Anyone who knows me, knows I have a deep love for my home county, to the point that I instinctively refer to it as "Sweet Surrey" to pretty much everyone.
I love the place, from its rolling countryside to its hidden corners of calm, and on my day off on a beautiful July summer’s day, with temperatures soaring to 32C, there was only one place I wanted to be: the Surrey Hills.
So, I headed to Box Hill, and when I arrived at Box Hill and Westhumble Station, the first thing that struck me was the atmosphere.
It felt like proper uninterrupted peace that felt worlds away from where I had been just days before at BOXPARK Croydon.
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Both places have their own charm, but they could not be more different.
One is full of music and crowds, while the other is filled with birdsong, greenery, and the feeling that the world has slowed down.
My walk began with the famous stepping stones.
Thankfully, unlike the ones in Ewell, they were not submerged, meaning I could actually step across them rather than admire them from a distance.
Then came the challenge of seeing the sign that said there were 270 steps to climb to reach the top of Box Hill. I knew there would be a climb, but I genuinely did not expect there to be actual steps.
Looking back, it seems obvious that a hill was probably going to involve some serious uphill work, but my relationship with steep climbs has been complicated ever since my first (and so far only) visit to Highgate.
Still, surrounded by Surrey’s beautiful countryside, I decided to take it on.
The climb was not easy, and, naturally, there were plenty of stops along the way, partly to catch my breath and partly because the views deserved to be enjoyed.
The staircase itself almost felt like something from a storybook, winding upwards through nature like a path into an Alice in Wonderland-style landscape.
Eventually, after every step, pause, and deep breath, I reached the top.
And it was so worth it.
The Box Hill viewpoint opens up into a huge panoramic view across the Surrey landscape.
It’s the kind of view you see from above when looking outside a plane window when flying back to England.
You can see the steep hills, endless greenery, and the countryside stretching out in front of you, and it has that rare feeling where you stop thinking about everything else and simply take in where you are.
It felt like the perfect combination of two very different worlds: Kate Bush’s "Running Up That Hill" and Ed Sheeran’s "Castle On The Hill" in some strange 1980s-2010s crossover.
At the top sits the Box Hill Café, a perfect place to recover after the climb.
We sat outside, taking in the surroundings, and I treated myself to an ice cream sundae.
After climbing hundreds of steps in 32-degree heat, it was not just a dessert, it was a much-deserved reward.
One of my favourite discoveries was the little second-hand bookshop at the top of the hill.
Some books were just 50p, others £1, and there was something wonderfully charming about finding a rural treasure trove of stories in such an incredible location.
There is something special about sitting at the top of a famous viewpoint with a second-hand book in your hands; it feels almost too Surrey.
Another one of the unexpected highlights at the top was finding Box Hill’s Natural Play Trail.
Seeing the wooden logs took me back to the kind of thing you would find on an end-of-year school trip, where everyone would run off into the woods and turn a few pieces of timber into an adventure.
Eventually, it was time to head back down.
I assumed the descent would be easy after the climb, and while it was less exhausting, it was not exactly effortless.
Long steps and steep paths meant the legs still had work to do.
The perfect reward, though, was cooling off in the freshwater River Mole.
After the heat and the climb, stepping into the water was exactly what was needed.
It was only ankle-high, but after 270 steps and a summer heatwave, I was not about to complain.
One piece of advice: bring sliders or suitable footwear, because the rocks can be sharp and uncomfortable underfoot.
Box Hill is officially part of an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and honestly, it does not take long to understand why.
The views, the walks, the little surprises along the way, and the peaceful atmosphere all combine to create something genuinely special.
Sweet Surrey, you never disappoint.
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