DAY ONE
Our train set off from London Victoria station at 10:55am. I actually didn't know there was a Victoria Rail Station too, have always heard of a Victoria Coach Station. It was pretty busy too. Oh well you learn something new everyday I suppose!
Our train was near empty. We had a carriage all to ourselves! Lovely.
It wasn't long until we reached Dorking Station. Dorking? Yes I hadn't heard of this town until about a week or so before we came here. A small market town which is only a 50 min train ride, 27 miles from London.
It was a 10-12 minute walk from the station to Travelodge Hotel, our home for three days. The hotel is right opposite a cemetery! Conveniently next to a Tesco Extra but with a breathtaking view of the Surrey Box Hill. When we checked in, we refreshed and were ready to pop out. Wife had made some homemade Halloumi and Grilled Chicken wraps for lunch MashaAllah Allahumma Baarik, Aameen. Then we headed to the town centre which is around 10 minute walk.
Our aim was to reach the Dorking Masjid. Yes, Alhamdulillah there's a Masjid here. I didn't follow the GPS correctly and walked about 5 minutes away from the Masjid before realising. Wife took over the GPS and made sure we were following the correct route!
When we reached the Masjid, a small building among a residential area, jamat had finished. I had asked if there was Women's space. The brothers (middle aged) discussed among themselves and said in Bangla that there's two of them, let them come in a pray. They were actually locking up but left us to it and showed us how to lock up. SubhanAllah without hesitating they let me and wife pray. Allah reward them abundantly, Aameen.
The Masjid is small and doesn't have a dedicated women's space however, being welcomed like that you know it's run by thoughtful people.
After Salah we headed towards our first walking trail, the Denbis Trail. We walked up from the Masjid, past a playing park to Ranmore Road. We got on a off road pathway. Not sure exactly where we were heading we followed the path, keeping an eye on our GPS.
We went through dense woodland areas, with nobody around. We went in between hedges and tunnels made from intertwining tree branches. At one point we went through a very narrow path (we didn't think it was a real pathway!), so narrow we had to walk in single file. It was filled with brambles and black berry trees and wired gates on the other side.
At last we came to an opening and saw couple of people. A lady had a quick chat with us. She was also hiking and went off with her group. We walked on and found ourselves nearby to the Denbies House, a mansion (which I assume is some sort of hotel?) Access was closed so we couldn't get close to it.
We walked on until we found St. Barnabas Church. There were cars parked outside. I'm assuming people come here to learn or pray, but it's literally in the middle of nowhere. It used to host the residents and workers nearby.
We came to a main road and we came to steers field. One part of the trail starts here. There's a car park and a truck that sells cold drinks, tea and coffee. We both got a cold drink and as it was a hot day, we drank gratefully.
We went onto a field and decided to follow the nature walk trail. Here read more about it: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/denbies-hillside/trails/denbies-hillside-nature-walk
It was a lovely walk. One needs to praise Allah immensely when doing these walks and looking around. We came across a herd of Belted Galloway cattle. They were just minding their own business chewing on the fresh and juicy grass!
One of the highlight of our trip was the friendly people we came across. A bit of a change from the grumpy people you see in London (sometimes!) We headed back, following the path again and reached our hotel after a near 4 hour walk.
On our way to buy some dinner, a white man in a blue van honked at us. When we looked he showed his middle finger! Rude. I replied but with a thumbs up. An Islamaphobe. Alhamdulillah this didn't demotivate us. Alhamdulillah the day ended with us surprisingly doing 30,000 steps!
DAY TWO
BOX HILL AND DEEPDENE TRAIL
Today's mission was to go to the famous Box Hill. It was on our bucket list for a long time. We had a quick breakfast and got ready to leave. We checked the map and saw that it was a 15 minute walk from the hotel.
As we walked we saw a Wine Vineyard. Ok, Wine not Halal. But we were amazed at the way the fruits grew to make the wine. Miles of orchard stretching all the way upto the hills.
We reached the Box Hill car park. A quick look at the map we made our way to the stepping stones. The stones were laid across a river, not deep. They were from World War Two. We had to cross over by going over the stones. It was rather scary! I know the water was shallow but didn't want to get wet you see (cough cough!) It was a nice and natural experience nevertheless. We were looking out for fish and Kingfishers but none came to sight.
We then walked through the woods. SubhanAllah we marvelled at Allah's creation. All around us were trees after trees after trees. It was like a canopy in the sky. We came across a fox Cub, who saw us and ran away. It reminded us of Fantastic Mr. Fox!
As we walked we found ourselves ascending up wooden steps. It was a little steep. We used out hiking sticks that we bought with us. As we were going up, two guys came down. They asked if it was our first time and we laughed as he was looking at our sticks. He was friendly and spurred us on, telling us that there was a cafe at the top of the hill.
It was a lovely climb. We came to an opening and were taken aback by the breathtaking views of surrey. Houses, church spires, rolling hills, train line etc. So picturesque and beautiful subhanAllah. How can we deny the existence of Allah?
We walked on to the cafe. A nice place. We shared a Chai Latte whilst sitting on a log. A man muttered an Islamophobic comment. Sad guy. I didn't have an opportunity to say anything good back as he went off to find his pal. After coffee we went off to look for the Box Hill Fort. Met another Islamaphobic gentleman here, but we ignored him.
This is a small building, deliberately covered with soil so enemies don't see it. In it, soldiers used to store gunpowder and other weapons. There was a fort keeper and his assistant who would stay there. It's such a lonely place, not sure how they lived there. Bats inhabit the place and maybe other things too! We then made our way down the hill. Following some narrow stony footpath downhill. We reached the main road and made our way back to the hotel for a rest and lunch.
DEEPDENE TRAIL
After lunch and Salah we decided to head off again. This time to Deepdene. A short walk from our hotel. This is another trail. We went there just after 3pm.
There was a few places we could go to like the Garden, Terrace, Mausoleum of the Hope Family etc. The entrance to the trail was dark. We decided to head for the garden. Through pathways, we passed the dense woodland. We were alone.
We had come to the garden but it was nothing like we expected. It was overgrown with weeds and brambles. There was a statue of a lion in the middle, called Coady. There was also a small shelter at the end of the garden. At first I thought two people were standing there but when we got close we realised it was graffiti! A set of stairs went up from here which we climbed. 120 steps. We came to an open area which overlooked hills far away.
We felt a little uneasy so headed back out. On the way we bumped into a gentleman. He pointed out a deer which was watching us from amongst the bushes. We thanked him and went our way.
Deepdene was a huge area which dates back to hundreds of years ago. The garden was built by Charles Howard in the 1650s. We came to learn that there are some hidden tunnels beneath the garden which were used during the war and by railway companies thereafter. There is an access to the tunnels, but we didn't like the look of it and didn't venture out to check it out!
When we left the trail we both admitted that the experience of being in the Deepdene was quite frankly scary. We felt unease and unsafe. It had passed its glory days, now left in despair. Not a nice place at all. After coming back to the hotel, we rested a bit and then went out to get dinner.
DAY THREE
Our final day. We woke up early hoping for a quick walk before we pack up and leave. Wife found a viaduct which interested us. It was near a place called Riverside Walk which was a short walk from the hotel.
We walked down, following the GPS. It lead us to the viaduct. The viaduct went over the River Mole and there were houses beneath it too. We wanted a closer look and went round another path which happened to be the Riverside Walk.
At one point we came to a fork. We didn't know which way to go, due to private signs. A man came out from his house and helped us find our way. He was very kind.
We crossed over the river on a wooden bridge. The river is shallow here. Due to Covid restrictions, local anglers aren't allowed to fish here. We followed a path and it led us to a huge open field. From here we could see the box hill too.
A lady walking her dog told us that her dog is young and likes people saying hello to it. Honestly we don't know how to say stuff to a dog and just said hello! (In English not dog language!)
It was a good walk to end our stay in Dorking.
We headed back to the hotel, grabbed our stuff and checked out. We had gone a little early to the station. There's a bookshelf where you can buy books, for a reasonable donation. Each of us got a book that interested us.
I got a little peckish so bought an almond croissant which the nice lady heated up. The train came and we hopped on. At first it was near empty but as we headed down to London it got busier.
Our journey didn't end yet. We reached London Victoria station and then took a bus to Regents Park to pray Jumuah. Alhamdulillah Regents Park Masjid is a beautiful place with good positive vibes.
To my surprise the Khateeb was Ustadh Mishkat Hassan, a contact of mine who also runs Hassan Hajj Tours. He gave a good khutbah about respecting elders. We finished the day off with lunch and then came home.
Alhamdulillah, we thank Allah for a beautiful experience, we tried our best to praise Allah during the journey.
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