There is no doubt that Surrey is a beautiful county but it is not particularly known for its mountain ranges and peaks. Venture out however and you will be surprised to find that just like oop north there are some pretty impressive high points and you realise that the county is not as flat as it seems. Leith Hill is supposedly the highest point at 294 metres and most people have heard of Box Hill but there are others - Gibbet Hill near Hindhead is 272 metres, Reigate Hill - 232 metres, and Colley Hill, Hascombe Hill, Newlands Corner, St Marthas and the Hogs Back all offer splendid views. But being a hard working tog I needed a break so took a couple of hours off and armed with my trusty Fuji XT1 and my snapper pal - 'Peterpixel' - the James May of the camera world or perhaps his Dad, I ventured off in search of Pitch Hill near Cranleigh after being inspired by a post on a Surrey social media site. Rather than resort to the dreaded Sat Nav I opted for Pete and his iPhone who somehow managed to direct us to the car park after being distracted by the size of the houses. We set off on the steep climb through the woods to the summit in the searing heat - ok the ten minute ramble in the 'actually quite warm' sun, but despite the short distance we were still struggling a bit, possibly after lunch in the Gorge at Farnham. I did have diabetes and not many..er, any...trips to the gym to justify my lack of breath whereas Pete's excuse was advancing years, however he was still ahead of me. On reaching the plateau you are faced with a stunning vista of South Surrey - Leith Hill to the left in the distance and to the far right just visible in the haze with a little imagination - Devil's Punch Bowl. Every so often an orange bird would be seen in the distance en route to Gatwick and the sound of skylarks finished off the scene. Rather luckily for Pete there was a bench offering surely one of the best views in Surrey and even he was glad he brought a real camera with him instead of using his phone which he has done in the past - considering he used to run a camera shop and all that.....
Pitch hill can be found somewhere near Ewhurst/Cranleigh - best use the sat nav though Pete can be hired for the price of a fry up and half a pint of shandy!
