Length: 11.5km (7.1 miles)
Toughness: 7 out of 10 (two big hill climbs) T=1.49
Trains: 9.54 London Waterloo, 9.57 Vauxhall, 10.02 Clapham Junction, 10.06 Earlsfield, arrives Box Hill 10.41
Buy a day return to Box Hill and Westhumble. Trains from Waterloo to Box Hill are operated by South Western Railway: the station is also served by Southern trains from Victoria. Make sure your ticket is valid on South Western or is "any permitted"
This is a short walk but quite a strenuous one, with two big hill climbs in the morning. In the afternoon you can either carry on to Leatherhead, or - highly recommended - do a Box Hill Circular, looping back to Box Hill Station after the Mickleham pub. There are two options here: an easier route, still very rural, along the river and rail line, or a harder one which climbs up onto the ridge, with fine views down into the valley. The walk directions, GPX and map include all these options.
Lunch: Mickleham has two pubs. The first is the Running Horses (tel. 01372-372279) on Old London Road, opposite the church. The pub serves an excellent choice of main meals and deep-filled sandwiches and has a log fire in winter. The pub’s management likes walkers to take off their walking boots, so please comply. The second pub, the King William IV freehouse, (tel.01372-372590), is much smaller, perched on a hill above the A24. It also serves good food and good beer and being small (40 covers inside), is cosy. It has a partly covered outdoor area. Booking ahead is always recommended for lunch pubs. COVID rules apply. See above for the rules.
Tea: Leatherhead has various tea options. Near Box Hill station, the Stepping Stones pub is a possible choice: or for an open air tea option, carry on past the pub to the main road, take the underpass to cross the road and turn left: just beyond the roundabout is Ryka's, an open air cafe popular with bikers and open till 5pm (last orders 4.45pm).
Trains back from Leatherhead are at 10, 13, 23, 40, 44 and 53 past the hour
Trains back from Box Hill are at 05 and 35 past to Waterloo and 40 past to Victoria: all these trains to Epsom and Clapham Junction and take about the same time to get to London
7 comments:
I'd love to suggest a walk but, as I live in a Tier 3 area, I'm only allowed to be in a "gathering" outside with one other person.
We might be in the same position soon, judging by the latest news reports....
But someone has said they might put up a post
But are you sure you have the Tier Three rules correct? I just checked and "the rule of six" seems to still apply in Tiuer Three: you are just not supposed to travel outside your area
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/local-restriction-tiers-what-you-need-to-know#very-high-alert
Actually, @Walker is right (well, half right - there aren't any restrictions on travel, as such.) The legislation in question (The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (All Tiers) (England) Regulations 2020, since you ask) says:
(2) No person living in the Tier 3 area may participate in a gathering outside that area which
(a)takes place outdoors ........ and consists of more than six people,
So, yes, the "Rule of Six" would apply to SWC walks.
It should be less about the legislation and more about the objectives of the restrictions. Our emphasis should be about minimising risk of spreading, not what we can get away with.
I entirely agree with PeteG - infection rates are rising alarmingly in West Kent - and East Sussex isn't looking too special, either. Box Hill & Brockham, on the other hand, is improving.
BOX HILL TO LEATHERHEAD Walk 49 with an option to do a very scenic loup back to Box Hill station Sat 12 Dec 20
N=14 on this walk (13 at the station and 1 joined near the NT café), on a day w=cloudy-with-sunny-spells. We broke up into our small groups and set off speedily as there were no less than 4 walking groups congregating separately in the forecourt.
This was a very strenuous walk, but great views to be had throughout the walk. 6 of us had lunch in the churchyard new the King William iv pub in Mickleham. We then continued in weather which got sunnier; indeed looking across we could see Juniper Hill in full sunlight. As we finished the walk in good time, and having a desire to extend the walk a little (in reality looking for tea), we were guided by one of our group to Denbies tea room. Here some of us got a takeaway, and others sat down indoors for a well earned cuppa tea, cake or sandwich. Then continued onto Dorking through the vineyard in the gathering dusk.
En route to Denbies, our path crossed with that of one of our walkposters who was completing a different walk, and who cheered us by confirming that the tea room was indeed open.
A lovely walk.
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