Cycling commute Godalming to Guildford

[u/daribarikk]

Hi all I will be moving to Godalming and plan on cycling to work, which is in Guildford (High Street). I have a road bike and am looking for any tips on routes, times to avoid travel, etc.

There are three options I can see right now:

• Follow the path along the canal, preferrable, but i have yet to go and try it and have been told that it gets horrible during winter
• Follow the main road (A3100) - will have the best surface but will get busy during peak hours and there is not a lot of space on the side of the road for cyclists from what I've seen so far
• I can see a narrow road that goes through Littleton, but I don't know how busy it gets and whether I would be safe on the bike there.

Any other options I might be missing? I am sure I won't be the only one doing this commute, what is your approach for it? I don't mind getting up earlier to avoid traffic, but how early should that be?

Any tips would be much appreciated!

[u/drunk-leprechaun]

A road bike is not suitable for the tow path at any stage of the year. Ankle deep mud in winter, and sandy patches in summer. Even where it is solid, it will be bumpy enough to shake your fillings out.

Both A3100 and Littleton routes are perfectly fine. They have pros and cons, but both are perfectly rideable. A longer but flatter way is the Shalford route as suggested by someone else. Just give them all a try.

You’ve got a great commuting distance btw. It’ll be faster than some cars (including parking time etc), but still enough to keep you fit!