KENT, SURREY & SUSSEX - England 2012 and the Best of Wales - page 283

Leith Hill NATURE RESERVE This is the highest point in southeast England,
topping 304m (1,000ft). You can walk up the hill and find all manner of woodland
paths (full of rhododendrons in early summer) marked on a free map. It is topped by
an 18th-century Gothic tower with a spiral staircase, and 360-degree views (try the
telescope) as far as London in one direction and across rolling countryside almost to
the English Channel in the other. There's the chance of a cup of tea from the cafe
and, in late spring, you can cross the road at the bottom and delve into the bluebell
woods and a magical circular walk.
Leith Hill, near Coldharbour village (4 miles southwest of Dorking); A25 Guildford-Dorking Rd. runs
nearby. & 01306/712711. www.nationaltrust.org.uk. Hill has free access. Admission to Tower £1.30
adults, 70p children 5-15. Times vary, from Tues-Sun in Aug to weekends in winter; Apr-Oct 10am-5pm,
then to 3pm. Free parking on roads, and National Trust pay parking lot.
Polesden Lacey GARDEN This Regency villa is set among the hills, with gar-
dens dropping down (and with views over) a farming valley. The house is full of
antiques, paintings, and tapestries. But many people come here simply to enjoy the
countryside. There are marked walks in the gardens, the wooded grounds, and around
the 567-hectare (1,400-acre) estate. The 18th-century gardens, with sweeping lawn,
and other areas divided into rooms with roses and herbaceous borders, are a treat.
Signposted from Great Bookham, off the A246 Leatherhead-Guildford Rd. & 01372/452048. www.
nationaltrust.org.uk. Admission to grounds £7.40 adults, £3.70 children 5-15, £19 family ticket; house
and grounds £12 adults, £6 children, £30 family ticket. Grounds daily Feb-Oct 10am-5pm, Nov-Jan
10am-4pm; house Mar-Oct Wed-Sun and bank holidays 11am-5pm, weekends 11am-4pm rest of the
year (closed some weekends and Jan, Feb, Nov by guided tour only).
Where to Eat & Stay
Devil's Punch Bowl Hotel Right alongside the Punchbowl and Hindhead
Commons, this is a warm and pleasing place that's good for a drink (in the traditional,
richly decorated bar with a selection of real ales), a decent dinner, or a night's rest.
Some of the rooms are simple, others are sizable with four-poster beds. The restau-
rant offers few surprises but covers the bases (wild boar sausages, steak, lamb shank)
with mostly local ingredients at a good price (main courses £6.95-£13), and there is
also a bar menu and Sunday carvery.
52 London Rd., Hindhead, Surrey GU26 6AG. www.devilspunchbowlhotel.co.uk. & 01428/606565.
Fax [phone] units. £55-£80 double. Rates include English breakfast. AE, MC, V. On the A3, just
north of Hindhead. Amenities: Restaurant; bar, Wi-Fi (free). In room: TV, hair dryer.
Mercure Burford Bridge Hotel At the foot of beautiful Box Hill, and near
the Mole River, this is a four-star place with many historical associations. Keats,
Wordsworth, and Robert Louis Stevenson all stayed here. Some rooms are in the
original buildings, some in more modern (but still reasonably old) additions, and all
are classically furnished. Breakfast is not included. The gardens have lovely views,
and the Emlyn restaurant is elegantly modern.
Box Hill, Dorking, Surrey RH5 6BX. www.mercure.com. & 01306/884561. Fax [phone] units.
£130-£171 double. AE, DC, MC, V. Free parking. Take the A24 1 1 ⁄ 2 miles north of Dorking. Amenities: Res-
taurant; bar; concierge; outdoor pool; room service. In room: TV, hair dryer, Wi-Fi (£4 per hr., £12 for 10 hr.).
Mercure White Horse Hotel Charles Dickens was known to have popped into
the bar here, and the White Horse was the fictional home of the Marquis of Granby
in The Pickwick Papers . This timbered inn, in the middle of the upmarket town of

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