Riverside Park & Dapdune Wharf
Guildford
Children will enjoy watching the boats ply Stoke Lock and the play area, book shop and interactive activities at Dapdune Wharf
Dapdune Wharf is cared for by The National Trust. It is free to enter and has tea room, play area, exhibits, boat hire and second-hand book shop.
The Basics
Time: 2 hours 20 minutes
Distance: 9 km / 5.6 miles
Terrain: Well surfaced towpath, boardwalks, steps and some busy road crossings.
Pushchairs: This route is pushchair friendly apart from the steps up the bridge to get to Dapdune Wharf.
Dogs: Dogs are welcome on this walk but must be on leads at Dapdune Wharf and Stoke Lock. They are not permitted in the play area.
Refreshments: Dapdune Wharf has a National Trust tea room and half way along the route is The Rowbarge serving drinks in a riverside garden with kids play area, bouncy castle and garden games.
Toilets: There are toilets at Dapdune Wharf.
Public Transport: Catch the train to Guildford Station and take a ten minute walk to Dapdune Wharf where you can start this walk in reverse.
Parking: We started the walk at Riverside Park to take advantage of the free car park at the end of Bowers Lane (Postcode: GU4 7ND - W3W: ///that.models.towers)
The new play area at Dapdune Wharf
This is one of the longest walks on our website, but as it is entirely flat and a with Dapdune Wharf breaking up the journey, it doesn’t feel like a challenge at all. The route follows the River Wey Navigation from Riverside Park Nature Reserve. You will pass Stoke Lock where you can watch the boats be lifted and lowered. At Dapdune Wharf, there is plenty of opportunity to recharge the batteries before the walk back with a tea room, boat rides, play area, exhibits and a second-hand bookshop.
The Route
This is a linear route with a slight deviation on the way back to take in the boardwalks and lake of Riverside Park Nature Reserve.
Leave the car park and head into Riverside Park along the obvious track. Pass a large pylon and then look out for a post directing you down to the tow path. Take this and then follow the towpath to Stoke Lock with the water to your right.
At Stoke Lock, cross the bridge and then continue along the tow path with the canal to your right. Keep going along the tow path until you reach the road at a bridge.
Go up to the road and turn left, walking along the pavement as far as the roundabout where there is a traffic island allowing safer crossing. Cross the road and re-join the tow path on the other side, still with the water to your right (if you want to divert to the Rowbarge pub, you will need to turn right at the road bridge and then turn left on the opposite side of the canal).
Keep going until you reach the next road and cannot proceed beside the water. This time, you will be in the centre of Guildford and will need to use the crossing on your right to get to the other side safely.
Re-join the towpath on the other side of the busy road and continue until you reach a large brick railway bridge. On the other side of the bridge are some steps which will take you up onto the pedestrian bridge. Cross the canal and then follow the enclosed path. Look out for a noticeboard on your right where you can enter Dapdune Wharf. Please note that Dapdune Wharf is free to enter but is only open Thursday to Monday, 11am-5pm.
After enjoying Dapdune Wharf, return the way you came until you reach Stoke Lock. Just after the footbridge, go through the gate and enter Riverside Park Nature Reserve. Follow the main boardwalk, ignoring a spur to the right. After a circular section of boardwalk, you will need to turn right as the left-hand section is broken. This will bring you up to the lake. Turn left and then follow the wide track all the way back to the car park.
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Did you know?
The exhibits at Dapdune Wharf tell the story of the people who lived and worked on the River Wey and Godalming Navigations. You can see where the barges were built and even climb on board ‘The Reliance’ a huge wooden barge - but make sure to pick up a hard hat, the ceiling is pretty low!
If you enjoyed this walk…
…try another another section of the River Wey Navigation at Pyrford.
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