Photography Walks: Stepping Stones, Box Hill, Dorking

The full circular walk:

Difficulty: Moderate (some steep steps and slopes up/down hill)

Distance: 2 miles

Amenities: Toilets, shop and cafe, all contained in the visitor centre by the car park at the top of Box Hill.

By train: Dorking and Dorking Deepdene station

By road: 1 mile north of Dorking; 2 and a half miles south of Leatherhead on A24

Car Parking: You can either park at the base of Box Hill which is just a few minutes’ walk from the River Mole and the stepping stones. This car park is probably best if you do not plan on walking up Box Hill itself and want an easier walk. The alternative is parking in the Visitors Centre car park at the top of Box Hill if you wish to do the longer, full circular walk. Both car parks are owned by the National Trust and cost £4 for the day; payment is by phone and card. It is worth remembering that you cannot park in both for £4, if you want to visit both car parks it will cost £8, so it is best to plan your route and walk first.

Don’t forget: shoes with good grip, water (picnic optional in summer months) and a camera.

The shorter stepping stones only walk:

Difficulty: Easy

Distance: 0.8 miles approx for the walk through the meadow and back

Amenities: There are no toilets or refreshment facilities available at the car park by the stepping stones. These can be found at the car park at the top of the hill.

Photography tips:

If you have them, bring several different lenses. A staple 25mm f/1.4 lens is always a good place to start for taking any photo and is versatile when taking wildlife photos for everything from close ups to landscape. A wide-angle lens or a wide angle adapter ring are perfect for capturing the landscape and scale of the area, whilst macro lenses capture the textiles and patterns found throughout the woodland.
Lens adapters are a perfect alternative to carrying lots of lenses and are much cheaper. You can get everything from fish eye to wide angle and macro.
A tripod, especially one in a bag you can carry on your back is always a handy tool especially for shooting flowing water, animals or birds.
A notebook is always a photographer's friend, especially if you plan on taking a lot of photos. Make note of you location, camera settings and what you are shooting - not necessarily for every photo but when you change location or setting dramatically, or if you take a photo you are particularly pleased with. This will help you when shooting in the future.
It seems an obvious one but patience, especially when taking photos of live creatures. There is a constant sound of birds in the trees, but spotting them can be a little more tricky. If you take a small collapsible chair and a thermos with your favourite hot drink it can be worth the time to set up for a while, camera ready for when the moment arrives.
Experiment and have fun! Sometimes it can seem strange to do things outside our comfort zone, to change the ISO from 200 or 250 (or whatever your desired preference is) or to take photos at a strange angle (up in trees, rolling down hills, crouching on the stones) but sometimes these produce the most exciting and fun photos.

The shorter walk:

Park at the bottom of Box Hill and take either the right or the left hand route; it doesn’t matter which one you take as the walk is circular. If you take the right hand path you will see the River Mole almost immediately and you’ll have to cross over the stepping stones at this point. This is a perfect photo opportunity for relaxing scenic shots of flowing water as well as being a great spot to take snaps of family and friends. The stones are quite large so you can stand on them with both feet. However when muddy they can be a little slippery, so boots with a grip are always walking in this area.

Once you’ve crossed the stones you have two choices, you can either follow the path up which brings you up towards Box Hill, or you can turn left which takes you winding round the woods and to the wooden bridge. If you take this route once you have crossed the bridge you can either follow the path left to take you back round to the carpark (about a 10-20 minute walk in total) or you can follow the path out onto the field.

Following the field can provide beautiful views of Box Hill from the bottom and if you continue walking alongside the river there are plenty of opportunities to spot all types of bird including kestrels. At the end of the field you can either double back and rejoin the path to the carpark or you can walk out onto the main road and back to the car park this way. The meadow also comes out near a pub, doing this walk will take 40-60 minutes, again dependent on other factors. At the end of the meadow where you will find one of the routes that leads up to Box Hilll. You can walk up this way or take in the meadow on your way back down if you follow the route up from the stepping stones.

The longer walk:

For the full walk I will be describing it as if you are starting at the bottom carpark, walking up and down the hill, but the information contained also works if you are starting from the top of the hill.

This is a moderate walk and provides stunning views of the Surrey Hills as well as taking in the Old Fort. To walk up to Box Hill follow the path straight ahead after the stepping stones which will bring you eventually to the steps. Once at the top you will go through the Yew Woods, heading towards Salomon’s Memorial. This is a great place to stop on a sunny day for views of the Surrey Hills and is perfect for a picnic. It can often be quite hazy up here but when you get a clear (or even cloudy) day the views are quite spectacular. Keep heading up the hill unil you get to the car park, here you will find the Visitor Centre which also has toilets, a shop and café. There is also a nature play trail for children at the top of Box Hill.

To head back down you can either come back the same way or follow the map at the Visitor Centre to the Old Fort, noting that you cannot enter this as bats currently live inside. Beyond the fort the path opens out into a chalky path that heads downhill through grass. At the bottom of the hill there is a road ahead of you and you will see the Burford Bridge Hotel, where there is a gate that that allows you access into the large Burford Meadow situated behind the pub. Once in the meadow follow it with the river on your left and you will find yourself back at the woodland and the wooden bridge just five minutes from the carpark.

There is plenty to see: snow drops in early February, bluebells and daffodils in spring, orchids in the summer. You’ll see a good deal of fungi and ferns along the way as well as the birds that provide a relaxing soundtrack to the walk.

If the Visitors Centre doesn’t provide you with the refreshment you fancy, there is the Mercure Box Hill Burford Bridge Hotel a short walk from the car park at the bottom and which you will pass if you do the full circuit walk (there is also a car park at the hotel). Denbies Wine Estate has a very popular restaurant and further into the town centre there are plenty of pubs, cafes, restaurants and tea rooms.

For a detailed route for the full walk as well as maps please see the National Trust website nationaltrust.org.uk/box-hill