Highest point in Southern England?
Surrey is quite a hilly place by southern standards, with the North Downs running across the whole of northern part of the county. At 965ft
Leith Hill is not quite the highest part of southern England (that honour goes to Walbury Hill by 9ft) but it doesn’t stop the National Trust from advertising it at such. The hill is crowned by a 18th century Gothic tower which affords panoramic views as far as the English Channel. Apparently on a clear day you can see 13 counties. But on this particular day I could see only one.
I had to abandon the planned walk due to the dreaded height barrier (alive and well in Surrey) so Noddy and I walked from the Windy Gap car park up the staircase to the tower. This was a climb of over 200ft in a quarter of mile and left one of us rather breathless. The gatekeepers kindly kept an eye on Noddy while I climbed up the tower, but despite being a warm dry day (a bit of rarity in 2007), it was far too hazy to see more than a few miles.
Surrey has lots of very big, very posh houses some of which you can visit, like
Polesdon Lacy near Leatherhead. Only the gardens were open in winter as the house became the latest location for Midsomers Murders. I didn’t see any of the cast at work but I nearly reversed over Tom Barnaby’s wife as I was extricating myself from the car park. There were some excellent views back towards London. National Trust members are spoilt for choice in Surrey with a fine selection of
houses, gardens and
open spaces to choose from.
Box Hill is probably the most well known open in Surrey, popular with walkers, cyclists and motor cyclists. As it wasn't a Marilyn, I didn't feel obliged to walk up it but made Archie do all the hard work. It has some of the best hairpin bends in the south of England. Despite being a bit of honey-pot, it covers such a large area that it's quite easy to get away from it all. Just watch out for the mountain bikers swooping past. On a clear day, you get great views of the South Downs from the viewpoint. I opted for the waymarked short route through the woods, then a steep climb down some steps into a valley and then a long plod up the valley back to the car park. For those of you who like a challenge, the walk up the steep side is about half a mile and climbs nearly 500ft. It is a very impressive hill, well worth a visit.
Surrey is quite a hilly place by southern standards, with the North Downs running across the whole of northern part of the county. At 965ft Leith Hill is not quite the highest part of southern England (that honour goes to Walbury Hill by 9ft) but it doesn’t stop the National Trust from advertising it at such. The hill is crowned by a 18th century Gothic tower which affords panoramic views as far as the English Channel. Apparently on a clear day you can see 13 counties. But on this particular day I could see only one.
I had to abandon the planned walk due to the dreaded height barrier (alive and well in Surrey) so Noddy and I walked from the Windy Gap car park up the staircase to the tower. This was a climb of over 200ft in a quarter of mile and left one of us rather breathless. The gatekeepers kindly kept an eye on Noddy while I climbed up the tower, but despite being a warm dry day (a bit of rarity in 2007), it was far too hazy to see more than a few miles.
Surrey has lots of very big, very posh houses some of which you can visit, like Polesdon Lacy near Leatherhead. Only the gardens were open in winter as the house became the latest location for Midsomers Murders. I didn’t see any of the cast at work but I nearly reversed over Tom Barnaby’s wife as I was extricating myself from the car park. There were some excellent views back towards London. National Trust members are spoilt for choice in Surrey with a fine selection of houses, gardens and open spaces to choose from.
Box Hill is probably the most well known open in Surrey, popular with walkers, cyclists and motor cyclists. As it wasn't a Marilyn, I didn't feel obliged to walk up it but made Archie do all the hard work. It has some of the best hairpin bends in the south of England. Despite being a bit of honey-pot, it covers such a large area that it's quite easy to get away from it all. Just watch out for the mountain bikers swooping past. On a clear day, you get great views of the South Downs from the viewpoint. I opted for the waymarked short route through the woods, then a steep climb down some steps into a valley and then a long plod up the valley back to the car park. For those of you who like a challenge, the walk up the steep side is about half a mile and climbs nearly 500ft. It is a very impressive hill, well worth a visit.
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