Getting around Woking
Woking is a compact town in north-west Surrey, and its centre is easy to explore on foot. Most of the practical transport information a visitor needs concerns the town centre, the railway station and the surrounding villages and districts.
On foot in the town centre
The town centre is very compact and is nearly completely pedestrianised, with several small walkways and passages to wander through. Church Path, for example, is lined with small independent establishments. The two main shopping centres, the Peacocks Centre and Wolsey Place, converge on the town square, which is one of several central gathering points. Others include the Bandstand on Cawsey Way and Commercial Way, a pedestrianised street that runs a long way towards the Chertsey Road. Because the shopping and office areas sit between the railway line and the Basingstoke Canal, most of what a visitor wants to see in the centre is within an easy walk of the station.
Rail
Woking railway station is the transport hub of the town and is served by fast trains from London. It sits on the line to London Waterloo, with a direct service into the capital, and also connects onward to Exeter St Davids, Weymouth and Portsmouth Harbour. For a visitor, the station is the natural starting point for both local and longer-distance journeys, and it is also where several bus routes and the airport coach call.
Buses and other public transport
Woking is reasonably well served by buses to the surrounding villages and districts. Buses leave from Woking Station and from Cawsey Way, outside the former Toys "R" Us site and the Wolsey Place shopping centre. Areas dominated by large housing estates rather than traditional high streets, such as Brookwood and Goldsworth Park, are particularly well catered for. If you are staying outside the town centre, checking the bus routes from the station or Cawsey Way is the simplest way to plan a journey in.
Taxis and ride-hailing
For most trips within the compact centre, walking is likely to be quicker and simpler than any vehicle.
Getting there from the airport
Woking is well connected to both London Gatwick and London Heathrow airports.
- From Heathrow: a RailAir coach runs from the main entrance of Woking station, on the non-town side, to Heathrow. It operates twice hourly and the journey takes between 45 and 50 minutes depending on traffic.
- From Gatwick: Gatwick Airport can be reached via the Gatwick Express, but this requires travelling to London Victoria, which you can do by changing at Clapham Junction. Trains leave London Victoria every 15 minutes and reach Gatwick in under 45 minutes.
Arriving by car
If you are driving, Woking lies a short distance off the M25 at Junction 11, the Wisley Interchange, and about the same distance from the A3. Travelling northbound on the A3, leave at either Painshill and follow the signs through Byfleet and West Byfleet, or at Burnt Common near Ripley and follow the signs through Send and Old Woking. Further south, you can also leave at Burpham or Stoke, both in Guildford.
Practical tips
- Base yourself near the station or the town square if you want to walk to shops, offices and onward transport.
- Use the station as your interchange for trains, the Heathrow coach and many local buses.
- For the surrounding villages and housing districts, buses from the station and Cawsey Way are the main option.
- Allow extra time for the Heathrow coach, since its journey time depends on traffic.