Leith Hill
You’ll feel on top of the world at Leith Hill, the second highest point in South East England and it’s easy to get here by Rail & Bus too.
Getting there…
Trains: Simply catch the South Western Railway, Southern, or Great Western service to Dorking (5.6 miles from Leith Hill). Alternatively head for Holmwood Station (2.5 miles from Leith Hill).
Buses: Hop on Metrobus route 22 (alight at Holmbury St Mary which is 2½ miles from Leith Hill).
What to do when you’re there…
Climb all 74 steps of the spiral stairs at Leith Hill Tower and gaze through a telescope, you may even see the Wembley Stadium Arch and the London Eye! (Please note the Tower is closed during winter months click here for opening times).
The tower was built in 1765 by Richard Hull as a place for people to enjoy the ‘glory of the English countryside’.There’s a whole host of wonderful walking trails to follow and why not visit Leith Hill Place the childhood home of one of England’s greatest composers, Ralph Vaughan Williams. Leith Hill Place is steeped in history and was once owned by the Wedgwood family and regularly visited by Charles Darwin!
Fancy a walk…
There are lots of options for walks in this area we’d recommend….
- You can walk direct from the train station on the Leith Hill from Holmwood Station 6.5 mile walk.
- Download the Leith Hill Trail leaflet which has a variety of walks for all abilities and includes a good map and further information.
- The relatively short Leith Hill circular is a 1.5 mile walk around the summit of Leith Hill with spectacular views.
- There is a nice 2.5 mile circular woodland Leith Hill Place & Tower walk which passes through the former grounds of Leith Hill Place.
Something to eat…
There’s plenty of picnic sites and a great servery at the Tower. There’s also a great pub, The Plough in Coldharbour.
Like our illustration of Leith Hill? Why not buy it. We have 6 limited edtion prints for sale to celebrate 60 years of the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
From each sale a donation is made to our Surrey Hills Trust Fund to help protect the Surrey Hills into the future.