Egham Station to Royal Holloway: Bus or Walk

Egham railway station is the nearest station to Royal Holloway, University of London, about 1 mile from campus. There are three ways up to the Founder's Building from the station: the £1 Diamond Bus RHU, a 15 to 20 minute walk up Egham Hill, or a short taxi. Here is which one to pick.

By Hasseeb Hussain, founder of RHUL Mobile.

At a glance

• With bags or in a hurry: the Diamond Bus RHU from the bay outside the station to the Founder's Building. £1 flat fare, about 5 minutes.
• On a clear day with light luggage: walk it. 15 to 20 minutes, mostly uphill along Egham Hill.
• Late at night or heavily loaded: a taxi from the rank at the station. Only a few pounds up to campus.

Option 1: The Diamond Bus RHU (easiest)

The RHU is the Diamond Bus service run in partnership with Royal Holloway. It picks up from the bay immediately outside Egham station and runs up to the Founder's Building at the top of campus in about 5 minutes.

• Fare: a £1 flat fare to or from Egham station, paid on board. Other legs of the route are free.
• Journey time: roughly 5 minutes from the station to Founder's, longer if there is traffic on Egham Hill.
• Where it stops: outside the station, then up to the Founder's Building and on towards Hox Park.
• Best for: anyone arriving with a suitcase, in the rain, or who would rather skip the hill.

The app counts down to the next departure, so you can see how long you have instead of standing at the stop guessing. Open RHU bus times in RHUL Mobile as your train pulls in and you will know whether to walk straight to the bay or wait. The full Royal Holloway bus guide covers the RHU fares and frequencies, and the RH2 to Huntersdale.

Option 2: Walk up Egham Hill

The walk is about 1 mile and takes 15 to 20 minutes. It is mostly uphill, so it is an easy stroll down to the station on the way out and more of a climb on the way back up.

Turn right out of the station along Station Road to the junction, follow the road round to the large roundabout by the petrol station, then head up Egham Hill (the A30). The campus is on your right as you climb, with Founder's Building, the big white French Renaissance building, unmistakable at the top.

Use the campus map in RHUL Mobile to pick the closest entrance to your hall or lecture, rather than walking all the way up to Founder's and doubling back. It works offline and routes you on real walking paths.

Option 3: Taxi

There is a taxi rank at Egham station, and a run up to campus is short enough to cost only a few pounds. Worth it late at night, in bad weather, or if you are moving in with more than you can carry. Local firms will also pick up if you book ahead.

When the last bus runs

The RHU runs from early morning until after midnight, with the final buses of the night reaching Egham station in the early hours. Exact times shift each term, so treat any printed figure with caution and check the bus times in RHUL Mobile before you rely on it. The RHU and RH2 timetable guide has the current first and last departures. If you have just missed the last one, the taxi rank at the station is the fallback.

Arriving from further afield

If you are travelling in from an airport, a coach, or elsewhere in the country, the wider guide to getting to Royal Holloway covers every approach to campus, not just the last mile from Egham station. Once you are here, the campus map and bus times handle the rest.