Large Group Houses in Guildford

Large Group Accommodation in Guildford and the Surrey Hills

Guildford is 35 minutes from Waterloo and ten minutes from the Surrey Hills, which is the whole point. A large group house near Guildford gives a London group a country house with grounds without the three-hour drive, and gives a group flying in from different places a base 40 minutes from both Heathrow and Gatwick. The town has a cobbled High Street, a Norman castle, a theatre, a concert hall and a late bar scene; the villages south of it, Shere, Peaslake, Albury, Cranleigh and Godalming, have the houses.

Why Guildford Works for Group Stays

Everyone can get here. Trains from London run several times an hour, the A3 and M25 are on the edge of town, and Gatwick and Heathrow are each about 40 minutes by car. Once the group is together, the Surrey Hills start at Newlands Corner and St Martha's Hill, the River Wey runs through the middle of town with boats for hire at Dapdune Wharf, and RHS Wisley, Loseley Park, Polesden Lacey and Box Hill are all within half an hour.

Things to Do in Guildford with a Large Group

Walk the Hurtwood or up St Martha's Hill, then down to the pubs in Shere. Hire rowing boats on the Wey. Spend an afternoon at Wisley or in the gardens at Loseley. See what is on at G Live and the Yvonne Arnaud, or catch a band at the Boileroom. Tour the Silent Pool gin distillery at Albury. Back at the house, a private chef, a cocktail masterclass or spa treatments turn the evening into the main event.

Eating and Drinking

The Ivy Castle View sits in the castle grounds; Rumwong on London Road has been Guildford's Thai restaurant for decades; the restaurants around Chapel Street and Tunsgate Quarter cover everything else. For pubs, the Weyside on the river and the Britannia on Millmead, and the village pubs in Shere and Peaslake for a walk's end.

Ideal Occasions

Guildford suits London hen and birthday weekends that want countryside without the journey, family gatherings where half the party is arriving by air, corporate away days within an hour of the City, and wedding-week houses for guests at Surrey venues.

Nearby Destinations

London is 35 minutes by train. Windsor is 40 minutes by car, Brighton and the Sussex coast about an hour and a quarter.