Day 8 - Dorking West to Chilworth

The route (all links open in a new window)

Start point: Nutfield South
w3w: ///chose.across.laying
Accompanying video

Distance: 18 miles

As day 8 started I could almost immediately sense it was going to be a far better day than the previous one. Within a mile I was in countryside with the promise of rolling hills stretching out in front of me. As I headed up the first of what would be many hills I stopped and took a moment to look back. It is still troubling me why yesterday had felt so... wrong. I swept the thought to one side and started to concentrate on this new day.

It was due to be around 18 miles of walking and on the day of filming (17th June 2022) it was the hottest day of the year in the UK up to that point. I had 1.5lt of water with me but I expected to get through that and refill along the way. This is the beauty of hiking trails like this - you are never far from civilisation yet you can feel quite detached from society. It's the best of both worlds.

I had taken a look at the route and noted points of interest to share with those viewing the videos. Tillingbourne waterfall along with Leith Hill were very promising. I made a point of planning my route in such a way to take in Leith Hill especially because I knew the views would be spectacular. However as I walked my route, looking for points of interest felt somewhat futile because it seemed every turn had a picture postcard scene waiting for me.

I only wish my framing was as perfect as this property

Another delightful property comfortably nestled alongside the public footpath

I noticed a gent was busying himself with chores out the front of yet another stunning house. As I approached he struck up a conversation and we talked about what I was doing and the area I was due to be walking today. It seemed I would be walking through his life history. He grew up in the area, his wife was born in Chilworth and he had spent many a day up on Leith Hill. It was nice to chat with strangers. I made note of this in a previous blog that, in built up areas with dense population, we become anonymous. People don't REALLY talk, certainly not to strangers. Yet, as the population thins out we (humans) have a tendency to want to talk. It is a curiosity. I assume it stems from being tribal Beings where survival depended on working in packs but too large a pack may cause the group to fail through starvation. Maybe I'm over-thinking it but it is fascinating at least it is to me.

Talking off group gatherings, my route followed that of a group of bronze Duke of Edinburgh navigators. With compass in one hand and paper map in the other, the head navigator was in wild discussion about whether they had gone the right way. I felt sorry for them and asked where they are headed. They showed me on their map where they thought they were and where they were heading. I went from feeling sorry to feeling very impressed. They were better map readers than me. I assured them they were absolutely correct in their assumptions and they should be proud. As I left I couldn't help feeling like maybe I need a refresher on map reading instead of using technology. It is a very good skill to have at one's disposal.

My route is taking me further and further away from my home base and I had been looking for places to stay that were further along the trail. Henman Bunkhouse seemed promising (if a little pricey!) because it was right on the Greensand Way route. It would have been perfect to have a long hiking day then walk straight into a bunkhouse, rest for the night, refuel, and get on my way without losing 4+ hours journey time getting to the start/finish of each day. Sadly this perfectly positioned pit-stop looked closed and, doing further research online, it seems it has been closed for some time. I suspect due to the lurgy about which I must talk on public forums (algorithms don't like 'content' that discusses it). Anyway, fingers crossed Henman Bunkhouse returns because it would be an ace place to stay if you're doing this trail.

Only a half mile later, after passing the redundant Henman Bunkhouse, I realised I had walked beyond where one of my points of interest (Tillingbourne Waterfall) should be. It must have either been off the trail, dried up, or so tiny that I couldn't hear or see it. Looking online I found a picture which showed it behind a 'do not enter' type sign. Maybe it was in the Henman Bunkhouse grounds? I'm not sure but in any case, I'd missed it so I decided to continue onwards. If I'd tracked back I would have been adding a good mile or so onto what would be an already long day.

I knew from my pre-walk route analysis that Leith hill was not that far from Tillingbourne waterfall and, sure enough, after some sweaty upward stretches through wood lined trails I suddenly popped out onto Leith Hill with its domineering tower and spectacular views.

I didn't get a picture of the tower but those views...! 10/10

The only drawback with climbing to the top of a hill is you have to accept it will likely be windy! What I didn't count on was the amount of dust. Due to the amount of trails that meet at this point it was clear the grasslands had been worn away leaving exposed earth which had baked and crumbled in the sunshine. This meant staying for a nice relaxing lunch was off the cards so I quickly scoffed a sandwich and moved on.

As I made my way through the next few miles of undulating woodland I was very thankful I had canopy cover. The temperature was delivering on its promise of being the hottest day of the year. At a medium pace everything was manageable as long as I kept sipping on my water and didn't rush I could regulate my temperature quite easily.

One of those undulations suddenly ended when I got to Holmbury St. Mary Cricket grounds. It was very strange to one moment be in thick woodlands, then suddenly walking next to an immaculately mowed cricket pitch with accompanying club house. What a brilliantly unique location for a cricket club.

Not far from this was Holmbury Hill viewpoint. All along this route for today at least it was going to be a case of daisy-chaining these types of viewpoints. I wanted to stop at every one of them but alas time did not allow. If you ever want to walk any of these I think there must be a convenient carpark not too far of any one of the trails that lead upwards.

My day was getting away from me and, after doing some rough calculations in my head, I could tell I was going to be late for my train. I had 2 hours to complete the days walk which was very much within the realms of possibility but I did need to start walking fast. As I descended I found this amazing viewpoint shelter which I used some of my precious time to stop and film. There is more information here (scroll to the bottom of the linked page).

If I had more time I would love to have stayed here a while. Peaceful.

Shortly after seeing this viewpoint I ran out of water. Normally this wouldn't be a problem but I was absolutely roasting due to having picked up the pace so now I had a balancing act to negotiate. Go too fast and I over heat, go to slow and I miss my train. I'll save the suspense but I will say reaching the end of the walk was an absolute blessing. I dreamt of a pub being right next to the Chilworth train station. What do you know? There was! One pint of ale in the pub quenched my thirst and 1.5lt of Adam's ale rehydrated me on my way back to home base.

Next up I will need to find lodgings or wild camp. I didn't want to wild camp because I wanted everyone or anyone to be able to pick these 'day' walks up but I may need to bend my own rules, accomodation dependant. Looking at room prices though I think wild camping is on the cards!