Bringing History Alive
A town less than an hour from London with over 1000 years of history involving the terrible King John, the curious imagination of Lewis Carroll and the dramatic life of code-breaker Alan Turing.
The best way to experience the fantastic heritage of Guildford is to join one of our guided walks.
The award-winning Guildford Town Guides are knowledgeable volunteers who are passionate about the heritage of Guildford and exploring our past with visitors.
Our Walks 2026
Plenty of interest for all ages and tastes
Our Summer Programme this year offers walks:
- Every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from May to September
- Every Sunday from July to September
- On Friday evenings in June and August
- at other times during the summer months
Full details of the programme can be found here and on the Guildford Town Guides page of Eventbrite.
In addition, we have two walks scheduled before the start of May:
- Saturday 11 April 2026 at 11 am Hidden Guildford
- Saturday 25 April 2026 at 11 am Guildford Story
Scroll down to the next section to see the range of walks we offer. For a different experience, why not try one of our Encounter Walks, but be prepared for surprises. If a walk of 90 minutes is too long, our Brief Lives and Three Queens & One Castle walks are only 45 minutes or so.
Almost all our public walks are free. There are only two exceptions: Prayers, Plots & Poison and the Fantastical Mr Carroll. For these, we make a small charge of £5 per adult (over 16 years old).
Numbers are limited on all our public walks so, it is better to secure your place by booking online on the Eventbrite page linked above. Our interactive Encounter Walks book up quickly – prebooking is essential.
For a modest fee, you can also arrange a private tour by appointment at any time during the year.
Each Regular Walk takes place 3 or more times during the summer months. Guildford Story is the exception as this takes place weekly.
Click on a walk below for more information on Regular Walks. Click on the tabs above for our exciting ENCOUNTER WALKS and SPECIALIST WALKS.
Guildford Story
Fake or Fortune
Royal Guildford
Hidden Guildford
Pubs & Inns
Medieval Guildford
Law & Disorder
Lewis Carroll in Guildford
Brief Lives
Three Queens & One Castle – NEW WALK 2026
Join us on an Encounter Walk and meet characters from Guildford’s past as they step out of the history books and onto our streets.
Encounter Walks are great fun but places are limited, so please reserve your space early.
Click on a walk for more information.
Alan Turing
The Fantastical Mr Carroll
Prayers, Plots & Poison
Some guides are interested in subjects outside of our repertoire of Regular and Encounter Walks. A few walks on these specialist topics are included in our public walks programme.
Each specialist walk may happen just once or twice during the summer months so look out for these if you are interested.
Click on a walk for more information.
Georgian Guildford
World War II – Life in the Town
From Pottage to Pasta – NEW FOR 2026
Private Group Walks & Talks
By appointment at any time of year
If you would like to get a group of people together, a private tour may be the ideal way to explore the town with friends, family or colleagues.
On the other hand, one of the guides can come to you to give an illustrated talk.
Click below on the category which applies to you for more information.
Charities
Each year we raise funds for a local charity. Our Charity of the Year for 2026 is:
Artventure Trust
Artventure is a Guildford-based charity that supports adults with learning disabilities, physical impairments, or autism to be creative, have fun, and make new friends in a safe and sociable environment.
Participants are supported by a team of dedicated artworkers and volunteers. They offer different art forms from painting, drawing, textile and 3D, to photography and printmaking. Their sessions are designed to improve self-expression and encourage a greater sense of self-worth.
Previous charities of the year:
2019 Oakleaf
2020 & 2021 Guildford Street Angels
2022 Halow Project
2023 Skillway
2024 The Therapy Garden
2025 Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice Care
£25,000 raised for local charities in the past 15 years
The Guides
A small band of unpaid volunteers who are enthusiastic about Guildford’s past
The guides today are an independent group, supported by Guildford Borough Council.
Our knowledge of Guildford’s history is largely based on the ‘History of Guildford’ course devised by Matthew Alexander, Honorary Remembrancer of Guildford. In 2024, we have joined with Guildford Museum Heritage Service to continue this course. This is a great way to delve into the town’s history in more detail than is possible on one of our walks.
We normally aim to recruit a few new guides each year. If you would like to join us, contact us by email at enquiries@guildfordwalks.org.uk and we will be happy to explain how this works.
We were delighted that our efforts to introduce new ideas was recognised nationally by the award of The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service in 2019.
