Westhumble wander and pootle around Polesden Lacey

A relaxing walk from Box Hill & Westhumble station (after the fairly steep ascent at the start) to the Polesden Lacey estate taking in quiet lanes, chalk grassland and woodland. We will visit Polesden Lacey house, garden and grounds and follow the estate walks back to Denbies vineyard and Westhumble.

This is a circular walk starting and finishing at Box Hill & Westhumble station.

NOTE: The walk will include a visit to Polesden Lacey. The admission fee is £15 (Gift Aid £16.50) or free for National Trust members. Due to the visit to Polesden Lacey, the walk and visit are NOT suitable for dogs.

The route

Starting at Box Hill & Westhumble station, we will walk uphill along quiet lanes up onto the North Downs towards the Polesden Lacey estate. After the paid visit to Polesden Lacey house and gardens, the route will follow the National Trust estate walks via woodland and the isolated Tanners Hatch YHA, with a glimpse of the vineyards at Denbies on the way back down to Westhumble. There’s an optional visit to the Stepping Stones pub close to the station.

Polesden Lacey visit https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/surrey/polesden-lacey

We will visit Polesden Lacey for up to 3 hours. Admission charges are noted above. We will have time to visit to House, Gardens and if the weather is favourable and (weather permitting) have a picnic on the South Lawn, where a jazz trio is also due to play from 2pm. I won’t guide you around the house, but am happy to give an introduction in the grounds and you are welcome to wander around the gardens with me or separately. We will agree a meeting point to continue the walk after our visit.

A map of the grounds is at: https://nt.global.ssl.fastly.net/binaries/content/assets/website/nation…

Food and drink is listed below and at https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/surrey/polesden-lacey/eating-and…

The sights:

Westhumble and Ranmore Common: The village is quiet other than the station and the Stepping Stones pub. I plan on visiting the pub at the end of the walk; the name is misleading as the stepping stones over the River Mole are further down the busy A24. The woods are managed by the National Trust as part of the much larger 1600 acre Polesden Lacey estate.

Polesden Lacey: The estate comprises of 1600 acres, and we will visit the House which was remodelled by the same architects as the Ritz Hotel. Margaret Greville rose from being the illegitimate daughter of William McEwen (founder of the  Edinburgh brewery) to socialite and hostess. Her story is here: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/surrey/polesden-lacey/margaret-greville-the-last-owner-of-polesden-lacey , and introduction (9 minutes): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSf03XLrJSw&t=1s

Her “soft power” included entertaining the royals: Edward VII; and King George VII and Elizabeth the Queen Mother (to Elizabeth II) spent their honeymoon here.  

The house isn’t huge and will be busy at the weekend, but my favourites are the ridiculously oversized chandelier in the Saloon and the exquisite collection of Old Master paintings. Preview here: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/surrey/polesden-lacey/polesden-laceys-finest-paintings .

The gardens include a rose garden, long herbaceous border and terrace with views over the valley, where we’ll walk, though no doubt we’ll see and hear children screaming (I mean enjoying themselves) as they roll down the slopes.

Denbies vineyard: Denbies is the biggest (single estate) vineyard in the England covering 265 acres and producing over a million bottles of wine. It’s developed into a major tourist attraction and we will glimpse the vineyard with views over its slopes to Box Hill as we return to Westhumble.

The route

Please click to see the route at the Ordnance Survey website: https://explore.osmaps.com/route/21217472/westhumble-polesden-lacey-visit-

New Members

New members are very welcome. Please message me if you have any questions or concerns before the day. Whilst we are a very open and welcoming group, if you wish, we may be able to organise an existing member to buddy up with you before or on the day. Do also feel free to arrive early as I’m always around much earlier than the start time. 

Dogs

Due to the visit to Polesden Lacey (no dogs in gardens or house), this event is NOT suitable for dogs.

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Image / photo credits: All images taken by the event leader with permission for ODL use.