Such a wonderful bt slightly challenging walk in bright sunshine Have adjourned now for the Rugby Jane

5 regulars (and along the way2 people doing the walk independently, using a copy of Book 1). It was a beautiful day, warm and sunny and no mud to speak of. There were lots of butterflies, mostly yellow Brimstones but one walker also spotted a Comma and a Peacock.

I'm told by someone who did this walk recently that the higher return route to Box Hill has has re-opened again, following tree works there, but there are some fallen trees. If you don't want to navigate those, you can instead take the parallel path higher to your right. To do that, carry on past the picnic benches then take the wide path on your left, rejoining the official route via the steps down later on. This path also has the benefit that it's usually firm underfoot.

The current edition of my walk notes has this walk's Toughness rating as 7 - due to the two steep climbs in the morning, which some find challenging. A rating of 5 might reflect the short length of the walk, but could mislead someone new to the walk in believing the ascents - and one steep descent - are easier than they are. But it makes a great winter walk, with two excellent lunch pubs to choose from - so suggest leave the sandwiches behind !

The weather was unspeakably foul when I left home but after the recent run of bumper turnouts, I was still surprised that only3 south London residents gathered on the Westhumble platform. It's customary at this point to say "Where was everybody? It turned out fine"; in fact it was misty all day, with initial drizzle followed by heavier rain on the hilltops, easing into a dry, quite pleasant afternoon. There was lots of mud though.

We all had sandwiches so ate in the Mickleham church porch before looking round the church in more detail trying to work out which were the old bits: among others there is a bit of 10th century wall. We stopped for warming drinks at the Wild About Coffee kiosk by the sawmill, then managed to find a way back to Westhumble that avoided climbing over any tree-trunks, and got there just in time for the 1535.

I will delay reporting the number in my group - me, myself and I - as I suspect a number of Wednesday regulars were probably on the posted train, whilst I was thirty minutes ahead of them, intending to book check the route, which would have slowed me down. This task proved near impossible as the rain was relentless in the morning, only easing after midday. I did not meet up with any other SWC walkers all day - I stopped at the Running Horses for lunch - perhaps anyone behind me chose the King William 1V ?

As for the walk, the two steep inclines in the morning do not get any easier with the passing of time. My knees protested when climbing the steps up White Hill - and the very steep descent off the hill was difficult in the wet - but fortunately I made the Running Horses pub safely. The pub was surprisingly busy considering the weather, but I found a space in the cosy bar area to dry off before enjoying an excellent meal.

After lunch, when on this walk, I usually double back to Box Hill on the pleasant Valley route, but as the morning rain had now morphed into an overcast, drizzly afternoon I opted to continue to Leatherhead, on the off-chance of meeting up with anyone else on this walk. No such luck !

Weather: very wet in the morning some drizzle after lunch . The route was very muddy in places but I am sure not as bad as Alice reported on Sunday's Chorleywood to Chesham walk. Despite the rain this walk is always enjoyable and I had a very good day in perfect company !

1

Six assembled on the platform from the slightly delayed train for formalities on a warm summer 's-evening. We soon bumped into 7 who had taken a bus...up we went, catching glimpses of the setting sun and enjoying the fab view from the escarpment. We arrived at Juniper Top just minutes after the sun set (had the train not been delayed -- would have been perfect) -- but were still rewarded with a nice afterglow. We arrived at the William IV about 8pm and enjoyed a nice meal on their patio - two then caught the bus, leaving the remaining 5 to complete the walk back in the dark...Along the way, w-2-glow-worms were spotted.

Seven off the train at Box Hill tackled the two steep hills before lunch in Mickleham where another joined having taken a different morning route making 8 in total.

Morning sunshine gave way to cloud with intermittent drizzle in the afternoon.Six had a picnic in the churchyard,two went to the Running Horses which was fully booked with diners so, on to the King William IV where one dined and one had coffee. The picnickers extracted them from the pub before continuing to Leatherhead where seven tried out a new cafe called Charlie and Ginger which had good tea and reasonably good coffee and some very sweet cakes which more than replaced the calories burnt up in the morning. The cafe group caught the 15.45 train back to London where rain had set in for the evening..

9 of us off the train at Box Hill station. No car drivers. It was a cold day with a chilly wind in exposed areas , but fine in the woods and on the two climbs. The sun decided to take a day off, so it was overcast, but clear. The view from the summit of Box Hill was good. There was still some late leaf colour in places to add to our enjoyment of the views on offer all along today's walk.

Mud levels were very manageable today although it was noticeable that footpaths were beginning to "mud up" now that meteorological winter has arrived.

The two climbs were tough - I do declare they get steeper every year - but we all made it to Mickleham without anyone collapsing in distress. But some aged knees took a hammering.

My eight companions opted to picnic in the pleasant churchyard opposite the pub, whilst I entered the pub and enjoyed an excellent lunch washed down with a pint. My companions continued their walk to Leatherhead and I had difficulty forcing myself away from the cosy fire in the pub, but eventually did so, to set out on the valley route back to Box Hill station. The 15-46 hrs service arrived on time and an hour later I was back in Victoria, having enjoyed a grand day out. But I expect my knees will give me gyp in the morning...........

The walk to Leatherhead was pleasanter and more interesting than I remembered, despite the cold north wind. We spread out in the town in search of tea options; four of us settled for a busy Costa then made a dash for the 1524 train.

Thanks for posting Marcus, a good walk for a short day

Thank you for choosing a walk I can get to by bus - strike or no. However the bus and train timetables may not dovetail, so I hope to see people en route (or at the William IV) if not at the station

What time are you meeting at Box Hill?

Nina, the meeting place is Box Hill & Westhumble railway station car park at 11-11 hrs. From the station It should take you circa 45 mins to reach the summit of Box Hill (the viewing point), with nearby car park.

Six walkers arrived by train, with one bus traveller (me) meeting them at the station and two more waiting for us at the viewpoint on Box Hill, making9 in all. There was a brief mention of the visitor centre cafe, but we were urged to press on before the forecast rain. Rain?? Nobody warned me. We tackled the steep climbs in the dry but sure enough, it started to drizzle as we descended from Juniper Top, and a number of heavier showers followed. So cloudy then showery .

It was rather wet by the time we got to Mickleham where the picnickers found shelter in the porch of the Church. Two departed from there by bus, while the others joined the five pub-goers at the William IV just before their delicious-looking lunches arrived.

After a convivial chat about various visits to warmer climes we split up, the Box Hill starters heading back to their car while the rest of us returned to Westhumble by the low road. I think this was a smart move as it provided good if not complete shelter from the heaviest rain. The weather cleared as we manoeuvred round an obstreperous cow in the field before the village. Thanks again for posting a good choice of walk for a short but sweet day in the circs.

Does anyone know what happened to the walk route in green gone to? The map of the walk is there but not the green directions?

Monica

@Monica. Yes, something was broken.

(Long answer: I started to change something to handle the edge case of 2+ markers in the same place, e.g. 3 walks starting from the same station. Then I forgot about it. This broke the bits I hadn't yet changed. Later I came across these broken bits and, wondering why, fixed them, thus breaking the bits I had previously changed. Javascript doesn't handle errors very gracefully, it just stops. The 'green' lines are drawn after the start/stop markers, so they never got drawn)

Many thanks Andrew I can see the green line is back on SWC walk routes. Many thanks for for fixing it.

Monica.

With some later starters, some of whom caught up with us at lunchtime, we numbered a nice round 20 today. After the dreary, mild, yucky weather over most of the festive period, what a joy it was to walk today in proper winter weather: crisp and cold and delightfully sunny all day . More, please !

It was muddy in places, as to be expected, and the ascents of Box Hill and White Hill proved challenging for some of us oldies: with the passing years these climbs do not get any easier - and I cannot think why.

Arriving in Mickleham at the Running Horses pub, eight of us dined in the pub's restaurant area, and a number of our picnickers had a drink in the cosier bar area. Our dishes arrived promptly - beautifully presented, and although helpings looked to be on the modest side, the food was delicious and surprisingly filling. With friendly staff attending to all our needs, this pub lunch experience was an excellent one. More, please !

After lunch, most walkers set off to return to Box Hill, by two routes, and one walker called in to Denbies for tea - I'm not sure what the others did. I donned my anti-social hat and set off alone to Leatherhead, to book check the afternoon leg of the official TO Book route.

A lovely winter's day walk - but after all those steep steps, some of us will have a few aches come tomorrow.............

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

14 on this walk (13 at the station and 1 joined near the NT café), on a day 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.

Was anyone on the Victoria train? Seven got off the Waterloo one and another arrived at lunch, having got a train an hour later. So 8. But no Victorians were seen all day. If there were any, please file a separate report.

Talk about social distancing. On the train there was a group of 40+ youth: some kind of school group? Inevitably they all got off at Box Hill station and it was quite a job disentangling from them.

We seven quickly drew lots to see who had to walk by themselves (....) and then set off to do the book one route, with its two whopper hill climbs. Five had lunch on the patio of the King William IV, adding more and more layers to keep warm under the cloudy skies. We were the first to order and so got our food quickly.

We never saw the sandwichers again, but acquired number eight at the pub and so were six when we left. We set off to do the afternoon of the Box Hill Circular, with its malicious, not to say sadistic, delight in sending us up hill and down dale. There was at times some lovely autumn colour. Special mention today goes to dogwood, which was everywhere a riot of maroon and red.

After the final near vertical climb up onto Box Hill we found the National Trust tea kiosk miraculously free of a queue. The reason for this was soon apparent: they were “unable to serve hot drinks”, the THIRD time the NT has let me down in this way this summer. So we went down to Ryka’s, which seems to find marrying hot water to a tea bag less of a logistical challenge.

Three then went to get the 5.05 train at Box Hill and three of us walked via Denbies Vineyard to Dorking. The autumn colour on this section was excellent, including yellow vine leaves, and large golden patches on birch, beech and Swedish whitebeam. I should mention too that colours on the descent from Box Hill were good too.

We severally got the 18.05 to Waterloo and the 18.07 to Victoria, in the former of which I pen these lines.

Three Victorians walked to Leatherhead. Sandwiched in Micklesham.

So 11 in all

the gpx suggests it's 10.4 km only, back along the valley route...?

Six off the designated train, including 4 repeat customers from last year's outing and one her very first SWC walk (who was not at all concerned about finishing in the dark....) We set off in sunny warm conditions perfect for a sunset walk and seemed to have Box Hill to ourselves in the lovely evening light with nice views over Dorking and the valley below. We arrived at the west facing Juniper Top just after the sun had set -- but the sky was a deep red providing a great backdrop for a picturesque silhouette of trees on the horizon (really spectacular). We took the route direct to the William IV, arriving just as complete darkness fell (slightly before 8pm). During a convivial evening meal, a 7th who had started later and gone to the Running Horses joined us for a post meal drink and rather jolly jaunt in the dark back to Box Hill through atmospheric woods with some nice stars and a 3/4 moon....So, a total of 7 on this most enjoyable evening...

Hi Stargazer, we talked about this but sadly I've got a work do and won't be able to make it. I'm disappointed as I'm sure it will be fun

Much to my very pleasant surprise, 8 assembled on the platform at Boxhill for this slightly unusual evening walk under clear skies with some cloud for perfect sunset conditions . For a change the weather actually cooperated with the hoped for atmospheric conditions and we were rewarded with a lovely sunset from the top of Boxhill and during the descent from Juniper Top. We arrived at the King William the 4th just as real darkness descended where pretty much all enjoyed a very tasty meal before setting off about 21:00 for the final stretch back to Boxhill in the dark. It was an atmospheric journey contouring the base of a hill in and out of woods....with some nice star sightings (including Mars) and some owls hooting...Arrived back in Boxhill about 22:00 just as a train was pulling in...so -- we hopped aboard to see where it would take us...

I can't make it on Saturday but yes, there is a less steep descent (see warning in 3rd para) - when you get to the byway (Stane Street) tuen right instead of straight on down the hill. After about 400m there's a bridleway descending sharp left diagonally (not the first footpath after about 150m). This passes a prominent wrecked car and then emerges in Mickleham near the William IV.

It's fairly clear on the 25 000 scale map

Or for an even less steep descent than the one by the wrecked car. Stay on the path up to the ridge of White Hill, bear left on open ground at the top to find the trig point. Then continue ahead on a grass path to reenter the woods to join Stain Street. Turn right for a few yards and then turn left down a broad track with a fence on your right. This is a gentle descent, at the bottom turn left along a broad track with a wall on your right and then take the first right down to the King Billy IV

20 on this walk on a gorgeous sunny day - perfect winter walking weather. A fairly cracking pace was set - almost no stopping for the views. The ground was largely crisp and hard. The two big hill climbs were even bigger than remembered: though short in miles this walk gives you a good workout.

Four of us experimented with a gentler descent to Mickleham - the one described by Sandy, so thanks for that. It worked fairly well but was still a bit slippy in places: one person lost their footing, though no damage was done.

Eight (or nine) lunched at the Running Horses, where a table had been booked. We had a lovely table under a glass roof with the blue sky above. The service was a little snooty - twas ever thus at this establishment - but the food delicious, apart, apparently, from the soup. I think some others lunched in the William IV. After lunch most went on to Leatherhead, even though it was very early, the Christmas market being one attraction. Four of us did the loop back towards Box Hill station, diverting to Denbies Vineyard and its self-service restaurant for tea at the end and getting there at 3.15. We then walked in the gathering dusk to get a 4.26 train from Dorking.

10-approx cloudy but dry

A pleasant walk in good company. Good lunch at The King William IV. Tea in Leatherhead for some.

lovely box hill...anyone going ?

Yes I am hoping to be here. Two big hills before lunch is just what the doctor ordered

Does the circular walk option back to Box Hill change the overall distance by much?

The 'Hill option' back to Box Hill station is about the same distance as the standard book route to Leatherhead (but tougher); the 'Valley option' is about 1km shorter.

10-or-11

dry some mist in the morning and brighter later

A scenic and energetic walk and not too much mud. Most took a diversion or two in the morning to Juniper Top and The Gallops before an excellent lunch at the King William IV.

Fortified by lunch, a few took the hill route back to Box Hill Station while others opted for the more leisurely route on to Leatherhead.

10-or-11

dry some mist in the morning and brighter later

A scenic and energetic walk and not too much mud. Most took a diversion or two in the morning to Juniper Top and The Gallops before an excellent lunch at the King William IV.

Fortified by lunch, a few took the hill route back to Box Hill Station while others opted for the more leisurely route on to Leatherhead.