Hindhead Common, Devil's Punch Bowl and Gibbet Hill

Around a Beauty Spot on the Borders of Surrey, West Sussex and Hampshire

The Devil's Punch Bowl is in the Greensand, between the chalk of the Downs and the clays of the Weald. Here, soft sandstone has been eroded away by numerous springs to create a spectacular steep-sided depression that is now in the care of the National Trust. The western slopes are covered in pine trees, while the other sides remain bracken-covered and bleak, hosting rare ferns and rich wildflowers.

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Start Point

National Trust Car Park

Grid Ref: SU 89002 35763

Total Distance

2.9 miles (4.7 km)

Total Climbing

139 metres

Estimated Time

1–2 hours

Difficulty Grade

Moderate

Trail Navigation Files:

💾 Download GPX Route Google Earth (KMZ) 📖 About Hindhead

Ordnance Survey Explorer Map (1:25,000)

Essential paper map for exploring Haslemere and Petersfield:

OL33 Haslemere and Petersfield →

The Walk Report

The walk starts from a National Trust car park by the crossroads village of Hindhead. Descending into the Devil's Punch Bowl, the route passes a musical brook where Victorian naturalists sought out rare ferns.

Arriving at Gibbet Hill (named after the execution and hanging of three murderers in 1786), you pass a memorial stone erected in 1786 by James Stilwell commemorating the unknown sailor murdered on the path.

Stone commemorating the murder of an unknown sailor

Acknowledgment: Text derived from the Out and Out Series; Discovering the Countryside on Foot. Pictures courtesy of Wikipedia.

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Hindhead Common, Devil's Punch Bowl and Gibbet Hill

Ordnance Survey Explorer Map (1:25,000)

The Walk Report

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