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Box Hill Circular via Betchworth Walk

The classic climb up the Burford Spur to the summit of Box Hill, then out past old chalk quarries on the North Downs escarpment and back along the Mole Valley.

Circular Surrey

History

This is a list of previous times this walk has been done by the club (since Jan 2010). For more recent events (since April 2015), full details are shown.

Date Option Post # Weather
Sat, 14-Dec-24 Box Hill Circular via Betchworth 18 cloudy clearing to sunny intervals
Sun, 19-May-24 Box Hill Circular, via Betchworth 8 sunny all day
Mon, 08-May-23 b Bank Holiday Walk – Dorking Circular, via Betchworth & Deepdene 10 Cloudy all day
Sat, 11-Mar-23 Box Hill Circular via Betchworth. 15 mainly sunny
Sat, 03-Sep-22 Box Hill Circular via Betchworth 8 sun with partial cloud
Sun, 24-Apr-22 Box Hill Circular, via Betchworth [New] 9 bright and sunny and pleasantly warm

Saturday 14-Dec-24

PeteG
Length: 10.4 miles 16.8km with options to shorten. 4 hours 10 minutes walking
5 out of 10 T=swc.396

"This walk climbs to the celebrated viewpoint on Box Hill (named for its abundant box trees), it swiftly descends to become a gently undulating walk in and around the Mole Valley.

After its descent the outward leg follows the Pilgrims Way near the base of the North Downs escarpment, with a diversion into the disused Brockham Quarry . You might be lucky enough to see the pair of peregrine falcons which nest high up on the cliff face. Soon the walk swings round to make its way into the village of Betchworth , with its impressive parish church and a choice of lunch pubs.

The return leg starts with a particularly attractive stretch in the low hill above a loop of the River Mole , passing a fine bluebell wood. There are more refreshment places around Brockham's large village green, after which an old ‘Coach Road’ takes you back to the river. It then follows parts of the National Trust's ‘Riverside Walk’ and ‘Stepping Stones Walk’ to the famous crossing point at the foot of Box Hill, with a final refreshment stop at the eponymous pub on the road back to the station."


Daylight: Sunset is 15.53 so there is time, with an hour for lunch. Having crossed the river, it is also possible to take the path alongside the A24 rather than Burford Medows. The Dorking ending choice is at Pixham Bridge, and makes for a 15K walk.


Trains: get the 0941 Southern train from London Victoria (Clapham 0948) arriving 1037. Return trains are xx46. There is also an xx33 to Waterloo which requires having a more expensive all routes ticket (£11.60 or £14.80). A walk option is to return from Dorking with its more frequent service. Ticket prices are the same so you might want to get a Dorking return.


Lunch: There is a choice of two in Betchworth . The first one encountered (after 7¾ km) is the “traditional, quirky and independently-owned” Red Lion ( 01737-843336 ) on Old Road, which serves substantial portions of good home-cooked food. Its website no longer explicitly states that it ‘welcomes walk-ins with no booking’, but it does have plenty of space. Fifteen minutes further on, the Dolphin ( 01737-842288 ) does equally good food and in this case booking ahead is advisable.


Tea: There won't be time to stop before the end, so the Stepping Stones pub on the way to the station. Various choices in Dorking including The Lincoln Arms in Station Approach.

  • Sat, 14-Dec-24

    The group had some early fragmentation on routes up Box Hill, but regrouped at the viewpoint. We were 15 at that point, but 3 from an earlier train briefly joined after lunch, making 18. The Red Lion was closed for a private function, but 6 of us ate at the The Dolphin, now owned by Dorking brewery, and an excellent pub stop.

    Most picnicers went on, leaving a group of 7 walking back to West humble. Given the rain, it wasn't too bad underfoot apart from a few soggy fields in the afternoon. We got to the Stepping Stones pub a couple of minutes after dark, having enjoyed Box Hill lit up by the setting sun. Various trains home. A new walk for me and well worth repeating.

  • Sat, 14-Dec-24

    cloudy clearing to sunny intervals

Sunday 19-May-24

Sean
SWC Walk 396 – Box Hill Circular, via Betchworth

Length: 16¾ km (10.4 miles). Toughness: 5/10

10:02 Dorking train from Waterloo (Vauxhall 10:06, Clapham Jct 10:12, etc), arriving Box Hill & Westhumble at 10:51. If you might want to switch to one of the alternative endings (see the walk document for details), a return to Dorking is the same fare as Box Hill.

Trains back from Box Hill & Westhumble are hourly at xx:10 to Waterloo; half-hourly at xx:16 & xx:46 to Victoria (in both cases, a few minutes earlier from Dorking).

Quarry Anyone returning early from the Scottish trip will consider this outing a gentle stroll in the park, but it does start with the classic climb up the Burford Spur to the famous viewpoint on Box Hill. It goes out to Betchworth past old chalk quarries on the North Downs escarpment and returns along the Mole Valley, with a few more ups and downs along the way.

The food and drink options on this walk always seem to go down well. If you want a pub lunch the Red Lion in Betchworth serves large portions and doesn't seem fussed about advance bookings. Brockham offers several options for a mid-afternoon refreshment stop, including its popular Teas on the Green outside the church. And at the end of the walk there's a pub on the road to the station.

You'll need to bring the directions from the L=swc.396 page.

  • Mon, 20-May-24

    8 at the start. sunny all day

    It is a decade or two since I last tackled Burford Spur thie hard way and I swear someone has made it steeper. Of course,the sprightly others scrambled up like mountain goats. Why? It’s not as if there were medals at the top. There was a reunion at the viewpoint. One had peeled off to do their own thing and we continued along what was now easier terrain. Along the way, we met two doing the walk independently.

    The rest of the morning was mostly through woodland, with giant yews. Then, at last, after fighting through head-high cow parsley, the Red Lion’s dinosaur hove into view.

    Here, some had sumptuous repasts, some picnicked nearby. One had cider. A kindly benefactor proffered chips. Bliss.

    There was another stop in Brockham. For most this was tea and cakes. For two, it was more drink in the village hall pub.

    Great buttercups on the last section. Field after field.

    Two finished in Dorking, the rest in Westhumble.

    All in all, a grand day out but I hope the driver of the 17:16 (who left the station 20 seconds early, while I was pressing the door button) suffers days of anguish and torment. And that a similar misfortune befalls the swan that stopped trains on the Overground.

Monday 08-May-23

Sean
SWC Walk 396b – Dorking Circular, via Betchworth & Deepdene

Length: 18¼ km (11.3 miles). Toughness: 5/10

10:24 Dorking train from Waterloo (Vauxhall 10:28, Clapham Jct 10:33, etc), arriving Dorking (Main) at 11:14. If it's more convenient the 10:11 Dorking train from Victoria arrives a few minutes earlier at 11:07. Yet another option would be to travel to the nearby Dorking Deepdene station: there's a train from Redhill arriving at 11:12, with a connection from a Thameslink service (St Pancras 10:05, etc). Either way, buy a return to Dorking: tickets are issued to “Dorking Stations” and are valid on all these routes.

There are three trains an hour back from Dorking (Main): to Victoria at xx:17 & xx:43 and Waterloo at xx:32. Trains back from Dorking Deepdene are at around xx:38 & xx:58 to Redhill (changing there for a Thameslink service).

Coady the Lion Apologies for posting a Dorking Circular only a month after the last one, but the two walks are quite different. This one's ‘Main Walk’ did have a Saturday outing a couple of months ago, but I particularly wanted to do this ‘Long Walk’ variation when the rhododendrons in Deepdene Gardens should be at their best (and there's a fine bluebell wood between Betchworth and Brockham, as noted by our Saturday correspondent).

Our reporter also enthused about the portion sizes at the Red Lion in Betchworth, one of those rare establishments which prides itself on feeding and watering anyone who turns up out of the blue. Fifteen minutes further on the route also passes the Dolphin in another part of the village, but in this case booking ahead would be advisable.

If you don't over-indulge at lunch there are some mid-afternoon refreshment places around Brockham's large village green, which might well include tea and home-made cakes outside the parish church. At the end of the walk you'll find plenty of pubs and coffee shops in Dorking.

Alternative Box Hill start: As there's a fair bit of climbing at the end of this variation I've chosen to post the easier (but less scenic) start from Dorking. If anyone wants to do the main start I suggest getting off the Waterloo train at Box Hill & Westhumble at 11:11; if you walk fairly briskly you should catch up the main group before lunch.

You'll need to bring the directions from the L=swc.396.b page.

  • Tue, 09-May-23

    I didn’t want to tempt fate earlier but I think it’s safe to say this now. We were lucky with the weather. None of the promised rain. Cloudy all day There were 10 of us.

    Not much mud. Plenty of cow parsley.

    A pleasant sojourn at the Red Lion. It was someone’s birthday and it was champagne all round. Followed by beer. Meal portions were generous. Kindly benefactors plied Mr Tiger with chocolate and onion rings. Life was good.

    But it couldn’t last. All too soon, there was more walking to do. The bluebell wood was festooned with “ No people or dogs” notices. And the bluebells weren’t that good anyway. Looked a bit overgrown.

    Brockham was in full Coronation mode with a bit of a do on. Brass band, everything. They’d run out of scones but we bought tea anyway. Some of us posed with a paper crown. We lost a walker here, somehow. Probably kidnapped by royalists.

    Most of the group opted for the Deepdene loop near the end but 3, including your correspondent, took the shorter route back to Dorking, arriving there at about 5

    Good day out.

Saturday 11-Mar-23

Margaret
SWC Walk 396 – Box Hill Circular, via Betchworth

Length: Length: 16¾ km (10.4 miles). Toughness: 5/10

09:41 Dorking train from Victoria (Clapham Jct 9:48), arriving Box Hill & Westhumble at 10:37

Buy a return to Box Hill & Westhumble or Dorking (same price). If you want the option to do one of the alternative endings (see the walk document for details), get a return to Dorking.

Return trains from Boxhill are at xx:35 to Waterloo & xx:46 to Victoria (from Dorking at xx.32 to Waterloo, xx.17 and xx.43 to Victoria

View Across Mole Valley You may recognise the villages of Betchworth and Brockham from another walk, but this walk offers some novelty: the inside of a large chalk quarry (and maybe its pair of peregrine falcons), fine views across parkland towards the North Downs and an opportunity to visit the ruins of Betchworth Castle (detour at point 41 in the directions).

The Red Lion in Betchworth (01737-843336) has been well received by past walkers. You may wish to call in advance but their website says they accept walk-ins with no booking. Fifteen minutes further on the walk route also passes the Dolphin (01737-842288), for which booking ahead is advised.

For end of walk refreshment, there is the Stepping Stones pub near Box Hill station or there are earlier mid-afternoon refreshment at Brockham's large village green: The church sometimes offers Teas on the Green with home-made cakes. The Village Hall contains the Reading Room Coffee and Cake House and a small bar The Taphouse The Inn on the Green serves a full afternoon tea

For full details and to download your copy of the directions see the L=swc.396 page.

  • Tue, 07-Mar-23

    The Brockham church teas are wonderful, but only on Sundays April to October, sadly

  • Sat, 11-Mar-23

    11 at the start of this walk, but others materialised in the early stages, so in all 15. Unexpectedly the weather was mainly sunny - at least till 3pm when the cloud rolled in. No rain till after dark, though. The paths a bit slithery in places due to recent rain, but not massively so.

    I had wanted to try out this walk for a while. It is very familiar territory to me - a paradise for butterflies in summer - but the route took me to some delightful new places. In particular I liked the panoramic valley views after lunch in Betchworth. There was also a good wild garlic wood or two, and one bluebell wood that looked set to be quite spectacular. None of this in flower yet, of course, but cheerful yellow celandines and daffodils making a good showing in places.

    I think most of us ate in the Red Lion. What a pub! Speedy and efficient service, a great menu and some vast portions. I am known for my gargantuan appetite but even I wondered if I would dispatch the huge slab of steak and ale pie and mash I was presented with. But reader, I managed it.

    In the afternoon at least six of us stopped at the tea room in Brockham, a few of us daring to sit outside and pretend it was spring (unfortunately it was just at this point that the sun went in…). After a very nice finish along the swollen brown Mole River and the flank of Box Hill, eight went for drinks in the Stepping Stones, six staying for some time. We ignored the rugby and talked of cultural differences and constitutional law and all sorts before getting the 18.35 train to Waterloo.

    A great day out. Happy, chatty, and scenic, with the promise of spring in the air.

Saturday 03-Sep-22

Margaret

Main Walk: 16¾ km (10.4 miles) Toughness: 5 out of 10

09:24 South Western Railway service from Waterloo to Dorking arriving at Box Hill and Westhumble 10:11 (Clapham Junction 09.33, usually platform 11)

or

09:25 Southern service from Victoria to Horsham arriving at Box Hill and Westhumble 10:19 (Clapham Junction 09.32, usually platform 15)

Return trains from Boxill and Westhumble to London are at xx.35 to Waterloo and xx.39 to Victoria

For more information, including lunch and tea options and walk directions see L=swc.396

Remember to download and bring your own copy of the directions as these walks are self-led.

  • Sat, 03-Sep-22

    8 alighted from the first train, none from the second.

    sun with partial cloud

Sunday 24-Apr-22

Sean
SWC Walk 396 – Box Hill Circular, via Betchworth

Length: 16¾ km (10.4 miles). Toughness: 5/10

09:55 Dorking train from Victoria (Clapham Jct 10:02), arriving Box Hill & Westhumble at 10:47. If you might want to switch to one of the alternative endings (see the walk document for details), a return to Dorking is the same fare as Box Hill.

Trains back to Victoria are half-hourly, at xx:02 & xx:32 from Dorking and three minutes later at Box Hill (the additional hourly service to Waterloo isn't running this weekend).

Quarry There's not much scope for a completely ‘new’ walk around Box Hill: you'll all be familiar with the famous viewpoint and most of you will recognise the villages of Betchworth and Brockham from the Dorking–Reigate walk, but there is some novelty. You'll get to see the inside of a large chalk quarry – and its pair of peregrine falcons, if you're patient. On the low hill between the two villages there are fine views across parkland towards the North Downs, and a wood carpeted with bluebells. And if you didn't get to see it on last month's Dorking walk, there's another chance to visit the ruins of Betchworth Castle.

Those wanting a pub lunch should be able to get fed and watered at the Red Lion in Betchworth, since it makes the bold claim on its website that “we are pleased to accept walk-ins with no booking…we will look after you!”. Fifteen minutes further on the walk route also passes the Dolphin, but in this case booking ahead would be advisable.

There are some mid-afternoon refreshment possibilities around Brockham's large village green, plus the Stepping Stones pub on the road to Box Hill station.

You'll need to bring the directions from the L=swc.396 page.

  • Mon, 25-Apr-22

    9 walkers set off from Box Hill and Westhumble station. Or, rather, eight walkers who, very soon afterwards, were to be joined by Sean, waiting patiently for us in Westhumble Street. The weather was bright and sunny and pleasantly warm , for the most part. We stayed fairly close together, throughout the day, on the main circular route, though one of our number vanished somewhere near the top of Box Hill and didn't reappear. We saw an abundance of wild garlic and, in Oldpark Wood, a luscious carpet of bluebells, justifying the signs telling walkers and dogs to keep out. There were red kites flying over Brockham Quarry, but no sighting of peregrine falcons. There was plenty of room at the Red Lion to enjoy the very generous portions on offer, though some chose to sit outside with packed lunch, watching preparations (the erection of two sight screens) for a cricket match between Reigate Pilgrims and Beddington - the opening match of the season. Another first was tea and cakes at Christ Church, available on Sundays and bank holidays between late-April and mid-October. Tea was a reasonable £1 a cup, and very popular as a result. There was plenty of seating available, so it was a good alternative to the Village Hall Reading Room Coffee and Cake House, mentioned in the walk notes. At the end of the walk, the footpath was closed for temporary repairs to the steps descending from Box Hill towards the stepping stones and footbridge but, with no sign of activity on a busy afternoon with large numbers of walkers out and about, we bypassed the barriers and thus avoided a lengthy diversion back up to the top of Box Hill. Sean asked those walkers returning by train to check whether Pilgrim Cycles is open again and I can confirm that it is indeed open from Monday to Friday, between 10 and 5.

  • Mon, 25-Apr-22

    The openness of Pilgrim Cycles is confined to its bicycle business. No tea or cakes.