The best hikes from bus stations around Witley

The marker for where the old gibbet was erected to punish the highwaymen.

Gibbet Hill is the second-highest point in Surrey, offering an extraordinary viewpoint that stands out within the Devil’s Punch Bowl landscape. Standing beside the historic Celtic cross, you look out over a breathtaking panoramic landscape of rolling hills, deep valleys, and open heathland. On crisp, clear days, the scenery opens up dramatically, allowing you to trace the horizon all the way to the iconic skyline of central London, miles to the northeast.

Gibbet Hill is the second-highest point in Surrey, offering an extraordinary viewpoint that stands out within the Devil’s Punch Bowl landscape. Standing beside the historic Celtic cross, you look out over a breathtaking panoramic landscape of rolling hills, deep valleys, and open heathland. On crisp, clear days, the scenery opens up dramatically, allowing you to trace the horizon all the way to the iconic skyline of central London, miles to the northeast.

Built around 1910 by shipbuilder Viscount Pirrie, the Temple of the Four Winds was a grand stone hunting lodge and viewing pavilion. After falling into severe disrepair, the unsafe structure was dismantled in 1966. Today, only its restored stone plinth remains on Hurt Hill, offering magnificent, sweeping views.

Erected in 1851 by judge Sir William Erle, the granite Celtic cross on Gibbet Hill was built to dispel local fears of evil spirits. It marks the notorious site where three highwaymen were hanged and displayed in chains in 1787 for the brutal murder of an unknown sailor.

Tucked away down the track, and close to the stream is this abandoned house. The rights of way footpath suggests you can walk / squelch through the now derelict garden, but scootch around the fallen fence and there is an equally boggy path that takes you to the footbridge.

In winter months ground is a bit waterlogged at this point and beyond. Wellies or ankle high waterproof boots are worth considering here.

The most typical feature in the design of Celtic crosses is the circle connecting the horizontal and vertical bars. This is sometimes interpreted as a symbol of the sun; in this sense, Celtic crosses are sometimes also called sun crosses. I found the following meditative reflection on this topic while working as a chaplain in the Protestant deanery of Nassauer Land: "The sun cross is a special symbol of Celtic Christianity. It can become a symbol of spirituality. + What you can practice – the horizontal arm of the cross. Your conscious rituals, prayers, quiet moments. The attention you give to the sacred. + What happens to you – the vertical arm of the cross. Experiences that touch and transform you. Moments in which you sense something greater than yourself. + What gives you interpretation – the circle that encloses both. Words, stories, and traditions that help you understand and share these experiences. Spirituality connects you to sources of strength that reach deeper than what you can see. For me as a Christian, spirituality is a word for encountering the God who revealed himself in Jesus."