How long is the Hindhead Common & Devil’s Punch Bowl – Highcombe Hike circular walk?

The Highcombe Hike at Hindhead Common and Devil’s Punch Bowl is roughly 11 km / 7 miles as a circular walk, making it a solid half-day out with time for photos and breaks.

How difficult is the Highcombe Hike at Hindhead Common?

It’s generally graded as easy to moderate. There are a few steady climbs and some uneven woodland and heathland paths, but nothing technical. Most reasonably fit walkers used to a few hills will be fine.

Where does the Hindhead Common & Devil’s Punch Bowl circular walk start?

Most people start the Highcombe Hike from the main National Trust car park at Hindhead Common, right by the café and information boards. It’s a simple place to park up, pick up the trail and grab a drink before or after your walk.

Is the route at Devil’s Punch Bowl well waymarked?

Yes, the Highcombe Hike follows clear paths with National Trust waymarking and information boards at key junctions. A map or GPX is still handy if you want to explore a few of the side paths and viewpoints with confidence.

Is the Hindhead Common & Devil’s Punch Bowl walk family friendly?

It can be a great family walk for older children who are used to a few miles and some hills. There are steep slopes, unfenced edges and uneven paths in places, so close supervision is important with younger kids, especially near the Punch Bowl rim.

Are dogs allowed on the Highcombe Hike at Hindhead Common?

Yes, dogs are welcome at Hindhead Common and Devil’s Punch Bowl, but they should be kept under close control and on a lead where requested, particularly around grazing livestock, ground-nesting birds and busier sections of the trail.

What makes Devil’s Punch Bowl special?

Devil’s Punch Bowl is a huge natural amphitheatre carved into the greensand and heath, with sweeping views over the Surrey Hills National Landscape. The old A3 used to run across it, but the Hindhead Tunnel now keeps traffic out of sight, so you get big, quiet views, rich heathland, historic stories about highwaymen and coach roads, and some of the best scenery in this part of England.

What should I wear and bring for the Hindhead Highcombe Hike?

Sturdy walking shoes or trail shoes are ideal, as paths can be muddy and rooted in places. Pack a waterproof, layers for the exposed sections on the commons, water, snacks or a packed lunch, and a map/GPX on your phone. In summer, suncream and a hat are a good shout as the heathland sections are quite open.

How long is the Hindhead Common & Devil’s Punch Bowl – Highcombe Hike circular walk?

The Highcombe Hike at Hindhead Common and Devil’s Punch Bowl is roughly 11 km / 7 miles as a circular walk, making it a solid half-day out with time for photos and breaks.

How difficult is the Highcombe Hike at Hindhead Common?

It’s generally graded as easy to moderate. There are a few steady climbs and some uneven woodland and heathland paths, but nothing technical. Most reasonably fit walkers used to a few hills will be fine.

Where does the Hindhead Common & Devil’s Punch Bowl circular walk start?

Most people start the Highcombe Hike from the main National Trust car park at Hindhead Common, right by the café and information boards. It’s a simple place to park up, pick up the trail and grab a drink before or after your walk.

Is the route at Devil’s Punch Bowl well waymarked?

Yes, the Highcombe Hike follows clear paths with National Trust waymarking and information boards at key junctions. A map or GPX is still handy if you want to explore a few of the side paths and viewpoints with confidence.

Is the Hindhead Common & Devil’s Punch Bowl walk family friendly?

It can be a great family walk for older children who are used to a few miles and some hills. There are steep slopes, unfenced edges and uneven paths in places, so close supervision is important with younger kids, especially near the Punch Bowl rim.

Are dogs allowed on the Highcombe Hike at Hindhead Common?

Yes, dogs are welcome at Hindhead Common and Devil’s Punch Bowl, but they should be kept under close control and on a lead where requested, particularly around grazing livestock, ground-nesting birds and busier sections of the trail.

What makes Devil’s Punch Bowl special?

Devil’s Punch Bowl is a huge natural amphitheatre carved into the greensand and heath, with sweeping views over the Surrey Hills National Landscape. The old A3 used to run across it, but the Hindhead Tunnel now keeps traffic out of sight, so you get big, quiet views, rich heathland, historic stories about highwaymen and coach roads, and some of the best scenery in this part of England.

What should I wear and bring for the Hindhead Highcombe Hike?

Sturdy walking shoes or trail shoes are ideal, as paths can be muddy and rooted in places. Pack a waterproof, layers for the exposed sections on the commons, water, snacks or a packed lunch, and a map/GPX on your phone. In summer, suncream and a hat are a good shout as the heathland sections are quite open.

Hindhead Common & Devil’s Punch Bowl – Highcombe Circular Hike

Region: Hindhead, South East England — Surrey Hills National Landscape (AONB)

Places To Stay: Base yourself in Haslemere for cafés, pubs and easy train links from London, or stay right on the doorstep in Hindhead if you want to roll out of bed and straight onto the heath. Looking for more English walks? Head to my ‘England Hiking Guides‘ page to see all regions and routes.

Below are a few ideas for day tours around the Surrey Hills / South Downs area. GetYourGuide makes it easy to book + see more here.

Find Places to Stay

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For a bigger selection of Surrey Hills accommodation, Booking.com has plenty of cottages, inns and hotels to browse.

This classic loop on Hindhead Common and the Devil’s Punch Bowl is the National Trust’s Highcombe Hike – a short but punchy circuit that packs in big views, deep woodland and a cracking bit of history. You start on open heath above the Punch Bowl, looking across one of Surrey’s wildest natural amphitheatres, then follow the rim left towards Gibbet Hill, a high point with huge views over the Weald and all the way to the South Downs. From there you dip right down into Highcombe Bottom, a steep-sided valley carved into the sandstone, before climbing back through oak, birch and pine to re-join the heath. All the way round you’re walking through a landscape shaped by old highways, legend, and the more recent story of the A3 Hindhead Tunnel that finally gave this place back its quiet.

Getting There: Directions, GPX and Map

Start/Finish: National Trust Devil’s Punch Bowl car park at Hindhead (café and toilets on site) — Google Maps pin.
Transport: Hindhead is just off the A3. The easiest option is to drive and park at the National Trust car park, but there are also buses from Haslemere (which has direct trains from London Waterloo) up to Hindhead on certain routes.
GPX: Download the GPX file here (I’ll add my recorded Highcombe Hike track once it’s live).
Route Finder: Follow this route on my Outdooractive profile.

Travel Data: I use eSIMs to stay connected — quick setup and no roaming faff when I’m heading further afield. Sim Local has been solid in Europe with good prices and coverage.

Hike Profile

Distance: ~4.5 km (2.8 miles) circular
Duration: 1.5–2 hours (more if you linger at viewpoints and the café)
Ascent/Descent: ~180–200 m — one decent descent into the valley and a fairly steep climb back out.
Highest Point: Gibbet Hill (around 272 m) on the Greensand Ridge, one of the highest points in Surrey.
Difficulty: Easy/Moderate – short in distance but the valley climb will get your legs working.
Terrain: Sandy heathland tracks, woodland paths, some steeper/rockier steps and often muddy sections in the valley bottom.

Route Overview (Clockwise from Devil’s Punch Bowl car park)

Section	From → To	Path	Distance	Notes
1	National Trust car park → Punch Bowl rim path	Gravel / sandy heathland track	0.5–1 km	Easy warm-up heading out from the café onto open heath with your first big glimpse into the Devil’s Punch Bowl.
2	Punch Bowl rim → viewpoints towards Gibbet Hill	Rim path / grassy tracks	1–1.5 km	Follow the edge of this huge natural amphitheatre, with views over the Weald and out towards the South Downs on a clear day.
3	Rim path → descent into Highcombe Bottom	Woodland paths / steeper descent	0.8–1 km	Drop into the quiet of Highcombe Bottom, a deep, tree-filled valley carved into the Greensand – can be muddy and slippery after rain.
4	Highcombe Bottom valley floor → climb back to the commons	Steep woodland path / steps	0.8–1 km	The main workout: a short but sharp climb back up through mixed woodland, with glimpses back into the Punch Bowl as you gain height.
5	Top of climb → heathland loop → car park	Heathland tracks	1–1.5 km	Easy-going paths across open heathland, often with grazing ponies or cattle, leading you back to the café and car park.

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From London you can reach Hindhead via train to Haslemere and a short bus/taxi, or hire a car straight from the airport. Skyscanner found the cheapest flights – try the flight widget above.

Hike Description

This is probably the easiest start to a walk I have ever done. Park up at the National Trust Devil’s Punch Bowl car park, grab a coffee if you fancy one, and within a couple of minutes you’re out on open heath. The old A3 used to roar along the edge here, but since the Hindhead Tunnel opened the traffic has dropped away and the whole area has been slowly handed back to nature – what used to be a busy main road is now a quiet strip of grass and scrub. It’s a lovely example of a landscape actually getting wilder again.

The first stretch follows paths across Hindhead Common, a mix of sandy tracks, low gorse and purple heather when it’s in season. Very quickly you start to get those “wow” moments as the land falls away beside you. The Devil’s Punch Bowl itself is a huge natural bowl carved into the Greensand Ridge, a deep, steep-sided amphitheatre with streams and woodland tucked down in the base. On a clear day you can see for miles over the Weald; on a misty day it feels like you’re walking along the edge of something mysterious.

This landscape isn’t just about the views though – it’s loaded with stories. For centuries the old London–Portsmouth road threaded its way along the ridge, and the area got a rough reputation thanks to highwaymen and the exposed, lonely nature of the route. One of the most famous tales is the 1786 murder of an unknown sailor on the old road: he was killed by three men he’d been travelling with, and they were later hanged on nearby Gibbet Hill. A stone marks the sailor’s grave and a Celtic cross was later raised on the hill – it’s not on every short walk that you get murder, gallows and redemption all rolled into one ridge.

As you follow the Highcombe Hike you get that contrast between the open, breezy tops and the quieter, enclosed valley below. The path eventually drops off the rim into Highcombe Bottom, the northern arm of the Punch Bowl. Geologically, this is a textbook example of how water can slowly carve into sandstone: springs and streams have eaten away at the softer layers over thousands of years, undercutting the rock above and leaving this big bite out of the hillside. In simple terms, it’s a great big scoop in the landscape that feels far wilder than you’d expect so close to the A3.

Down in the valley the vibe changes completely. The air feels cooler and damper, birdsong bounces around the trees, and you’re on narrower, often muddier paths threading between oak, birch and pine. Parts of the Punch Bowl and Highcombe Bottom are designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest, and if you like your nature there’s plenty going on – heathland birds on the tops, woodland species lower down, and a mix of acid grassland and scrub in between. It’s one of those places where you could happily dawdle, just listening and looking.

Eventually the route swings round and begins the main climb of the day back towards the commons. It’s not long, but it’s steep enough to get the heart rate up, with a few steps and slick patches in wet weather. Every time you pause for breath you get glimpses back through the trees into the Punch Bowl, and when you top out onto the open heath again it feels like you’ve popped back up onto the roof of the landscape.

Depending on the exact line you take, you can easily add a short there-and-back to Gibbet Hill itself. It’s one of the highest points in Surrey, and from the stone cross at the summit you get a brilliant 360-degree panorama: the Punch Bowl below, the Weald rolling away into Sussex and, on a very clear day, even the distant line of London on the horizon. It’s a reminder of just how prominent this ridge has always been – a natural routeway, a landmark for travellers, and now a quiet escape for walkers.

The final section is gently back across the heath, often with grazing cattle or ponies keeping the scrub in check, and then you’re dropping back to the car park and the café. For a relatively short outing, the Highcombe Hike punches well above its weight: big views, a deep, dramatic valley, proper stories from the old road days, and a great example of how a once-busy transport corridor has been turned back into a peaceful piece of countryside.

Places to Stay near Hindhead & Haslemere

For a wider choice of accommodation around Hindhead and the Surrey Hills, Booking.com has a huge variety to browse through, from country inns to smart little town hotels.

Recommended Stays

Stay in Haslemere

A great base town with cafés, pubs and a mainline station. Ideal if you’re coming down from London by train and want a short hop to the Devil’s Punch Bowl.

Stay in Hindhead

Perfect if you want to be right on the doorstep of the commons – roll out, grab a coffee at the NT café and you’re straight onto the Highcombe Hike.

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Practicalities

Season: All year — heath and woodland give it interest in every season. In summer it can be hot on the open heath; in winter the valley paths can be properly muddy.
Footwear: Grippy trail shoes or walking boots. The sandy tracks on top are easy, but the descent/climb in Highcombe Bottom can be slippery after rain.
Water & food: The National Trust café at the Devil’s Punch Bowl is a good pre- or post-walk stop, but you’ll want to carry water on the hike itself. A Water-to-Go bottle is handy if you’re out all day.
Parking: Pay-and-display National Trust car park at the Devil’s Punch Bowl (free for NT members). Gets busy at weekends and on sunny days.
Dogs: Yes — a brilliant dog walk, but you’ll need to keep them on a lead during ground-nesting bird season and around any grazing stock.
Good for: Big views in a short walk, heathland and woodland, a hit of local history, and anyone wanting an easy escape from London without a full mountain day.