Leith Hill: the one view on this blog you actually have to earn
The one on this blog you truly earn, a woodland climb to an eighteenth-century tower that puts you over a thousand feet, with a huge view on a clear day. Time it wrong and it's a muddy walk to a locked door.
Why it's worth it
You earn this one. A quarter to three-quarters of a mile uphill through woods to the tower, a real walk with a real payoff. After a run of roadside viewpoints, it's nice to work for it.
The tower does the lifting. The summit is high, but the 1765 tower's roof takes you over a thousand feet, and on a clear day the view runs from London landmarks to the Channel. That last stretch of steps is the whole point.
Free to park and roam. National Trust land with free car parks and free walking, you only pay the few pounds to climb the tower. Lovely in spring for the rhododendrons and in autumn for the colour.
Why it might not be
Without the tower, it's trees. From the ground the woodland blocks the panorama, so the view really depends on the tower being open. Turn up when it's shut and you've climbed for very little.
The hours catch people out. The tower opens on a limited seasonal, mostly weekend schedule and closes in winter, so check before you set off. A haze day flattens the reward too.
The paths get muddy it's a woodland climb, so proper shoes after rain, and there's little shelter or facilities beyond the small servery at the tower base.
The practical bit
About an hour from London, the A24 towards Dorking then narrow lanes up to Coldharbour. Several free National Trust car parks, Windy Gap is nearest but steepest, Starveall Corner is an easier walk.
Not really. No close station, and the lanes and woods mean a taxi from Dorking at best. A car and boots day.
Two to three hours with the climb. Check the tower's opening (limited, mostly weekends, closed in winter) before you go, and pick a clear day. Pair with Friday Street, or link it with Box Hill for a two-viewpoint day.
Some readers do this as a driven day trip: picked up in London, the Leith Hill climb, the Friday Street pub after, home by evening. The car waits, nobody checks the parking app. We run these through Klass Chauffeur, the sister firm that keeps this blog going.
