The UK's County Tops. Jonny Muir
leaving school at the age of 16 without an O-Level, she has gone on to become the UK’s best-selling author of cookery books.
Interesting fact
Denbies Wine Estate, situated on the northeastern outskirts of Dorking overlooking Box Hill, is the largest vineyard in the UK. The site – previously a pig farm – was planted between 1986 and 1991, and the average yearly wine yield is 300,000 litres.
Leith Hill Tower
The notion of building a tower on the summit of Leith Hill was the idea of Richard Hull, a squire who lived at nearby Leith Hill Place. The tower realised Hull’s aim: to raise the height of the hill above the magical 1000ft (305m) mark, and he would eventually be buried beneath the floor of his monument. Further additions in the 19th century increased the height of the building to its current reach of 317m. Visitors can climb steps in the tower to the battlements, while further information and refreshments are available within the building. See the National Trust website for opening times (www.nationaltrust.org.uk).
Start of the descent to Windy Gap car park
7 KENT
Betsom’s Hill 251m TQ 4355 5633
| Location | North Downs, 9km WNW of Sevenoaks |
| Start | Small parking area on lane off A233 Biggin Hill–Westerham road, 100m SE of Westerham Heights Farm, TQ 4369 5638 |
| OS map | Landranger 187 (Dorking & Reigate), Explorer 147 (Sevenoaks & Tonbridge) |
| Difficulty | 0 |
| Enjoyment | * |
| Distance | Negligible |
| Ascent | Negligible |
| Time | 5mins |
The highest point in Kent – the so-called ‘Garden of England’ – is, rather appropriately, a garden. Top marks for novelty value, but also for frustration, for this is the only inaccessible historic county top. Trespass cannot be recommended so unless you happen to encounter a friendly resident happy to invite you onto their land, you will not be able actually to stand on this particular summit. A crumb of comfort can perhaps be gained by venturing north along the busy A233 for a short way to reach Westerham Heights Farm (245m), the equally disappointing highest point of Greater London. Traversing Betsom’s Hill to the south is the Pilgrims’ Way, the route followed by pilgrims travelling from Winchester in Hampshire to visit the shrine of Thomas à Becket at Canterbury, now a 192km-long National Trail.
Looking up the lane to the highest publicly accessible point on Betsom’s Hill
Did you Know?
Famous native
Frontman and lead vocalist of The Rolling Stones, Sir Mick Jagger, was born in Dartford in 1943. Sir Mick was knighted in 2003 for services to music; he has been performing with the band since the early 1960s.
Interesting fact
The first person to swim the English Channel began his quest from the Admiralty Pier, Dover, in 1875. Captain John Webb arrived in Calais 21 hours and 45 minutes later, having covered 39 miles.
Route
There is room to park a car close to the entrance of the lane. From here, walk W along the track, which rises very gradually to a coachworks and Fort Cottages. The highest point in Kent clearly lies in gardens, which, as the name of the cottages suggests, were once the site of a fort, to the S of the lane. Walkers will have to satisfy themselves with reaching the highest point of the track or by wandering around an adjacent patch of scrubland to the N.
Descent
Return by the same route.
The Garden of England
This traditional title recognises Kent’s history of allotments and hop orchards, as well as its bountiful countryside and abundant wildlife. Charles Dickens once commented: ‘Kent, sir, everyone knows Kent. Apples, cherries, hops and women.’ However, a TV survey carried out in 2006 to find England’s 21st-century ‘garden county’ revealed that Kent had slipped in the public’s affections. Just five per cent of respondents said Kent deserved its title as the Garden of England, with people insisting Derbyshire, Devon, Gloucestershire and Yorkshire were more worthy of the sought-after moniker.
Fields close to the summit of Betsom’s Hill
8 MIDDLESEX
Bushey Heath 153m TQ 1525 9378
| Location | Crossroads 3km S of Bushey (in Hertfordshire) |
| Start | Stanmore Tube Station (Jubilee Line), TQ 1760 9261 |
| OS map | Landranger 176 (West London), Explorer 173 (London North) |
| Difficulty | 1 |
| Enjoyment | * |
| Distance | 6km (3.5 miles) |
| Ascent | 70m |
| Time | 1–2 hrs |
The British do irony well. Why else would there be a pub called The Alpine and a road named Alpine Walk close to the low, traffic-choked summit of Middlesex? Alpine walk? Nothing could be further from the truth. There is nothing alpine about London’s northwest fringe. The summit’s absence of character and charm can be countered by a stroll through some of the area’s nearby green havens, including Bentley Priory Nature Reserve, Stanmore Common and Stanmore Country Park, on the way to or back from Bushey Heath.
Route
Turn left out of Stanmore Tube Station – the terminus of the Jubilee Line – and head along London Road towards Stanmore. The route continues along The Broadway, past cafés and shops, before turning NW up Stanmore Hill and The Common, passing Stanmore Common on the right and RAF Bentley Priory on the left. The top is a low plateau where four roads – Common Road, High Road, Magpie Hall Road and The Common – converge. Magpie Hall Road marks the boundary between the historic counties of Hertfordshire and Middlesex. The highest point appears to be a triangle of grass bordered by Alpine Walk, Magpie Hall Road and The Common, diagonally opposite The Alpine pub.
One of the four roads that converge at the highest point in Middlesex
Did you Know?
Famous native
Peter Sallis, who played Norman Clegg in the TV comedy series Last of the Summer Wine, was born in