Guildford: The County town of Surrey

We visited the town of Guildford to participate in an Open Day at the University of Surrey. Before my son decided to go to the University, I had not really heard much about Guildford, let alone the county of Surrey.

Although we took a cab from Heathrow, it is possible to reach it via train, but you would have to take the underground to Waterloo station before taking the train to Guildford. I booked a cab from Guildford, thus reducing the taxi fare to 45 pounds, rather than the 65-70 pounds you may have to pay if you got a cab at Heathrow when you arrive.

We had a chance to go through the town the evening we arrived. We stayed at the Mandolay Hotel which wasn't great but was OK. It is an old building, but has wireless Internet and is close the town centre.

The town has a main shopping street with a lot of posh stores, and looks quite lively, since everyone was out and there were lots of parties going on even though it was a weeknight. It also has lots of good restaurants with different cuisines, which is an indication of a good social life in town. We took the easy way out and dined at a T.G.I. Friday's. The town seemed quite safe to us.

The university is only a few kilometers out of the city center, and has very good bus connection. There are a few bus stops within the campus. The accommodation buildings are usually close to the central campus (Stag Hill) but there is a new development nearby in the Manor Park campus which will accommodate several thousand students. All undergraduates are guaranteed a student room (same with all international students) and there is a variety of accommodation possibilities both in and out of the campus.

The university is well-known in the area of satellite research and has a Space Centre. It has established a commercial company to launch small satellites into space and has been quite successful. It is in general notorious for research but also has a few departments that produce much-required practical talent for the industry.