Things to do at Box Hill

Cycling at Box Hill

Box Hill is well and truly on the map for road cycling following the London 2012 Olympic road races, part of which were held here. Billions of people around the world watched international athletes battle it out on the challenging 2.5km Zig Zag road.

With an average gradient of 4.9 per cent, the Box Hill circuit is among the most desired achievements of amateur and professional cyclists alike. The fastest climb, which rises by 133m, is recorded as an eye-watering 4 minutes 37 seconds at an average speed of 32.5kmh. Box Hill beat the winding French Alpine passes to be crowned the most popular cycling hill climb in the world.

Cycling through history

Box Hill has always been popular among road cyclists, and as early as the 1890s hundreds of people lined the road for Dorking Cycle Club events. The road’s steep gradients, sharp turns and gruelling long climbs meant that road races, hill climbs and time trials became a regular occurrence.

It was also seen as a scenic spot for Victorian day trippers to escape the smoggy air of inner-city London.

Box Hill butterflies 

Spring and summer bring a rainbow of colour with the arrival of bright orchids and multicoloured butterflies.  

Over 38 different species of butterfly have been spotted at Box Hill in recent years, including the holly blue, brimstone and painted lady. While picking a favourite is impossible, here’s a list of some to look out for: 

Marbled white: this has distinctive chequerboard black and white markings and like to sunbathe on tall flowers. 

Purple emperor: the biggest butterfly at Box Hill. The males protect their territories at the top of the tallest trees, but they come down to ground level to feed. 

Adonis blue: this has a fascinating life cycle, as its caterpillars are cared for by ants. Although now nationally quite rare, you might spot it on the chalk downland here.  

Orchid spotting at Box Hill 

During the warmer months you might see a variety of orchids. Seventeen species have been recorded on Box Hill, some of which are extremely rare or threatened. Here are just some to look out for: 

Fragrant orchid: this can have up to 200 densely packed pink-purple flowers, on a purplish stem. They have a sickly-sweet smell to attract insects. 

Pyramidal orchid: these are a bright cerise colour, with tightly clustered flowers at the top of the stem. When clustered together, the little flowers form a distinct pyramid shape. 

Bee orchid: this distinctive orchid looks and smells like a female bee to attract male bees to pollinate it.