Box Hill

A week or so ago, on a Saturday, we paid a rare visit to Box Hill, a place we once used to visit quite often on a Sunday, first to inspect the bikers in the car park, second to climb up the side of the hill. Whereas on this occasion we drove up what might be called the Zig-zag Road, coming out at the National Trust car park behind the south facing trig point.

A snip from the relevant page of reference 1

Arriving, as it happened, about the same time as a bunch of runners called centurions, with a couple of supporting wives being happy to tell us all about it. Knowledge subsequently rounded out at reference 1. It seems that these runners do about a hundred miles, say four marathons, in this case from Farnham in the west to Ashford in the east, mostly along the top of the north downs. They get mentioned in dispatches if they manage it in less than 24 hours, disqualified if they take more than 30.

The runners seems to be mostly middle aged men, say in the 30 to 40 bracket, with some younger and some older. Some fat. Some ladies. Nearly all of them had bottles of drink - presumably coloured sugar and water - strapped to their chests in such a way that they could suckle while they ran. The supporters seemed entirely normal.

Large yew

Very large beech

Casualty, left standing

Box

While we set off on the woodland trail, or some such, a gentle three or four mile stroll involving somewhere known as Happy Valley. A walk which an old leaflet says was called the Nature Walk, but on this occasion it was known as the something Trail: a new leaflet might be in order so that we can keep up with the trusties.

The first notable tree was a large yew, in much the same topographical position of those from a few days previously, noticed at reference 2. Then a very large beech tree. Then middle sized tree, dead but left standing as a reserve for beetles. Then onto a path which actually contained some of the box trees - perhaps bushes would be a better term - for which the hill was named. Picking out the bits of box is left as an exercise for readers. A handsome old mixed wood, with as well as those already mentioned, holly, hazel, oak, larch, birch and pine. There was said to be juniper although we did not notice any. And once again, as at Albury, there were plenty of immature nuts on the ground, picked and broken open, just to make sure there was nothing of interest inside.

Tower - outside

Tower - inside

Tower - view

And so onto the tower, probably visited before, but not remembered. Built by the Broadwoods - the piano people - to celebrate our victory at the Battle of Waterloo. The interior was occupied for a while by a Holm Oak, removed by the trusties some years ago as it was threatening to bring the tower down. The Broadwoods themselves lived at Juniper Hall, at the bottom of the hill, now occupied by the people at reference 3. Not a preparatory school for the children of rich Surrey dwellers, as I had at first thought, at all.

From where we made our way down into Happy Valley, rescuing a bee from the clutches of some invisible spider and tweeting some more grasshoppers on the way.

The last yew tree (for a day or so)

From where we made our way back to the car park. Spurning the pasties offered by the Trust, we made our way to 'The Tree', once the 'Hand in Hand' in Box Hill village, a large proportion of the inhabitants of which live in chalet parks. We remember the pub from its days as a country pub, with real country - or at least chalet people - for its customers. Now much bigger and staffed up by friendly young people - not an oldster in sight - who did us a very acceptable lunch. Teetotal in my case.

Old Box Hill

PS: there are some interesting old pictures to be seen of excursions to and bank holidays on Box Hill, but both Bing and Google failed me. The best they could do was this fake from the Jane Austen Society.

Reference 1: https://www.centurionrunning.com/.

Reference 2: https://psmv4.blogspot.com/2019/08/albury-two.html.

Reference 3: https://www.field-studies-council.org/centres/londonregion/juniperhall.aspx. 'Field Studies Council, FSC, is an environmental education charity providing informative and enjoyable opportunities for people of all ages and abilities to discover, explore, and understand the environment. FSC is an independent charity receiving no core revenue funding from statutory sources and we therefore rely on fees paid by our visitors and on the generosity of donors, trust funds and grant bodies to finance our activities'.

Reference 4: https://psmv3.blogspot.com/2018/10/church-snaps.html. Notice, inter alia, of a Broadwood piano, one of the first of the piano series.

Reference 5: https://thetreeboxhill.co.uk/.