Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Reviews Summary

Accessibility

Pros:

• "Fantastic walks that are suitable for a range of disabilities long walks up and down hill for the fit and short flat walks for not so fit or wheelchair bound or families with push chairs."
• "Good disabled access too."
• "For those less able to walk it, no worries, you can drive up and the park there is wheelchair friendly."
• "Its definitely safe for little children with adult supervision."
• "There are restrooms at the cafe for all to use and the bathrooms are clean."
• "There is ample parking at the top of the hill and a decent little café, so why would anyone walk?"
• "There are plenty of parking, including many spaces for disabled people and those with motorbikes."

Cons:

• "It has done some steep slopes and uneven/loose surfaces, so possibly not suited for those unsteady on their feet or who lose their puff easily."
• "The stepping stones are a little bit challenging if you not an active sporty person."
• "Sadly I don't think it's suitable for wheelchairs or for those with limited movement."
• "Going down to (Stepping stones) was a big challenge for children and elderly!!"
• "Avoid the route to Stepping Stones if you are physically not fit as it will break you physically specially on the way up the very steep steps."
• "Note: no restrooms on the trails, so be prepared to find a bush."
• "Ensure you have decent grip on your shoes if you plan to walk down the hill."

Scenery and Environment

Pros:

• "Box Hill in Surrey is a beautiful place."
• "Stunning view of undulating and perfect rolling British countryside."
• "Great views with clean air and hundreds, on a good day, of warm welcoming smiles."
• "This is a very beautiful area of England, changing landscapes, soil rocks and vegetation in a stunning and well signposted national park."
• "The name says it all...Totally awesome, outdoors location!! Nature's outstanding beauty covering a vast area of Surrey Hills."
• "The views were spectacular and at the time I was there, there were butterflies flying around everywhere!"
• "Absolutely stunning views in all directions."

Cons:

• "It's not that outstanding in terms of its beauty. If you're expecting spectacular you will be disappointed."
• "Loads of wildlife, (sadly most of it is two-dimensional) far from clean and litter strewn."
• "Very disappointed someone left rubbish and empty bottles on the sand."
• "Please do take your rubbish home. Many people come here and leave their lunch packing, BBQ tray, wrapping paper, etc. behind."
• "There was a lot of dog poop as most don't clean up after their pets."
• "Be aware of the damage of logging that is sadly happening."
• "We see people flying their drones, it’s a-bit loud to ruin the atmosphere of the quiet nature…."

Parking and Transportation

Pros:

• "There are lots parking spaces even if I had to happily pay for the privilege."
• "There are several paths that you can follow with different durations and they are all available on the website or at the info point."
• "Car park has been enlarged to cope with the venue's popularity."
• "Even not far from London if u wanna go there by train coz its just 10mins walk from the BoxHill station."
• "Plenty of parking available."
• "Just opposite main car park you find bar and toilets, there is Smith&Western nearby as well."
• "Parking is £6 for the whole day or £4 for 4 hours."

Cons:

• "Parking is a bit of a pain especially since tariff hours are not on display and you have to download an app to pay and the pay machine doesn't have a cars reader for card payments."
• "Only problem was at first parking was confusing and i nearly got lost as the forest is quite big and the path signs are not direct."
• "Parking can be a problem on a nice day, which leaves you the choice of either cancelling or parking a mile down the road at the bottom of this huge and beautiful hill."
• "Parking can take a while so account for this."
• "It's quite a large area, a nice place to hike... parking the car can be a challenge as it can get full easily."
• "Parking spaces in summer peak time is tricky like any other picnic spot these days."
• "Car park gets full pretty quick as a tad small."

Facilities and Amenities

Pros:

• "There is a cafe and toilets at the cat park."
• "Does have cafe which is now fully dog friendly."
• "There is lovely restaurant by the car park with nice coffee and food."
• "Restrooms are available at the box hill parking."
• "They also have a nice Cafe and a pretty good American steak house restaurant called Smith and Western."
• "The National Trust provides a café, gift shop and other facilities at Box Hill, which are kept to a high standard."
• "There’s a cafe n visitors help desk on top of hill."

Cons:

• "Keep in mind that there are no toilets anywhere to be seen for miles."
• "Food ok service drastically poor."
• "Turned up at this car park. couldn't see anything. there was no lighting anywhere."
• "Food can be found at the tower, but the only normal food is a sausage roll, and it's still not that good."
• "After eating here left hungry. Food was overpriced and ok but nothing special."
• "We would have stayed there longer if there were open food vendors, toilet facilities, but I didn't see any of those."
• "Bring with you some water/juice and a snack if you know that you might be thirsty or hungry because there are no shops around there and the coffee shop most of the time is closed."

Community and People

Pros:

• "Great place for runners and cycling."
• "Friendly place for all, and feels safe."
• "People are friendly and welcoming so get to know them! You need help, just ask."
• "Family friendly, couples, pet friendly, it’s a good and clean place to walk."
• "The staff was nice, the food was delicious and really everything was as you would expect in such a place."
• "A lovely place to visit with your family or for a romantic get away."
• "Great for hiking, getaway to recharge and disconnected from all busy life."

Cons:

• "Was working in Surrey hill Area the the people are so rude."
• "Dogs are running without leash here, and there are plenty of them around. Be mindful if you’re afraid of dogs or with small children."
• "The problem is we have had to stop going to Box Hill because of the huge number of cyclists."
• "The amount of people cycling 2 or 3 abreast is ridiculous which makes progress slow and sometimes dangerous as they will not ride in single file to let you pass."
• "However I have to give 4 stars because some people here are really rude and impolite, which made the awesome scenery become terrible."
• "I hope and Pray play next time we come to do major road repairs but they are more understanding and and not rude and racist."
• "The problem is the huge number of motorists... Very stressful."

Activities and Recreation

Pros:

• "Great place for walkers, families, solo's, groups, MTB's and horse riders and dogs."
• "Its a great place for a walk with the family. We went on a peter rabbit walk and found all the statues and houses from the peter rabbit story."
• "Always a great place to come for some exercise as in order to see some cracking views you have to climb to the top of Box Hill."
• "Great place with lots to see. On the route is Headley Heath, a stunning place with lots of trails and stunning views."
• "The best place around London for mountain and road biking. Lots of fantastic routes and great scenery."
• "Absolutely outstanding place for a weekend short trip."
• "Amazing experience! Would recommend to every 1 who wants to switch off from the hustle bustle of every day city life to enjoy the peace and tranquility of Surrey hills!"