"They had a very fine day for Box Hill; and all other outward circumstances of arrangement, accommodation and punctuality, were in favour of a pleasant party. Mr Weston directed the whole, officiating safely between Hartfield and the vicarage, and everybody was in good time. Emma and Harriet went together; Miss Bates and her niece, with the Eltons; the gentlemen on horseback." Emma by Jane Austen (Chapter 43)This was the spark that led to a day trip to Box Hill in Surrey, a walk was planned with a picnic on the hill and at least a chapter of Emma had to be read from top! This is the route we walked - almost 4 miles in a figure of eight.
We started from the bottom of Zig Zag Lane (more about that later) and headed straight up the hill along a grassy slope. Whilst it doesn't look that steep in the early pictures, the later pictures show it was quite a climb. This is the view from near the top of the grassy side of the hill, I had read that some of the views were obscured by trees so I took this picture in case we couldn't see much later on!
This is looking down the grassy slope where we stopped for a picnic.
Then we moved into the tree-covered area and the view was mostly obscured. The hill is named after the Box trees that grow there, and some of them seemed to be holding the hillside together (more about that later) - did you know box trees have an interesting odour... LOL
Halfway along the wooded path we came across this gravestone, the resting place of a local eccentric. The epitaph did make me smile...
Apparently he requested to be buried head down as he believed the whole world was topsy turvy and he might then be the right way up for the afterlife!
A certain someone posed like a Victorian explorer - if only he had a pith helmet and khakis!
Took a picture of this part of the path, and though you may not be able to see it, it has been eroded down to the tree roots into an almost skeletal structure.
Swiss cottage, on the south side of Box Hill, the former home of John Logie Baird. Slightly odd to put a notice on your gate saying private property and to keep out and then put a blue sign (these are a marker of a heritage site in the UK) just far enough away that you had to lean over the gate to take a picture! John Logie Baird is credited with inventing the television though whether he was first is arguable.
This is the Viewpoint at the top of Box Hill with the dedication to Leopold Salomons who gave the hill to the nation (and the National Trust) in 1914. We sat and read Emma here, taking in the view.
And this is the view he gave to the nation!
Left to right you can see in the distance Reigate, Gatwick, Brockham, Devil's Dike, Dorking, Leith Hill, Hindhead, Ranscombe Common.
On the way down, we saw this amazing tree, it had some carvings into the bark about 40ft up, and there was at least one that I saw with a date (1954)
If you squint you may be able to see the carvings high up the tree...
This is the view from halfway down when the path opened up on the left hand side, we didn't know yet quite what we were in for on the way down! Let's put it this way, we definitely chose the right way to go up the hill...
View off the edge of the hill, though you can't see clearly, the box tree is holding part of the path to the side of the hill, you could look down a drop of a couple of hundred feet here of almost vertical incline. You can see the chalky white strips visible in this pic in the pictures taken later on from the bottom of the hill.
Worn steps shored up with timber risers, there were a few hundred of these on the way down... snaking their way down the hillside. In the distance you can see Charlie the Westie who had a fabulous day out in the countryside.
At the bottom we were surrounded by wild garlic which had a pungent smell, though more pleasant than the box odour! I learnt this was wild garlic from the tour guide at Highgate Cemetery and was really chuffed with myself to have remembered what it looked like. If you pick a leaf and crush it in your fingers the garlicky smell does linger for sometime...
And then at the very bottom of the hill, a memory from childhood adventures as we crossed the River Mole by stepping stones. Charlie was not much impressed with being carried across but managed to be held long enough not to get a long overdue bath!
View from the A24 as we were walking towards the underpass for a wander along part of the North Downs Way, you can see the bare chalk on the steep hillside as mentioned earlier... This part of the hill is known as The Whitings.
Just entering the North Downs Way we were in a part of woodland with a carpet of bluebells, beautiful!
Under an old Victorian railway arch, along the North Downs way - another view of the railway later.
After a twisting and turning path through a quaint (but obviously prosperous) village called West Humble, we came to a bridge over the railway and the Box Hill and West Humble Railway Station. Shame the bridge was in the way of a photograph of the quirky station building, complete with what looked like an old clock tower. This part of the walk is the left hand loop of the infinity sign on the satellite/Google Map view at the beginning.
Just past the railway station and there was an exclusive development (read: overpriced) of houses with more blue signs. I'm not sure who these people were but again you had to lean over a fence to read them! I will check them out and see what information I can find for a future post.
Finally on the gentle walk back to the car, I took this picture of the hillside where you can see the grassy slope we climbed right at the beginning of our walk.
A gorgeous English Spring afternoon, fabulous weather, amazing views, some Jane Austen and peace and quiet. What more could you ask for on a Sunday afternoon?
We took a slightly different route home, a scenic trip up Zig Zag Lane (you can see this road just to the North East of the first part of our walk), through the village of Box Hill and north to Leatherhead before joining the M25
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