Yesterday was a stunning weather day. Very cold overnight - a heavy frost created with lots of ice formed on puddles and in ditches. What made it so picturesque was despite the very bright sun light - it remained cold and therefore the frost and ice was slow to disappear. Grass looked white for most of the day and with the sun light shining on it the landscape seemed to sparkle. There was also the gorgeous crunch and crack when you walked across it.
It was a great day for being up on Box Hill (highest point 735') - my first time. Box Hill is the summit of the North Downs in Surrey and is a prominent land mark. Most of it is National Trust land - and therefore well looked after and unspoilt. It is designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The north and south-facing slopes support an area of chalk down land which forms a Special area of Conservation and included is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest. (The chalk downs on the Isle of Wight are a continuation.)
There are many footpaths on, over and around Box Hill and being only 19 miles from London and in the prosperous "stock broker" belt it must get a lot of visitors - particularly in the summer. Yesterday for large parts of the day we hardly saw anyone. A 10 mile up and down walk (some very steep) on this day was very quiet and unspoilt and felt a special place to be.
One of the ways to the top of Box Hill is Zig Zag Road. This route was incorporated as part of the London 2012 Olympic Games long distance cycle race as the major hill climb. As a consequence it is very popular with lycra clad cyclists and while it was not apparent yesterday the "pelotons" offer quite a spectacle or inconvenience depending on your point of view. They do not interfere with the walkers of course!
There are some beautiful and scenic areas in the South East - and Box Hill is certainly one of them especially on such a brilliant winters day.
Here are some mob photos. They do not do the scenery justice - and cannot convey the contradictory feeling of bright sun and cold and the crispness and pristine feeling of the morning especially.
It was a great day for being up on Box Hill (highest point 735') - my first time. Box Hill is the summit of the North Downs in Surrey and is a prominent land mark. Most of it is National Trust land - and therefore well looked after and unspoilt. It is designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The north and south-facing slopes support an area of chalk down land which forms a Special area of Conservation and included is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest. (The chalk downs on the Isle of Wight are a continuation.)
There are many footpaths on, over and around Box Hill and being only 19 miles from London and in the prosperous "stock broker" belt it must get a lot of visitors - particularly in the summer. Yesterday for large parts of the day we hardly saw anyone. A 10 mile up and down walk (some very steep) on this day was very quiet and unspoilt and felt a special place to be.
One of the ways to the top of Box Hill is Zig Zag Road. This route was incorporated as part of the London 2012 Olympic Games long distance cycle race as the major hill climb. As a consequence it is very popular with lycra clad cyclists and while it was not apparent yesterday the "pelotons" offer quite a spectacle or inconvenience depending on your point of view. They do not interfere with the walkers of course!
There are some beautiful and scenic areas in the South East - and Box Hill is certainly one of them especially on such a brilliant winters day.
Here are some mob photos. They do not do the scenery justice - and cannot convey the contradictory feeling of bright sun and cold and the crispness and pristine feeling of the morning especially.
No comments:
Post a Comment