Is it Box hill and Westhumble station or Dorking st. please?

The clue is in the walk name, but I've updated the post

Hi PeteG, I'm new to the site and was planning on coming on this walk. I just missed the train and the next one is in an hour. I will try and catch up with you all.

I made it to the King Will lunch pub if anyone is around (I'm dressed in black with square glasses). Otherwise I will have to catch you on another walk.

The route has been very good so far!

Our train seemed to be the only one out of Victoria that was not cancelled, so that was a good start. At Box Hill about 70 walkers disembarked. Most belonged to other groups. Ours possibly numbered 14 or possibly more; I counted but did not write it down. Two late starters joined us later, so let’s say 16 .

At the start it was misty, and a fog also descended on our direction finding. First we went a different way to evade an epic-sized meet-up group, and then we missed our way and ended up on a path I have never discovered in twenty years of exploring this area. Eventually we climbed a steep zigzag path to get back on piste, but at the top got lost doing an extra loop on Fetcham Downs that the walk author has added in so we don’t get to lunch too early (thanks!). We went right round in a circle and came back to our starting point, so I suppose it achieved its purpose.

At the William IV the landlord showed mild alarm at the arrival of customers, and when we admitted we had not booked, warned that he was “old”. But a youth from the village took our order with reasonable dispatch and the food was not ridiculously slow in coming. I was glad to have got there before the big walking group that turned up half an hour later, however (damned walking groups!)

While we ate the sun snuck out. So mist clearing to sun . It was then a lovely golden afternoon, but someone seemed to have stolen my leg muscles. Never be fooled into thinking that this is a fairly short walk. It is a positive Eiger. If it goes up hill, it immediately goes down dale. Its creator takes a positive delight in seeking out the steepest climbs. The near vertical pull up onto Box Hill itself is particularly cruel so late in the walk.

We had a sit down there amidst the noisy kiddies. I then persuaded the others to eschew the National Trust cafe and go down the slope to Ryka’s instead. I was justly blamed because the latter did not have good cakes. Faced with 50 minutes to the next train (Southern and Southeastern seemed to have waited until passenger numbers returned and then cut the service frequency) some of us did an extra loop via Burford Meadow and the North Downs Way. Some got the 17.33 to Waterloo; the cognoscenti waited for the less busy and more modern 17.39 to Victoria. A pity that with just two trains an hour they have to leave within six minutes of each other.

So back to the mad maelstrom that is London on a Saturday night in the tail end of the Covid pandemic. Did it used to be like this? Have I forgotten?

Shri here - lovely to meet you all (Margaret, Robin, Francis and others) on my first outing with the group. Hope to see you guys and others another day, another time. Uploaded a few (half-decent) pictures from the day...

cheerio, S

I am sure someone will do a proper report soon, but this was a lovely energetic walk (to work off all those mince pies), well attended (16 or so? I did not count) and in gorgeous sunshine . We even ate outside at the King William IV. A real tonic.

Well, and I thought you might do a proper report...

Here goes: 15 (about a handful of those car drivers), initially overcast but soon breaking, so mostly gorgeous sunshine . Not much deep mud on this route but plenty thin slithery layers on steep chalky ground, making for careful traipsing down the hills (I'm not aware of any falls). The additional mini-loop in the morning (making this a "tad longer" than previous versions of the walk) works well, we thought: the woods crossed on it are mainly plantation, so not THAT interesting compared to the rest, but one gets fine - and different - views down the Mole Valley to Leatherhead.

Service at the pub was fast and food quality good, so top marks for the William IV on a busy day for them. The picnickers had eaten either in the playground in Mickledon or moved on to the Gallopps to bathe in sunshine there, and most waited for the lunchers to catch up with them, only 1 walker sped ahead.

1 other then got waylaid by following old printed directions from 2012 (a 6-way junction (now) was a four-way junction (then) and the resulting "turn first right" direction consequently led him astray). Some stopped at the NT Cafe at Box Hill (the group was still largely together at this point), and only one walker moved ahead fast enough from there to catch the 15.44 train. All other train travellers found themselves on the 16.14. (The cafe in the bike shop had unfortunately shut for the day at 14.00 hours.)

Sounds good. Looking forward.

Will be attending and hope to see many of you. Happy new year.

Monica

Planning to a do a part of this walk. Driving and parking at Box Hill & Westhumble station or Denbies. If anyone else is interested then I can call in at Tadworth or Tattenham Corner station, 4 seats available.

The stroller

17 on the walk on a bright, slightly overcast day. Good walking conditions with next to no mud. Eight for lunch in the William IV, so the group split up, with a mini regroup with 2 sandwich eaters at the NT cafe for tea.

anyone doing this walk today? I'd love to, but weather is looking rubbish!

I missed the suggested train, on next one,arrives 1137, shall i walk fast and catch you up?

6 walkers turned out on a warm and humid day with no sign of the forecast rain for this short but strenuous walk. Lunch at King William IV where the regular menu was augmented by a barbecue. Two took a short cut but four continued with the main walk, stopped for refreshment at NT café on top of Box Hill, and three for further imbibing at The Stepping Stones near the station. A very pleasant day out.

Planning to join you but getting the 465 bus from Kingston. I should be at Westhumble a few minutes before you, but if not I'll try and catch up. If you do "plot another route" from Clapham Junction, a text on 07817 492330 letting me know would be lovely.

Many thanks

Sandy

20 at the start on this walk: others dribbled in with various excuses for being late ("the hamster got out", "the dog ate the alarm clock": must try harder, you lot), so I saying 25 on this walk and who will gainsay me? Three other groups seemed to start with us but none went to the King William IV for lunch, thank God. Getting there early meant we had its fine outside terrace to ourself.

As for the walk, unalloyed delight. Who would guess from all those autumn and winter outings that it was so awash with downland flowers in summer? (Well, I did actually: that is why I posted it.) Loads of butterflies too - mostly meadow brown and ringlet but lots of marbled whites too, and - oh! - was that a silver-washed fritillary? Dear reader, it was! Two of them! The weather was bright cloud with some hot sun .

The NT kiosk at Box Hill was as busy as ever but for once had no big queues. Most people got trains home far too early. Two of us had a lovely dinner in the garden of the Stepping Stones and then walked to Dorking as an encore in the sunny dusk.

5 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.

Looking forward to doing the walk tomorrow. Thanks Thomas!

Thanks, Thomas.

Now I might do the walk Tomorrow. But I can't Guarantee I will.

i may do the walk the conventional way doing the ascent first altho am enmeshed in another court case against neighbours from Hell so may not make it at all jfk

Box Hill Circular: Wed 31st August: About 9-10 on this outing on a hot and humid day. Plenty of woody shade, however. A good workout despite the relatively short distance. Pleasant, chatty group. One peeled off shortly before the King William IV pub to explore Denbies. The rest of us split amicably with four heading for the pub, and the others not seen again having sandwiched on the hill. Good food and efficient service in pub, especially given we were beaten to the bar by an all-male group of ramblers. The quartet stopped again at the National Trust tearoom and enjoyed some fine cake. We got the train shortly after 5 back to the smoke, managing to sample some ice cream at the bike shop cum cafe just before. Thanks to Thomas for putting on the walk, especially such an apt choice.

Just to be clear: the Denbies explorer also split amicably with the group, as is the SWC norm.

9 hot and humid

I had a slightly different experience of Box Hill and Mickleham and stopped for lunch at the slightly less expensive italian restaurant at the base of George !V pub. Some of this variation features in my own figure of 8 walk of Boxhill jfk

20 on this walk in lovely warm sunshine . The autumn colours were wonderful too, much more advanced than I expected - coppery beeches, yellow field and Norway maple, golden birches. We got to lunch slightly before midday but that meant empty pubs and quick service. The King William IV contingent ate outside on the terrace, an unexpected delight at this time of year.

In the afternoon Headley Heath looked especially beautiful - I have never seen it looking so nice. I think most at some point had tea at the Box Hill kiosk, and there was then a dreamlike descent in golden sunshine to Burford Bridge, where a bunch of us got the 4.28 train, some apparently having got the 3.28.