Hi!
We will be staying in Woking near Guildford around the end of June with the family. We have 3 teenage daughters, I have rented a car for the week.
Any suggestions of what should be on our "must do or see list".
We don't mind driving, so any recommended day trips from Guildford area will also be highly appreciated!!
Regards
Loa
The main thing I’d do if I was a teenager staying in Woking is to hop on the train to London for the day - very quick and easy.
Thank you! We have two London days planned, but would like to do some things other than London .... Any suggestions?
For the teenagers maybe Thorpe Park or Chessington World of Adventures.
Windsor Castle maybe? I liked that a lot as a young teenager. It’s a pretty town, too.
Woking and Guildford are at the heart of the commuter belt, which is why my first thought was London.
Would Portsmouth and its historic dockyard and old ships be of any interest? Again, something I loved as a teenager but I was a bit nerdy…
Is there any interest in Jane Austen? Her birthplace at Chawton near Alton isn’t too far away.
It’s interesting that none of us are actually suggesting things within Woking or Guildford.. I think they’re both perfectly pleasant towns. Guildford has an interesting modern cathedral that featured in The Omen (I think) and there are all the usual shops but I’ve never felt the need to stop and explore further because I always thought of them both just as places en route to London! But they are well-located for a large area of southern England.
I thought of Guildford Cathedral- I've never been in, it's a post WW2 Cathedral, so I'm hesitant at suggesting it. I would imagine it is a bit like Coventry New Cathedral or maybe touches of Liverpool Anglican Cathedral.
Winchester is another possibility on the direct fast train line.
If you went to Alton here is also the Watercress Line- a preserved Steam Railway- watercress being one of the industry's in the area around there. Unfortunately the Watercress festival in May, but I seem to remember visiting one or two of the ponds.
Would the RHS (Royal Horticultural Society) garden at Wisley be of interest?
There are boat trips and walking on the Basingstoke Canal. Salisbury is another easy day trip.
I thought of Guildford Cathedral- I've never been in, it's a post WW2 Cathedral, so I'm hesitant at suggesting it. I would imagine it is a bit like Coventry New Cathedral or maybe touches of Liverpool Anglican Cathedral.
It’s not as significant as either of those but it’s quite attractive in its simplicity. Effectively it’s a kind of mid-century modern take on Gothic. Its setting atop a hill is very striking. When we were kids we always stopped there to use the toilets when driving from Portsmouth to London, and that’s why it’s the only building in Guildford that I know well.
Ideas that come to mind, depending on interests:
Tea and Tour at Goodwood House (book ahead, not daily)
Weald and Downing Open Air Museum
Arundel Castle
Those should all be within about an hour drive from Guildford.
You might find other ideas in our recent trip reports for Chichester and Arundel.
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/3-perfect-days-in-arundel-england
You could get the train to Hampton Court and then afterwards bus/walk through Home Park/river cruise to shop in Kingston which has nice places for dinner and less renowned than a Pizza Express in Woking!
Or if you prefer countryside and cute villages head for Shere and Gomshall and walks around Newlands Corner or Denbies Vineyard and Box Hill
