The Surrey 3 Peaks
If Goldilocks wanted the perfect adventure this might be it: a trio of hills that are challenging, but not too challenging...
More manageable, but still epic.
DO YOU HAVE a younger sibling with a competitive edge who tries to match your every step? On walks they’ll usually wear a beetroot-coloured face whilst struggling to hold back their exhaustion. “If you can do it, I can do it!” they’ll often snap. Well, the Surrey Three Peaks is that determined, scrappy younger brother biting at the heels of its more illustrious older sisters.
Encompassing the summits of Leith, Holmbury and Box Hills, with a total distance of just over 17 miles (28km) and 2500 feet (750m) of ascent, the Surrey Three Peaks is a more approachable alternative to the National Three Peaks or its Yorkshire equivalent. Several iterations of the route can be found online, but starting at Holmwood station and finishing at Westhumble & Box Hill station is ideal for those travelling from London via train, or those needing a direct transport link back to their cars at the end of the day.
En route to the first summit, you’ll pass the megalithic hillfort of Anstiebury before rising up to the foot of the majestic 18th-century tower at Leith – the highest point in south east England at 968 feet, and if you climb the tower you’ll burst through the 1000-foot barrier by 29 feet. Next, hop onto the Greensand Way for three miles west to Holmbury Hill (856 feet), a peaceful Iron Age fort with a clear view north of the Shard and London city. You’ll then need to push north-east through the woodland of Abinger Common to the quaint village of Friday Street. Admire the tranquility of Mill Pond and its surrounding trees, then turn north to Wotton House and across the A25 and a railway line to reach the foot of the downs.
A path climbs diagonally to join the North Downs Way, where you head east along the view-laden escarpment to skirt past vineyards and reach the bank of the River Mole. You can now beeline to Box Hill (735 feet) by hopping across the stepping stones and striding up the stairset that wraps around its chalky western slope to the final trig point. Descend Box Hill via the northern ridge-line and cross back under the A24 at the subway to reach Westhumble & Box Hill station.
As you wait for the train, take a moment to embrace your aches and pains, and appreciate that the dreamy, rolling hills of Surrey are not all they once seemed. The Surrey Three Peaks packs a decent punch, steeped in history and crammed with scenery along the way; a younger sibling who can definitely keep up with its taller, more famous family.
WALK HERE: Find an outline of this route at bit.ly/SurreyThreePeaksMap
“The Surrey Three Peaks packs a decent punch, steeped in history and crammed with scenery along the way.”