Surrey Hills and Box Hill Adventures
My day trip to Surrey Hills was in August. My goal was to hike the Box Hill Area. I started in London at the Victoria Station and caught a train to the Box Hill and Wethumble station. As you get off the train you will see Pilgrim Bikes. The gentleman in the bike store was nice enough to set me in the right direction for my hiking adventure. I turned right onto Westhumble and took a pedestrian tunnel to cross London Rd. As you come out of the tunnel the Box Hills Nature area is right in front of you and alongside London Rd. You will see the Mole river and the light green signs marking the trail into Burford Meadows.
Advice: I would recommend starting your hike at Burford Meadows. You will see the meadows, the Mole River and the famous stepping stones. If you don’t want to cross the river on the stepping stones you can take the bridge just about 100 feet down-river. If you still want the punishment of a climb then pick up the trail with the wooden steps that leads up to the top of Box Hill. The workout is moderate to challenging and its better for footing and stability.
I wanted to hike up Box Hill (the hard way), so I went straight up to London Rd. just past the Mercure Box Hill Hotel to the Box Hill trail gate. (There is a bus stop right in front of it and it’s clearly marked with the green trail sign). It was a dirt trail when I started then it turned to a narrow shale or chalk trail. (If it’s raining I do not recommend this way.)
The ascent was moderate to challenging as the incline increased. I found my way to the top and the sights were beautiful. I especially enjoyed Salomons Memorial which is the stone deck that showed the areas you were looking at from the hill. The beautiful green knoll in front of the memorial was nice to sit and rest on. Behind Salomons Memorial is a paved walk that leads to the National Trust and the Box Hill cafe with delicious food for the hungry and weary. For those of you who want to drive. Box Hill is accessible by car, with parking near the cafe.
I took the trail of wooden steps down to the Mole river and the stepping stones where I enjoyed seeing the river and the people crossing the stepping stones. I exited through Burford Meadow back to London Rd. and onto the Box Hill and Westhumble Station where I caught the train back to London.
Make sure you take a camera for the beautiful sights, a hat if its a sunny day, water and your smile 🙂