Go west for wonderful wine, woods and views - from Dorking

This is a circular walk starting and finishing at Dorking Main station.

NOTE: We will not visit the vineyard for wine tasting, but the wonderful wine in the title is what you’ll see growing on the walk or might drink at the pub. There will be an optional visit to the wine shop at Denbies at the end of the walk. 

The route

We will leave Dorking surprisingly quickly and the first part of the walk is dominated by Denbies vineyard, which we will walk through. After climbing gradually on a quiet lane on the North Downs Way, there will be extensive views over the vine covered slopes to Box Hill and Dorking. Passing the monumental St Barnabus church, we’ll reach Denbies Hillside for views southwards stretching from Gatwick, Dorking and the Greensand Ridge to Leith and Holmbury Hills, where we’ll stop for a picnic lunch.

Turning north, we will descend through the National Trust’s Ranmore Common estate through managed woodland and narrow paths. A gradual descent on a quiet lane takes us to Westhumble.

I plan on stopping at the Stepping Stones pub for a drink. You have some options here: (a) Stay with the group for a drink and walk back the picturesque route via Westhumble village and Denbies vineyard; (b) return by yourselves early to Dorking station by walking 20 minutes along the main road (pavement); or (c) stay yourselves at the pub and take the train from Box Hill & Westhumble station next to the pub (to London Victoria or Horsham). 

Option (c) above reduces the walk to 6.75 miles for those returning by train to London.

Walking time: Up to 3.5 hours, plus stops of 30 minutes for picnic lunch and up to 1 hour for drinks. Total: 5 hours plus travel for group option (a) above.

The sights:

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 walk via public footpaths through the vineyards with views over its slopes to Box Hill as we climb up the chalky hills, reminiscent of the Champagne region.

Ranmore Church and Denbies Hillside: The estate was once owned by Thomas Cubitt, the architect who designed Queen Victoria’s Osborne House and nearby Polesden Lacey, before it was finally broken up in 1984 between private ownership (including the establishment of the vineyard) and the National Trust. Ranmore is known as the church of the North Downs, designed by George Gilbert Scott and contains a memorial chapel to Cubitt’s three sons who died in the First World War. It may not be open, but is rather striking from outside. The hillside is protected chalk downland and there are sweeping views of the Mole Valley, the tower at Leith Hill (which takes that point to over 1000ft or 305m) and the nearby towns of Dorking, Wooton and Westcott.

Ranmore Common and Westhumble: The woods are managed by the National Trust as part of the much larger 1600 acre Polesden Lacey estate. The village is quiet other than the station (which has fewer trains than Dorking) and the Stepping Stones pub. We plan on visiting the pub; the name is misleading as the stepping stones over the River Mole are further down the road, and we’ll need to save those for a Box Hill walk.

The route (please click the link https://explore.osmaps.com/route/17183380/go-west-to-wine-and-woods-and…; to see the route at the Ordnance Survey website).

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

I love having dogs on my walks and this walk is ideal for them, although there may be agricultural equipment at the vineyard, some fields with livestock and some roads to walk along, though they will be quiet lanes. A dog off the lead must be obedient.

IMPORTANT! – Participation Statement

You MUST complete a Participation Statement, in addition to booking your event space before attending an OutdoorLads event. You only need to complete this Participation Statement once, not for each event you attend.

(All images were taken by Alex Young in May 2023.)