7km hike and social sketching at Box Hill, Surrey

Let’s take a gentle ramble across Box Hill and sketch along the way…

✨✍️ Welcome 🥾✨

This event is suitable for all, from total beginners to experienced artists. It is a welcoming space to ask others with help on composition, perspective and shading.

If you can, please do bring your own sketchbook and materials of your choice – from pencils, pens and markers to charcoal, pastels and paints. I’ll share paper and materials on the day should you need anything.

Feel free to bring your own food and drink. We could also check out the Box Hill Café ☕️

🌳🐿️ About Box Hill 🐿️🌳

Box Hill is an area of outstanding beauty, renowned for its scenic river stepping stones, leading to a woodland hill climb of 275 steps that reaches a stunning panoramic viewpoint of the Surrey Hills.

Its chalk downland biodiversity supports a rich variety of rare species, from the striking chalkhill blue butterfly, to delicate wildflowers, like orchids.

Some notable literature and film related facts include:

The 'picnic scene', a pivotal passage of Jane Austen's novel Emma, published in 1815, is set at Box Hill.

The racing scenes, during the opening credits of the 1968 film, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, were filmed on the Zig Zag Road.

🚌 Getting here 🚂

We’ll meet at Box Hill cafe at 2pm.

For everyone travelling by train, there are good connections to London Waterloo, London Victoria, Clapham Junction, Sutton, Epsom, Horsham, Guildford, Reading, Reigate, Redhill and Gatwick.

Box Hill is 2.2 miles (3.5km) from Box Hill & Westhumble station.

If you’re travelling by car, there are several National Trust car parks at Box Hill. The main and east car parks are at the summit, with over 200 spaces.

The Stepping Stones car park is just off the A24 southbound, although it has quite limited parking.

From the Stepping Stones, there are 275 steps to climb towards the summit.