Heathlands, ancient woods, panoramic views and the Devils Punchbowl

📏 Key Info:
• Distance: 10/11 miles (17km)
• Grading: Intermediate - some steep hills
• Ascent: 390m
• Hiking time: 4.5 to 5 hours
• Cost: £31 plus Eventbrite fee they charge including the guided hike and return train travel, click “Get Tickets” to join.
• Payments are refundable upto 7 days in advance, after that they are non refundable and non transferrable.
• Toilet Breaks: On the train, at the lunch stop, and at the end pub

📍 Meeting Point
• Location: Waterloo station. Meet under the main central clock - MAP & photo of the clock
• Time: Meet 8:55am, leave 9:15am for the 9:30am train
• Return: 5:44pm arrival back in London (you’re committed until then)

🌟 Highlights
• Discover the Devil’s Punch Bowl, a vast natural amphitheatre steeped in legend
• Explore the atmospheric landscapes that inspired Charles Dickens, Agatha Christie and Bram Stoker
• Visit Gibbet Hill, once a site of executions and notorious crimes, now crowned with a Celtic Cross
• Hear the eerie tale of the Sailor’s Stone and the tragic 18th-century M**der it commemorates
• Admire far-reaching views across the Surrey Hills AONB, stretching as far as London on a clear day
• Walk through the diverse habitats of Hindhead Common, with sandy heathland and ancient woodland

🥾 Hike Description
Our hike begins in the historic town of Haslemere, where we join the Greensand Way and set out across a patchwork of heathland and woodland. This unusual sand-based terrain is unique to the Surrey Hills and offers striking contrasts of colour and texture as we ascend towards our first landmark.

Reaching the iconic Devil’s Punch Bowl, we pause to take in sweeping views over this vast natural amphitheatre. Folklore tells how the Devil himself scooped out the hollow during a quarrel with Thor, leaving behind this dramatic scar in the Surrey landscape. The Punch Bowl has long inspired writers and artists, including Dickens and Agatha Christie, drawn by its atmospheric setting.

From here the trail climbs to Gibbet Hill, at 272 metres the second-highest point in Surrey. Once used as a site of execution, its grisly past lingers in local tales. Today, a Celtic Cross stands here, erected to dispel superstition. On clear days, the summit rewards us with views stretching across the Weald and even to London’s skyline in the far distance. Nearby lies the Sailor’s Stone, a memorial to an 18th-century sailor murdered on the heath, whose story adds a haunting note to our journey.

Our return route follows peaceful tracks through Hindhead Common, a landscape of open heath and wooded valleys rich in wildlife. We finish back in Haslemere, completing a circular walk that combines folklore, literary inspiration and the rugged natural beauty of the Surrey Hills.

🧭 Guide:
• Leader: GRAHAM
• Contact (hike day only): 07796 098487

🍽️ Food:
• Bring a packed lunch
• Pub visit after the hike (drinks optional)

🎒What to Bring
• Hiking boots/shoes
• Water (2 litres minimum)
• Packed lunch
• Waterproofs (jacket and trousers)
• Hat and gloves if cold
• Train tickets are arranged – just meet us at the meeting point

⚠️ Safety
Your guide is a trained hike leader and Outdoor Activity First Aider

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