The North Downs Way runs 153 miles from Farnham in Surrey to Dover, crossing the Surrey Hills and then the Kent Downs. Most people walk it west to east. The Surrey part, from Farnham to Oxted, comes to about 42 miles and splits neatly into four days. It also splits into plenty of shorter outings, because the railway keeps meeting the ridge.
The stages and their distances
The National Trails site gives the first three Surrey sections as follows. The Merstham to Oxted figure is not in the official snippet, so it is given here as about 8 miles, as northdownsway.org has it.
Farnham to Guildford: 11 miles (17.7 km)
Guildford to Dorking: 13 miles (21 km)
Dorking to Merstham: 10 miles (16 km)
Merstham to Oxted: about 8 miles
The official four-day itinerary from Farnham to Oxted totals 67.5 km. It breaks at Guildford, Westhumble and Merstham rather than at Dorking, so the middle two days differ a little from the section figures above. Whichever you choose, keep to one scheme when you plan.
Farnham to Guildford
National Trails calls this “a relatively easy introduction”, with no major hills, though it is long at 11 miles and takes about six hours. Much of it runs over sandy soil, with the chalk slopes of the Hogs Back in view. Puttenham is the only sizeable community on the way. A detour leads to the ruins of St Catherine’s Chapel, which has wide views. Guildford town centre, with its railway and bus stations, is about 1.5 km beyond the final trail gateway.
Guildford to Dorking
This is where the Way becomes a ridge walk. It takes in St Martha’s Hill with its hilltop church, then Newlands Corner, and finishes over Box Hill. Newlands Corner and Box Hill are the two most popular viewpoints on the stage. Newlands Corner is also where Agatha Christie staged her disappearance in 1926, according to the Surrey Hills National Landscape site. The official itinerary ends the day at Denbies Wine Estate, at the foot of Box Hill.
Guildford and Dorking sit on different train lines, so work out your return before you set off. A day this long is better split in two.
Dorking to Merstham
The northdownsway.org site calls this one of the toughest sections, with steep climbs over Box Hill and Reigate Hill. You cross the River Mole on the stepping stones, climb Box Hill, then pass Juniper Hill, Colley Hill and Reigate Hill. The Walking Club measures Box Hill to Merstham at 10.2 miles with 450 m of ascent, and rates it 6 out of 10 for toughness. Near the end the route climbs Colley Hill towards the Inglis Tower and the restored Reigate Fort, then drops through Gatton Park, a Capability Brown landscape.
Merstham to Oxted
The route skirts Merstham village and crosses the M25 on a footbridge. It then climbs back to the Downs and carries on along the ridge, passing a vineyard and rounding Tandridge Hill. At the end, Oxted station is about 20 minutes’ walk from the finish.
The best short sections
Box Hill, Dorking. The National Trust’s Stepping Stones walk starts at the visitor centre and drops steeply to the River Mole, with 275 steps before the bottom. You can cross by bridge or by the stones, then face a long climb back. The National Trust notes there is nowhere on the route to buy a drink, so carry water. For something gentler, its hilltop stroll passes the Salomons Memorial. Leopold Salomons gave Box Hill to the National Trust in 1914.
Guildford to Gomshall. The Walking Club’s main walk is 11.9 miles, passing St Martha-on-the-Hill, with lunch in Shere. Shorter versions run to Chilworth (4.1 miles, with a station and buses) or to Gomshall (6.8 miles).
Reigate Hill and Gatton Park. A circular from the Reigate Hill car park takes in Reigate Fort and Colley Hill, and the car park has a café and toilets.
Using the trains
The line from London to Farnham means the start is easy to reach. The North Downs Line runs from Reading through Guildford and Dorking to Redhill, with stops at Chilworth, Gomshall and Betchworth along the way. Box Hill & Westhumble is on a different line, the Mole Valley line, and is a fair walk from the hill itself, via the A24 and a subway. The Walking Club advises that a Cheap Day Return to Dorking is valid via both Boxhill and Merstham, and that Box Hill is outside the Travelcard area. Check current timetables, fares and any engineering works before you go, as these change.
Where to stop
Denbies Wine Estate, London Road, Dorking, is the natural end to the Guildford to Westhumble day. It has been England’s largest single-estate vineyard by its own account, and has the Conservatory Restaurant, open daily 9am to 4pm, plus the Wine Library Brasserie and Hatch on the Lawn for coffee, lunch and wine.
Box Hill, on the A24 north of Dorking, has a National Trust café at the summit, serving barista-style coffee, cakes and hot lunches. Parking is free for members and paid for everyone else.
Plan the details with the official route at National Trails, the National Trust’s Box Hill page and Denbies.
