Farnham
A well-preserved Georgian market town close to the Hampshire border, built around a castle that was for centuries the residence of the Bishops of Winchester.
Farnham Castle sits on a low hill above the town, its keep raised on a Norman motte; the castle grounds and keep are open to visitors at set times, and the adjoining Castle Street — lined with 18th-century townhouses — is often held up as one of the best-preserved Georgian streets in the country. The essayist and social reformer William Cobbett was born in Farnham in 1763, and the town still marks the connection.
Farnham sits at the western end of the North Downs Way, the long-distance National Trail that runs east to Dover, and the surrounding countryside — the Bourne, Moor Park, and Alice Holt Forest — makes it a popular base for walking, as well as a gateway toward the South Downs a little further south.
Where to Stay in Farnham
- Mercure Farnham Bush Hotel — a former coaching inn dating back to 1618, set around its own gardens close to the town centre.
- Farnham House Hotel — an independent country house hotel just outside the town.
- Premier Inn Farnham — on the Guildford Road retail park, a short walk from Farnham station.
Getting there
Farnham has a direct rail line to London Waterloo, around an hour away, and sits just off the A31 and A3, with the M3 a short drive to the north.