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Epsom Downs and The Racecourse

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Walk directions

From the roundabout near the Tea Hut, take the signposted bridleway to Walton Road. Cross the racecourse and continue along the broad, waymarked lane, keeping an eye out for any cars. The bridleway remains open on race days, though naturally there are some restrictions during the races.

Walk alongside and then within a wood. When the lane swings hard right, follow the bridleway that forks off down a narrow path to the left. Bear right at the gallops, before rejoining the broader lane, at a fingerpost, down past The Warren. There’s a lovely view across the valley from here.

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Location

Nearest postcode:

Additional information

Terrain - Mainly broad, easy-to-follow bridleways

Landscape - Open skies of Downs and wooded landscape

Dog friendliness - Lead required before midday, when racehorses train on the Downs

Parking - Car park off Tattenham Crescent, behind the Tea Hut (charges apply on race days)

Toilets en route - 200yds (183m) west of car park, towards grandstand

Walks in Surrey Dog-friendly walks in Surrey

About the walk

There’s always a holiday atmosphere on Epsom Downs. With the ice cream vans, the wind in your face and the huge, wide skies, the Downs have everything but sea and sand. There’s a long tradition of recreation on Epsom Downs. In 1660, Samuel Pepys’ diary records daily horseraces at midday, with... wrestling, cudgel playing, hawking and foot racing in the afternoons. Hare coursing was also popular, based on an enclosed warren established by Lord Baltimore in 1720. You’ll see two of the old gateposts to the Warren on your right, as you walk down beside the gallops a mile or so into your walk. They're off! You’ll start by crossing the racecourse itself. The first formal race meeting took place in 1661 in the presence of King Charles II, but it was a young man of 21 who was destined to establish the most famous names in Epsom’s sporting calendar. In 1773, the 12th Earl of Derby bought The Oaks, a country house at nearby Woodmansterne. He and his friends were keen followers of racing, and, in 1779, they inaugurated ‘The Oaks’ – a new race for three-year-old fillies. Spurred on by the success of the new race, the Earl and his friend Sir Charles Bunbury promoted another short distance event the following year. The Earl won the toss for the honour of naming the contest, though Sir Charles consoled himself when his horse, Diomed, actually won the race. The Epsom Derby had been born. But what of the spectators? To begin with there were minimal facilities, and the 18th-century crowds simply gathered on the hill. Enter the property speculator Charles Bluck, described as a ‘rogue and a rascal, an unscrupulous knave, the biggest villain to go unhanged’. Bluck charmed the Lord of the Manor with his plans for a new £5,000 grandstand, and quickly obtained the lease to a prime 1-acre (0.4ha) site. This upstaged the newly formed Epsom Grandstand Association, and there was a good deal of wheeling and dealing before the Association completed its stand in 1830. Building lasted for almost a century, until the site was redeveloped in 1927. The new Queen’s Stand, added in 1992, includes facilities for conferences, dances and corporate hospitality, and in 2009 Camilla, Queen Consort (then the Duchess of Cornwall) opened the Duchess Stand. The focus is firmly on horseracing at Epsom, but there’s a range of events all year round.

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About the area

Surrey is one of England’s most wooded counties, with over a quarter of the landscape designated as an official AONB and plenty of history evident in the countryside. You’ll find sandy tracks, cottage gardens and welcoming village inns, and on the fringe of Greater London you can picnic in Chaldon’s hay meadows, explore the downs at Epsom, or drift idly beside the River Thames.

Route details

Difficulty:

Medium

Gradient:

Gentle

Distance:

5.2 miles (8.4kms)

Ascent:

492ft (150m)

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Epsom Downs and The Racecourse

Recommended by

Walk details

Difficulty:

Medium

Gradient:

Gentle

Distance:

5.2 miles (8.4kms)

Ascent:

492ft (150m)

Walk directions

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At the bottom of the hill, on the edge of the woodland, lies a six-way junction. Think of it as a mini-roundabout, and take the third exit, straight ahead. It’s a narrow track through scrubby trees, but it soon leads you out onto a broader bridleway. Turn left and then, in a few paces, ignore the track on the right, signed to Walton Road, and keep straight on at the bridleway signpost, towards Walton on the Hill, and follow the waymarked track as it swings right at Nohome Farm and begins the climb out of the valley on a narrow path.

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The bridleway ends at the junction of Hurst Road and Ebbisham Lane. Keep ahead on Ebbisham Lane and turn left at the bottom into Walton Street. Pass The Fox and Hounds pub and Mere Pond, then turn left at The Bell pub sign, up the side of the pond. After 30yds (27m), fork right at Withybed Corner and follow the lane to The Bell.

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Keep straight ahead, signed to Motts Hill Lane, to pass a white metal coal post and barrier. Turn right down a path alongside Motts Hill Cottage, to rejoin the lane at White Cottage (right-hand side). As the lane bears right, turn left onto the bridleway along the backs of gardens. At the junction of paths, bear left and then right up the slope at the information board. At the top of the slope, follow a fingerpost heading towards Epsom Lane North. Cross the road, and continue along the grassy verge, bearing right to cross Tattenham Crescent, and return to the car park.

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Location

Starting point

Nearest postcode:

Additional information

Terrain - Mainly broad, easy-to-follow bridleways

Landscape - Open skies of Downs and wooded landscape

Dog friendliness - Lead required before midday, when racehorses train on the Downs

Parking - Car park off Tattenham Crescent, behind the Tea Hut (charges apply on race days)

Toilets en route - 200yds (183m) west of car park, towards grandstand

Walks in Surrey Dog-friendly walks in Surrey

About the walk

Been on this walk?

Send us photos or a comment about this route. Or recommend a route of your own.

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Walking in Safety

Read our tips to look after yourself and the environment when following this walk.

Learn more

Get an AA guide

Explore our range of ‘50 Walks in’ guides - they’re the ideal companion for a ramble.

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Been on this walk?

Send us photos or a comment about this route. Or recommend a route of your own.

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Walking in Safety

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Get an AA guide

Explore our range of ‘50 Walks in’ guides - they’re the ideal companion for a ramble.

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About the area

Surrey

Epsom Downs and The Racecourse

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Epsom Downs and The Racecourse

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