Box Hill Surrey
Box Hill is the most prominent landmark on the North Downs in Surrey, a steep chalk escarpment above the River Mole that rises to 224 metres and provides panoramic views over the Weald of Surrey and Sussex that extend on clear days to the South Downs twenty miles away. The hill takes its name from the ancient box woodland that covers much of its steep western face, one of the largest areas of natural box woodland in Britain, whose dark evergreen character gives the hill a distinctive appearance in all seasons. The National Trust has owned and managed the hill since 1914 and it is one of the most visited open spaces in the southeast of England.
Box Hill has a long history as an excursion destination for Londoners, its accessibility from the capital combined with the dramatic hilltop scenery and the pleasure of the descent to the River Mole below making it a popular Sunday outing from at least the eighteenth century. Jane Austen set the ill-fated picnic scene of Emma at Box Hill, using the hill's social popularity as the backdrop for the most cringe-inducing moment in a novel full of social embarrassment, and the Austen association has added a literary dimension to the hill's already considerable appeal.
The hill was the venue for the road cycling events at the 2012 London Olympics, the punishing climb and the dramatic viewpoints making it an ideal television backdrop for the competition. The Box Hill Climb has been a favourite test of cyclists since well before the Olympics, and the steep road up the west face is a familiar challenge for the cycling community of the southeast.
The North Downs Way national trail crosses the summit and provides good walking in both directions along the ridge. The chalk grassland on the hill's open sections supports a rich flora including many orchid species, and the combination of chalk grassland, box woodland and viewpoints makes Box Hill one of the finest natural history and recreational open spaces within easy reach of London.