Length:
15.1 km (9.4 mi) or 16.5 km [for shorter versions: see pdf]
Ascent/Descent:
approx. 600m; Net Walking Time: 4 ½ hours
Toughness:
7/10
Take
the 10.31 Horsham train from Victoria (CJ 10.38), arrives Box Hill & Westhumble at 11.21.
Return trains are (broadly) half-hourly on the
hour.
This
short but strenuous walk climbs up a series of hills in a clockwise loop north
and east of Box Hill & Westhumble station: Norbury Park, Mickleham Downs, Headley
Heath and finally Box Hill itself.
There
are many fine viewpoints on this walk and in several places you can see your
earlier route from a new perspective. This part of the North Downs is
deservedly popular, but there are some quieter places in between.
Norbury Park
Nature Reserve is described by Surrey Wildlife Trust as a ‘working landscape’
which includes one saw mill and three farms. The prominent house at its centre
was built in 1774 and has had several famous owners and tenants, including
Leopold Salomons, who donated Box Hill to the National Trust in 1914, and
Dr Marie Stopes, the family planning pioneer.
Box Hill and Headley Heath
are both owned by the National Trust, which has introduced special breeds of
sheep and cattle to restore more of the downland to its original ‘unimproved’
condition; unfertilized land is richer in wild flowers. This diversity also
supports many butterflies: 40 of the 58 British species have been found on Box
Hill.
Lunch: King William IV (food all day) or the
Running Horses (food to
15.00), both in Mickleham (4.7
km/2.9 mi).
Tea: the Stepping Stones pub or
Pilgrim Cycles near/at Boxhill & Westhumble station, or the Lincoln Arms on Dorking's
Station Approach.
For
summary, map, height
profile, some photos, walk
directions and gpx/kml files click here.T=swc.64
Next Week: Glynde to Seaford
Next Week: Glynde to Seaford
1 comment:
N=5 W=sunny_and_very_hot_31_deg_C. Good walk for a hot day with plenty of shade. Lunch at King William IV was up to the usual high standard. We took the shorter option back via Box Hill tea room. Still plenty of water in the Mole at the stepping stones.
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