Hindhead Commons and the Devil's Punch Bowl (647.5 hectares, 1600 acres)

Local legend has it that the Devil lived at the 'Devil's Jumps', three small hills near to Churt. He would often torment Thor, the God of Thunder, who lived at nearby Thor's Lie (Thursley), by jumping from hill to hill. Thor would try to strike the Devil with thunder and lightning and once the Devil retaliated by scooping a handful of earth and hurling it at Thor. The depression that remained is the Devil's Punch Bowl.

It is thought that it became known as a 'Punch Bowl' from the way the mist lies in the bowl and appears to flow over the rim as if it were boiling over.

The Punch Bowl was actually formed by springs cutting down and back into the soft rock and is the largest spring-formed feature in Britain. The process can still be seen occurring around the springs in the bottom of the bowl. Until the 1930s, the bowl was inhabited by 'broom squires', who made brooms from the surrounding birch trees.

The slopes of the Devil's Punch Bowl, a large natural amphitheatre, are covered with heath, small streams and areas of woodland.

Hindhead Commons, covering 647.5 ha (1,600 acres), comprise some of the most extensive areas of lowland heath in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), of importance for its large expanses of undeveloped countryside.

Gibbet Hill, a sandstone hill with views across the Weald, marks the site where three footpads (highwaymen on foot) were hanged after murdering a sailor on the then wild wastelands of Hindhead Common - the Sailor's Stone commemorates the event.

Grazing of the heathland by commoners ended around the mid-1900s, which allowed the spread of birch, pine and bracken over the heather. This encroachment is now being reversed by a programme of active reclamation. Exmoor ponies and Highland cattle are now helping to restore and maintain these areas.

The heath is dominated by heather, Bell Heather, Cross-Leaved Heath and Dwarf Gorse, with bracken and Common Gorse and grasses such as Purple Moor Grass. Older woods and wood pastures of oak, holly, ash and beech coppice occur in places, as in Highcombe Copse. Alder, willow and Bog Bean grow along the stream at Highcombe Bottom, with a series of small mires. Green, Great and Lesser-Spotted Woodpeckers can be seen in the woods, with Nightjar, Stonechat and Woodlark on the heath. The valley bottom supports a rich insect fauna, home to rare craneflies.

Sir Robert Hunter, co-founder of the National Trust, lived in Haslemere about 100 years ago. Shortly after forming the Trust in 1895, he organised a public subscription to purchase much of Hindhead Commons, one of the Trust's earliest acquisitions. Sir Robert's far-sightedness has meant that a century later we can still enjoy the landscape he worked to save.

Facilities

• Café and car park
• Cafe open daily 1 Nov - 31 Mar, 9am-4pm and 1 April - 31 October, 9am - 5pm
• Car park charges will apply after the first hour, £2 per day, National Trust members free. Sorry, no lorries
• Call 01428 608771 for more information