Withies Inn, Ye Olde Ship Inn, the Britannia, the White House, or the George Abbot

Adapted from: The Rough Guide to Walks in London & the South East (3rd edition).

Similar walk: Walking Post (inc. GPX).

Highly recommended

Woodland: two fifths under tree cover.

Abinger Roughs and Netley Park (National Trust)

Saint James's Church: see the remains of where a devout anchorite was encased within the church walls (30m in).

Shere (45m in)

Time: 4h30 (3h walking, 1h30 lunch)

7 lunch spots: Shere (30m in) — the Dabbling Duck Café (excellent), Hillys Tea Shop, the William Bray, or the White Horse; plus the Drummond Arms (1h in), Mandira's Kitchen at Silent Pool (1h15 in), or Carb Up and Go (1h45 in)

2 end-of-walk rewards: the Compasses Inn, or the Gomshall Mill

Warnings: Can be muddy.

Adapted from: The Rough Guide to Walks in London & the South East (3rd edition).

Highly recommended: Remote heathland, pretty lakes, sandy bridleways, ancient woodland, heather and gorse commons and a dramatic natural amphitheatre.

Woodland: a third under tree cover.

The Sailor's Stone (National Trust; 3h15 in)

Devil's Punch Bowl (National Trust)

Time: 6h (4h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)

Lunch: Nowhere to eat en route — pack lunch!

1 end-of-walk reward: the Harper's Steakhouse

Warnings: Can be muddy.

Adapted from: Time Out Country Walks Volume 1.

Similar walk: the Saturday Walkers Club.

Highly recommended: Vineyard, wooded hills, chalk downland, open grassland. Very beautiful. Magnificent views at Box Hill. Begins fairly quiet, but anticipate a constant Londoner horde near Box Hill itself.

Hilly: two fifths on high ground, rising above the surrounding land.

Woodland: half under tree cover.

Salomons Memorial Viewpoint (3h45 in)

Box Hill Café & Visitor Centre (National Trust; 3h45 in)

Time: 6h (4h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)

2 lunch spots: Mickleham (2h15 in) — the King William IV (excellent; reservations recommended), or the Running Horses

2 end-of-walk rewards: Box Hill Café & Visitor Centre, or the Stepping Stones

Warnings: Relatively busy. Can be muddy.

Source: Trains2Green.

Similar walk: the Saturday Walkers Club.

An 11-mile ramble over the six hills ringing Alton, with farmland, woodland near Monk Wood, the River Wey and the Hangers Way, gateway to the South Downs.

Time: 6h (4h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)

Warnings: Includes a subway crossing under the A31 and field-edge paths that may be muddy.

Walk details: Wey Valley Community Rail Partnership (PDF).

Restored landscaped gardens, rhododendron woods, surfaced parkland paths, open fields with Downs views, wooded valley trails, village green and town centre.

Time: 5h30 (4h walking, 1h30 lunch)

Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).

Mixed National Trust woodland, heathland with bracken, gorse, heather and bilberry, hilltop plateau, open views, rhododendron tunnels and undulating bridleways.

Time: 6h (4h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)

Warnings: Can be muddy.

Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).

Countryside crossing over gently rolling Hampshire farmland, with woodland paths, the infant River Wey, a butterfly reserve and the St Swithin's Way pilgrimage route.

Time: 4h30 (3h walking, 1h30 lunch)

Lunch: Station café and a café in Waitrose, both at Alton.

Warnings: Grass and lower paths can be wet after rain; the route crosses the A31 dual carriageway.

Walk details: Blackwater Valley Nature Walks (tips, photos, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).

Open fields, holloways, mixed woodland, old churches, riverside path along the River Wey, and historic market town. Quiet and isolated.

Woodland: a quarter under tree cover.

Watts Chapel: Beautiful Arts and Crafts creation of Mary Watts (1h30 in).

Godalming: attractive market town (3h15 in).

Time: 5h (3h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)

2 lunch spots: the Tea Shop (1h15 in), or the Withies Inn (1h45 in)

4 end-of-walk rewards: the Star, Godalming Delights (great ice cream), the Fox & Finch, or the Richmond Arms

Warnings: Can be muddy.

Adapted from: Time Out Country Walks Volume 1.

Similar walk: the Saturday Walkers Club.

Surrey churches and North Downs views, past Guildford Castle, St Martha's Church and Albury village.

Woodland: three fifths under tree cover.

Guildford Castle: A Norman castle whose surviving keep and grounds sit above Guildford's cobbled High Street.

St Martha's Church: A Grade II-listed hilltop church atop St Martha's Hill with sweeping views over the Surrey Hills.

Time: 5h30 (4h walking, 1h30 lunch)

Warnings: Steep ascent out of Guildford; steep descent to Albury.

Walk details: Walking Post (tips, photos and local insights).

North Downs ridge, escarpments, bluebell woods, downland slopes, upland country with long views, wooded stretches and estate grounds.

Time: 7h (5h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)

Warnings: Steep hill climbs.

Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).

Reverse direction: Walking Post (inc. GPX).

Sandy ridges, downland escarpments, wooded sections, open downland, quiet valley and Surrey Hills AONB.

Woodland: a quarter under tree cover.

Time: 4h30 (3h walking, 1h30 lunch)

Warnings: Can be muddy.

Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).

Similar walk: Slow Ways (inc. GPX).