LIFETIME of WALKS by DEREK HARWOOD

I parked in Hindhead Common car park and walked east along a track through the trees and roughly parallel to the main road, until a path descended steeply into the Devil's Punch Bowl. Good views emerged over the treetops towards Highcombe Bottom, with London on the horizon. The trees slowly thinned, so the views across Hindhead Common gradually appeared in all directions. There was a distinctive narrow path near the bottom on the Devil's Punch Bowl to a good track near Highcombe Farm. I turned left along the track down to the farm, then right away from the youth hostel at the finger post and babbling brook. I soon passed the run-down Gnome Cottage, with not a gnome in sight, to the open common with its herd of Highland cattle. I continued on the dusty and very stoney track, turning right at the junctions, and gained height steadily as the views once again opened up across the common. The track slowly descended to the busy A3 trunk road (soon to be replaced by a by-pass). I crossed over the road and slightly uphill to another vehicular track leading to Gibbet Hill. Here the 'quiet lane' had been resurfaced in places but the money obviously didn't cover the whole length of the lane up to the memorials on the top. There was an interesting milestone on the lane at 39 miles from Hyde Park Corner. There was an Ordnance Survey column (51535) on the summit of Gibbet Hill, next to a Celtic Cross, with its latin inscriptions and its gruesome history. A little further from the column was the Sailor's Stone (Wikipedia - unknown sailor) - click for information. It was a steady walk from the memorials along the head of the Devil's Punch Bowl back to the car park.

Location Map: - www.streetmap.co.uk
Start & Finish: At National Trust Car Park beside A3 in Hindhead

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Number 48 - Thursday 25th November 1982