Watermeadows

Visiting Guildford watermeadows

We manage three watermeadows in Guildford. Watermeadows are grassland areas next to a river. They are teeming with insect life, plant life, mammals and birds. 

Walkers are welcome on footpaths that cross our sites. Keep dogs under close control to protect cattle and wildlife.

Watermeadows can be muddy, very wet and sometimes flooded. Wear suitable footwear and observe on site signage.

Location

Parsonage watermeadow

• located between The A3 and River Wey Navigation in Guildford
• can be found along the canal footpath from the A25 or A320 Woking Road

Stoke watermeadow

• located between the River Wey and River Wey Navigation
• can be found along the canal footpath from the A320 Woking Road, next to Stoke lock and Riverside Nature Reserve

Shalford watermeadow

• located to the west of the A281 between Guildford and Shalford
• can be found along the River Wey south of Guildford, through Shalford Park or from Dagley Lane in Shalford

Things to see and do

• walking
• dog Walking 
• bird watching

Follow the The Countryside Code (opens new window)

Conservation works

• watermeadows are grazed during the summer to control nutrient levels in the soil
• ditch lines are dug out and water levels managed through the summer
• in early autumn we start to manage scrub as the watermeadows become too wet to work on. The scrub is usually willow and alder

Parking

There are no car parks at our watermeadow sites.