Holmwood to Gomshall walk

amib • 09-Apr-12

And another fine day's walking in the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty! This time,10.5 miles from Holmwood to Gomshall, and most of it through woodland. The morning section starts out gently enough across fields before entering woods and ascending/scrambling to The National Trust's Leith Hill and tower. This provides some great views across The Weald and on to the coast, on a clear day. Then there's some fine forest walking through to the lunch time halt in the picturesque hamlet of Friday Street. After lunch, the walk follows the Tilling Bourne stream through more woodland, and then emerges into open scenery near Wotton. There's more woodland walking thereafter, before reaching Abinger Hammer and its 'hammer pond'. The final leg skirts around Gomshall before arriving at a very pleasant new tearoom/cafe there. A very lovely walk indeed, particularly if you're a fan of woodlands! Plenty of opportunities for bluebells, in season, and very pleasant lunch/tea time stops. (Out-of-focus butterfly was an 'Orange Tip', and the finch in the tree towards the end was a Chaffinch).