North Downs Way: Day 2

Two young girls watch a rabbit disappear down a hole. Thankfully, I’m not late for a very important date, arriving early at Guildford, where Lewis Carroll provided a home for his six unmarried sisters.

The path out of town crosses a small island. The OS Maps app now allows walkers to annotate maps with symbols for cows, fallen trees, blocked paths, etc. I’m waiting for the real ale icon. The island route is marked as blocked, but one person’s impasse is another’s fun challenge. Tall spiked metal railings put me in my place. I can barely climb over a stile at the moment. A dog-walker wanders over, probably suspicious about the way I’m eyeing up the railings.

“The path was blocked seven years ago due to storm damage, and the National Trust have only recently obtained funding for the repairs.”

Sun tan cream goes on, despite it being only 8:30 am. The forecast temperature is 27 °C, though I still think in Fahrenheit: 80 °F is hot! I’m carrying a lot more water than usual, as there are no surface streams on the downs; the chalk bedrock is highly porous and acts like a massive sponge.

Tiny sunbathers picnic in the riverside fields.

Chantry Wood provides welcome shade for the climb up to St Martha’s Church and panoramic views across the rolling Surrey countryside.

The lonely church, also known as St Martha-on-the-Hill, is accessible only on foot and may be named after its location on “marterhill”, where early Christian martyrs were burned in Saxon times. This landscape has barely changed since then — burning images in the dark, visible far across the land.

The trail signposts have blue and yellow arrows. Have I noticed this before? Directional? A third colour destroys that theory. They are standard public access codes:

• Yellow: footpath: walkers only.
• Blue: bridleway: walkers, cyclists and horse-riders.
• Red: byeway open to all traffic (BOAT): includes cars.

Red kites are free from such mundane earthly matters.

Pill boxes dot the strategic slope, part of the General Headquarters Line, the final ring of defences for London to slow down any German invasion.

A sign at Denbies Farm warns of train tours in progress. Up here among the trees?

Dinosaurs roam, thankfully secured behind electrified fences — Jurassic Park vibes.

A train! Adults on shaded seats drink champagne while the kids spot dinosaurs on a vineyard tour. No one offers me a sip as I pass, sweating in the sun. I’m reminded of the opening scene in Woody Allen’s Stardust Memories, where he sits on a train looking through grimy windows across the tracks to an opulent train full of beautiful, rich people partying and quaffing champagne. His train pulls off in the opposite direction, full of glum, miserable people, as he shouts, “Let me off! I’ve got the wrong ticket!”

The train passes me on the way down the hill. There are plenty of waves but no offers of a lift. I resist my traditional toot toot.

Box Hill is visible through the trees. That must wait for my next trip. Something else waits for me in the valley below.

Cobbett’s Micropub features in my CAMRA guide. I enjoy two pints of Eagle in the cool patio, which fills up as workers arrive at the end of their day. I’ll sleep well on the journey home from Dorking Deepdene Station. Will I miss my connections?

Date of walk: Tuesday 26 May 2026.

Walk distance: 16 miles.