Travel from Esher to Guildford High/Royal Grammar?

[Ldddpg]

Hi,
We're thinking about moving to Esher and wondered if anyone knew what the school run would be like to Guildord High and Royal Grammar Schools? Both by car and train. We don't know the area very well so would love some insider knowledge if anyone can help us.......

I wouldn't want to do it by car, personally.

You want to be on the Waterloo - Guildford via Clandon line. London Road for the girls school, Guildford for the boys.

The service is half-hourly from Hinchley Wood, Claygate, etc.

Forget the car, just get the kids to walk to the station.

You realise you already posted this a few days ago!

I'd say London Road station for both schools, that is the one most RGS boys use (maybe because they don't have to climb the hill?).

Yes I suppose if you are on the London Road line as it is, then you'd just get off a stop earlier.

The line via Woking will take you to Guildford station only, which is fine for the boys, but the girls would need to take a bus after that, so really to be avoided if you have the choice.

Claygate is cheaper than Esher but much more villagey in feel and altogether nicer. Kids could walk to the station then.

I know! But no one replied and then it didn't register that I'd posted it any more.....

Thanks for all this info CarolService!

Girls often swap onto a train for London Road if they are on a mainline train (lots of young people at Guildford Station in the morning and evening, for 3 private and 1 of the state schools, never mind those leaving for schools in other places).

Be warned it is an early train. Not many boys travel in from beyond Walton and at Walton it is the 7.24 that they catch

Walton is on the line via Woking (doesn't go to London Road) happilyconfused, and because it's a minor stop there are relatively few trains especially in the peak, but registration is at 08:45 for RGS and 08:30 for the GHS.

From Claygate there's an 07:34 arriving London Road 07:58 and a 08:04 arriving 08:28. Presumably the latter is too late for the girls school albeit that it is adjacent to the station.

From Walton if you don't catch the 07:24 then you have to change at both Woking and Guildford for London Road, so a bit of a PITA.

Horsley is a lovely village only 10 minutes from London Road by train and with four trains per hour to Waterloo/Guildford. I would have a look there. Very expensive/exclusive, though not really more than Esher I shouldn't think, albeit that the train to London is a lot slower.

My boy used to run up and down the High Street from Guildford Main. I pity the poor shoppers at 4.10.

However closer the better is good - especially if your boy is in any of the school teams

Why are you considering living in Esher specifically? Cobham is also on the right line to get to London Rd, Guildford. I also echo Horsley being a lovely village.

The traffic is mad anywhere near the M25/A3 junction in the morning, so I would avoid driving to Guildford like the plague.

Thanks everyone! We are thinking of Esher as we have friends there but we'll definitely look into Horsley and Cobham etc. I really don't want a nightmare school run........it's a shame the Claygate trains to London Road aren't 15 minutes later..... Thanks again x

There's also the issue of getting to the station, Ldddpg. Claygate station is walkable from most homes; others aren't, which means you dropping off the kids and picking them up, fighting rush hour traffic. You wouldn't want to take them individually to the station in the morning either, so realistically, one of them will be catching a non-optimal train if you're dricing them..

There is also a bus from Esher:

www.surreycc.gov.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0020/173414/Service-515-n-515A-sample.pdf

I think it would not be fun to rely on that bus though - definitely try and get the train.

Esher station isn't very close to most of Esher.

Pick almost any other station on the line(s) to Guildford and your DC will be able to walk to the station.

Many many years ago I used to do the journey to school from one of the stations listed above towards Waterloo, rather than towards Guildford. I knew people who travelled from Horsley, Claygate, Walton, Weybridge etc to the school I attended. (There are two railway lines there in that list). I don't think any of my classmates actually travelled from Esher station as it isn't really 'anywhere', iyswim.

Thanks. We're veering off Esher now and leaning more towards somewhere closer, with a relevant station, as you suggest. We'll be doing lots of weekend trips coming up to find out where's best for us. Really good to get info from local people, and past pupils! Thanks x

I think that is a good idea, and don't forget Guildford itself. It is much easier to travel from Guildford to Esher "off peak" (evenings and weekends etc) so easy to see your friends.

Assume you have places at those schools? Where are you now?

Many years ago, aged 10, I travelled daily from Hinchley Wood to GHS by train. No problems really.

We're actually in London now and are making the move out!!! My DD had her assessment at GHS yesterday.... My DS will do an assessment for a RGS feeder prep in March. They mightn't get in, of course, so we're looking at other schools too. We're excited to make the move out now!
I stayed in Guildford on Wednesday and Thursday (because of my DD's assessment) and I really liked it. Is Guildford itself a nice place to live?? (although I think we'd probably rather a prettier place like Cobham etc.)

Guildford is a good place to live, and I would recommend it with teens as it is big enough for them. Living in Cobham they will probably travel to Guildford or London quite a bit for their social lives.

If you want to look at properties, if you can afford it, then I would look at the Pewley Hill/Warwicks Bench area (v. close to the Downs), or Warren Road/White Lane or Merrow Downs area, or for slightly less the Mount area. This is all close to the countryside, reasonable access to the High Street, all walkable to school (except maybe Merrow).

There are a lot of good alternative Girl's schools in the area, and an increasing number of boy's ones (as long as you can get to the Station). Some of the State schools are very good too (a reasonable number of Prep school boys at George Abbot each year for example).

You don't have to take the bus from Guildford mainline up to GHs - just change to a train for London road! Easy - they all do it.

Guildford central can be ludicrously overpriced compared to prices round and about.

It really does have very good train connections, and I would look at these carefully.

In the villages without a train station you get a lot more for your money (with some exceptions, such as Cranleigh), but then transport will be pretty shit for teenagers with no car.

The line south of Guildford towards Portsmouth gets leafier, and you've still got the direct link to Waterloo.

Godalming is a posher, smaller version of Guildford, and only two stops from Guildford mainline, 15 minutes to London Road. (Farncombe is essentially north Godalming, but the shops are near Godalming station).

South from Godalming you've then got Milford and Witley, which are super-posh villages with nothing going on and fewer trains that Godalming.

The next stop is then Haslemere, which is a bit smaller than Godalming, but with a good train service.

North from Guildford is Woking, which is fugly but very convenient for trains to London, and has a good number of shops and the like. Worplesdon station, in between, is in the middle of nowhere essentially.

On the Reading - Gatwick line you could consider Dorking or possibly Wokingham.