Wood Street Pub Walk
| A Woody Walk behind The White Hart | |
| Pub Name | The White Hart (Website here) |
| Location | Wood Street, GU3 3DZ |
| Nearest Town | Guildford |
| Walk Details | |
| Time to Walk | 1.5 hours |
| Gradient | Mostly Flat |
| Terrain | Easy – mostly smooth, good paths |
| Walk Type | Circular |
| Livestock on Walk | No – some ponies in a well fenced field |
| Water on route for dogs | Yes, a stream at 25 minutes |
| Loopy Dog Notes | Cricket pitch near start of walk, most paths also bridleways |
| Pub Facilities | |
| Dog Friendly | Well behaved dogs of all sizes are welcome in the bar area but they try to avoid dogs in the restaurant. |
| Food Served | Yes |
| Average Drinks Prices | Beer £5 |
| Average Food Prices | Rump steak and chips £17.95 |
| Vegan / Vegetarian Options | Yes |
| Number of Vegan Options | 4 – Curry, salad, risotto, pizza. £11.50 to £14.95 |
Walk Description
PARKING – Limited parking is available at the pub itself, or around the green in the centre of Wood Street. There are no fees to pay but it can get busy at weekends especially on sunny days.
THE PUB – This is a lovely pub which serves great food and dogs are allowed in the bar area. There is seating outside at the front of the pub and around the side too.
CRAZY DOG NOTES – Many of the paths are multi-purpose use and can be uses for horses and cycling as well, so watch out for these if your dog has a problem with them. There are no fields with livestock in except for one with a few ponies but this is well fenced. The paths are all away from roads except at the start and finish, and for the short section of lane which is described in the walk. You also pass close to a woodland which states that it is closed to the public for shooting, but this has a hedge around and would be difficult for you to access by accident. You also pass by a field used for dog day care and agility, but there is the option to avoid this if you wish to do so.
WATER – This walk has a stream about 25 minutes into the walk which dogs can drink from and paddle in. Another water point could be added towards the end of the walk – instead of turning left as mentioned in point 8, continue straight on. A five to ten minute walk will bring you to another stream which your dog will be able to drink from.
THE WALK – Set off from in front of the pub along the road going away from the green keeping the pub on your right–hand side. You will pass a few houses and then join a path into the woods.
1. A few minutes along the path you will come across a cricket pitch on the left and a car park on your right. These are generally very quiet areas unless they are in use. There is no fence around the cricket pitch so your dog could easily run onto it and join the cricket – perhaps keep your dog on a lead for the first five minutes of the walk if you think this is something they might do!
2. Go straight on at the cross roads at the corner of the cricket pitch and then take the next left. There are woods to either side here and you are away from the roads so there isn’t too many distractions for your dog. You will notice a farm on your left – small dogs could get under the gate here but it is a bit set back from the path so perhaps less interesting for them.
3. As you continue along the path you will pass under a railway bridge – the railway here has very steep sides but no fence so be careful how close your dog gets to the embankment. Once under the bridge you will see crop fields to either side and the path running alongside the stream here. WATER POINT – The path crosses the stream a couple of times via some low bridges which most dogs will easily be able to drink from and paddle in.
4. The path joins a quite lane shortly after the second stream crossing and then this lane joins another. Turn left here. CAUTION – There are signs in the field to the right to let you know they use these woods for shooting, so perhaps avoid going too close to them or straying from the road.
5. There are two route options here. The official footpath takes you alongside one of the houses on the left, and then you cross through a garden which had a ‘Warning – Loose Dog’ sign on its gate. We didn’t meet any loose dogs here but if you don’t fancy this path the alternative is to retrace your steps to where there is a log at the entrance to a field. Walk into this field staying on the right-hand side and you will see a gate on your right and a yellow line going through the field to the left. This is where the public footpath officially runs.
6. There are two routes you can take from here as well – you can cross the field on the official footpath following the yellow line, or you can walk around the edge of the field. If you walk around the edge, continue straight up but just be mindful of the field on the right, this is not well fenced, and your dog could easily get into it. They also have an area here used for dog training and doggy day care (Scallywags Dog Services) so there may be quite a lot of dogs around at any time. Continue past here and at the end of the field turn left and keep going until you see the public footpath sign directing you into the woods – you will then have rejoined the original path.
7. Follow the path through the woods and you will pass a field on the left containing some ponies. There is sheep fencing here so your dog shouldn’t be able to get into the field. You will then come to another tunnel under the railway. There is a fence alongside the railway here and again a steep embankment, so the railway is more protected than at the other crossing.
8. You can take either path to the right, one is the main path which runs alongside the railway, and the other is the public footpath which runs parallel to the main path but slightly further into the woods. If you take the path in the woods, turn left at the end of the path. If you take the main path, you will need to take the second left.
9. Both of these will then bring you back to the green where you can turn left and will be back at the pub where you started. Although the roads here are very quiet there are a few houses and cars visiting the pub so be careful when leaving the path in the woods.