UK rail trip – 2022
Day 29 – 1st May, 2022
I checked out of the hostel. I enjoyed my stay at The Phoenix Hostel. I would seriously consider staying there again. But not tonight. Today I’m off to Guildford – the supposed home town of Ford Prefect (which was later found out that he was actually from Betelgeuse). I popped onto the London Underground at Edgeware Road station and was whisked away to London Waterloo.
I boarded my South Western Railway class 444. I had no problems at the barrier today. I was able to pass straight through. The trip to Guildford was only about 40 minutes. Not really even enough time for a cup of tea on the train. Which was rather moot, because there were no trolley facilities on this service.
I consulted Google Maps and found my way to the hotel I’d be staying at – Holroyd Arms. After a flat section, there was an uphill section of about half a kilometre. This followed climbing a number of steps to cross a busy road by way of a pedestrian overpass. Lots of steps. With a suitcase, this was not easy.

It was a little too early to check in, so I was offered a cup of tea. Once the room was ready, I was given the key and settled myself in. After a bit of catching up on the computer, I wandered into the pub to order a pint and watch some soccer on the TV. Later that evening, I walked back down the hill and grabbed dinner at another local pub.
So, why did I go out to Guildford just to stay at a pub? Well, tomorrow I will be taking a bus to Normandy (a part of Guildford), to see off a couple of cyclists, Marcus and Oli, as they start their round the world bicycle trip raising money for School in a Bag. School in a Bag is a charity which provides school bags to children in countries where needed. Some children don’t have access to simple things such as pens, paper, a water bottle and so on. The cost of each schoolbag is £20. Please consider donating to Marcus and Oli’s cause, They had a bit of an issue with fundraising pages. Their original one was closed down when Virgin Money closed down their fundraising platform. As a result, they’ve had to start from scratch.
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