🏔️ The Surrey Three Peaks Challenge | FREE HIKE 36 km (23 miles)
Details
📈 Grade: 🥾🥾🥾🥾🥾 Level 5/5, STRENOUS
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Three hills. One long day. Fast pace. Legs that will absolutely have opinions.
The Surrey Three Peaks Challenge is a big, demanding day out that links Leith Hill, Holmbury Hill, and Box Hill into one proper loop. It is tough, social, and deeply satisfying.
This is not a casual countryside walk. It is a fitness challenge that tests stamina, leg strength, and mental grit. You climb, descend, and climb again, and just when your legs think they are done, they are not.
There are shorter versions of the Surrey Three Peaks. We are not doing those. This is the version where the effort feels earned.
Expect burning calves, heavy legs, and some internal negotiations involving snacks. Expect jokes when morale dips, encouragement at the top of climbs, and a group that carries each other through the harder moments.
The final peak hits differently. The views feel deserved. The fatigue turns into pride. You finish tired, muddy, smiling, and buzzing with that rare satisfaction that only comes from a genuinely hard day done well.
It is tough, occasionally brutal, and hugely rewarding.
At the end of the hike, there is an optional pub visit to celebrate completing the challenge.
🛑 IMPORTANT: This hike is best suited to experienced hikers who are comfortable with sustained steep ascents and can maintain a steady pace of around 5 to 6 km/h (it is consistent a brisk/fast paced walk with reduced stopping). This hike is not suitable for beginners or intermediates.
✅ WHO CAN JOIN:
- Adults aged 21 and over. No children. No pets.
🚗 🅿️ BY CAR:
- Limited and free parking at Box Hill & Westhumble station.
📍 MEETING POINT OPTION 1 (London group travel):
Buy a return ticket to Box Hill & Westhumble, £10.50, from London.
AdrianB will be at the meeting point to act as a focal point for the group.
- 07:20 - Meet at London Victoria ticket office
- 07:30 - Leave meeting point to board the train
- 07:41 - Train departs London Victoria
- 07:48 - Departs Clapham Junction
- 08:37 - Arrive at Box Hill & Westhumble station
Check costs and times closer to the event date. These are correct at the time of posting.
🚂 TRAINS FROM DORKING:
- 08:35 - Arrive at Box Hill & Westhumble station from Dorking main
📍 MEETING POINT OPTION 2 (Hike start location):
🚶 WALK STARTS:
🏁 WALK FINISHES:
- 19:00 - Box Hill & Westhumble Railway Station
- Note: With favourable group dynamics and a steady pace, this may be finished by 18:00.
🍔 LUNCH:
- Packed lunch and snacks. No café or Pub stops guaranteed.
💰 COST:
- Free
🚻 TOILETS:
- No formal toilets on route. Natural facilities available.
💪 TERRAIN, CONDITIONS AND DIFFICULTY:
- Distance: Approximately 36 km
- Difficulty: STRENOUS
- Ascent and descent: 724 m / 729 m
- Elevation: Max 286 m / Min 38 m
- Walking time: Approximately 9 hours
- Total time: Approximately 10 hours, depending on group dynamics and number of stops.
- Walking speed: brisk, up to 6 km per hour (approximately 10 minutes per kilometre) where conditions allow. Speed will be higher on flat, easy terrain and slower on ascents and descents. Some sections may require an endurance pace.
🎒 WHAT TO BRING
- Packed lunch, snacks, and at least 2 litres of water
- Sturdy hiking boots
- Layers and waterproofs
- A warm layer such as a fleece or insulating jacket
- Sun protection
- Personal medication
- Basic first aid and blister plasters
- Optional walking poles (recommended)
- Fully charged phone
- Head torch
- Portable phone charger or power bank
- Dry bags or a waterproof cover for your backpack
- Whistle for emergencies
- Offline maps or GPS
- Some cash or a bank card
📅 RSVP and Attendance
RSVP only if you plan to attend. Please cancel as early as possible if you can no longer attend so others can join.
👣 Staying Together
You are responsible for staying with the group leader at all times. Please keep others in sight and avoid moving too far ahead or falling too far behind. Faster walkers should wait at junctions. We make reasonable efforts not to leave anyone behind. However, it is not reasonable or safe for a large group to repeatedly stop or wait for individuals who are unable to maintain the stated pace. If someone continues independently without informing an organiser, they will be assumed to be managing their own route and safety.
📞 CONTACT: For pre-event questions, please message the event host via Meetup. On the day of the walk, if required, you may contact AdrianB via WhatsApp on +44 (0) 7438 812 663.
⚠️ DISCLAIMER: By joining, you confirm that you have read and accepted the group policy on the About page. You are responsible for your own safety, and neither the host nor the group can be held liable for injury, loss, or damage.
🍃 We look forward to welcoming you on the trail.