Box Hill Circular

On Saturday 11 July I set off on a short day-hike from London into the green hills and fields of Surrey, the start being just a 45 minute train ride from Clapham Junction to Box Hill & Westhumble. I’ve done this hike a number of times in the past as its convenient training for mountaineering but usually with a heavy (20kg) pack. This time however the aim was to break in my new La Sportiva Spantiks and stretch my legs before heading off to the Bolivian mountains the following week. I roped in my friend Nils to join me for the day and off we went…

The route was the Walking Club Box Hill Circular – a 15km (9.3 mile) round trail which we estimated should take us about 5 leisurely hours including lunch. If you want to follow our route you can find instructions here and map below.

The sun was out, shorts were on, and we had a great afternoon wandering through forests and woodland paths and climbing a series of hills through Norbury Park, Mickleham Downs, Headley Heath, and finally up Box Hill (670m) and back round to the station again. At lunchtime we took a break at the King William IV pub in Mickleham where we had some yummy ploughmans and sampled the local beer in its terraced garden overlooking the rolling hills. Much recommended for an energy boost!

There were few people along the route (although I did get some cow selfies in) and it always surprises me how easy it is to escape from the bustling city and get out to the countryside for a micro-adventure with a bit of effort. By 6pm we had finished the walk. A few celebratory Pimms at the Stepping Stones just before we reached the station and we were back on the train in time for dinner in London. All in all a fun day out and (despite the odd looks from other walkers) the boots are now somewhat broken in. Bring on Bolivia!